Research Assistant

Background

 

UNDP has been working in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development. Together with the Government of India and development partners, we have worked towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening local governance, enhancing community resilience, protecting the environment, supporting policy initiatives and institutional reforms, and accelerating sustainable development for all. With projects and programmes in every state and union territory in India, UNDP works with national and subnational government, and diverse development actors to deliver people-centric results, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the integrator for collective action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the UN system, we are committed to supporting the Government of India’s national development vision and priorities and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs for the people and the planet. UNDP India’s current Country Programme, 2018-2022, is in its final year of implementation. Our new Country Programme (2023-2027), which comes into effect in 2023, builds on our prior work and aims to provide an integrated approach to development solutions in three strategic portfolios:

The programme is supported by a framework of renewed partnerships and blended finance solutions, strategic innovation and accelerator labs, and data and digital architecture. You are invited to join a team of future-smart development professionals to support India in achieving the national and globally agreed goals. As part of the UNDP team, your focus will be to work with diverse stakeholders to find country-specific solutions that lead to sustainable development and reach those furthest behind first.

 

The Government of India has accorded high priority and adopted multifaceted development strategies to promote socio-economic growth of Scheduled Tribes (STs) constituting 8.6% of the India’s total population as their human development indicators with regards to health, education, gender, and other indices are well below the national average. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) being the nodal Ministry for overall policy, planning and coordination of programmes for development of STs, has been pursuing the agenda of inclusive growth with Central and State governments to address the critical gaps in development of STs. UNDP is supporting establishment of the Central Project Management Unit (CPMU) with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. CPMU will have a team of highly qualified experts who will be tasked to promote a holisitic approach to tribal development. As an integral member of the CPMU, the Research Associate will be expected to bring the highest degree of quality, work ethic, and consistency to deliver tasks which will include providing research support on various projects to the CPMU.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

 

 

Competencies

 

Core

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies (insert up to 7 competencies)
Thematic Area	Name	Definition
Business Direction and Strategy	Strategic thinking	Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks
Business Management	Evaluation	Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks -Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concern
Business Management	Working with Evidence and Data	Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and data

Business Development	Knowledge Generation	Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
Digital & Innovation	Data analysis	Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making

 

Required Skills and Experience

 

Education:

• High School Education OR Bachelor’s degree, in social science, rural development, Arts, Science or any other relevant field

Experience:

 

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