Policy and Economics Officer
Organizational Context
UNDP has been active in India since 1951, focusing on human development, poverty eradication, inequality reduction, and sustainable development. The organization works with government and diverse actors to deliver people-centric results, aligning with India's national development vision and the SDGs. The Policy Unit specifically leads research and advocacy on global goals and the national agenda, with emphasis on environment, climate change, inclusive growth, and SDG localization.
Job Purpose
This role supports the Senior Economist and the Policy Unit in advancing UNDP India's strategic priorities by formulating and implementing integrated policy initiatives and programmes. The position contributes to strengthening the link between policy and programme objectives, supports partnership development and resource mobilization efforts, and promotes knowledge generation and evidence-based insights to inform UNDP's development interventions. The aim is to find country-specific solutions that foster sustainable development and reach marginalized communities, contributing to India's national and global development goals.
Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include supporting the formulation, development, and design of new integrated policy initiatives in UNDP priority areas, preparing substantive inputs for strategic documents, and collaborating with country office teams and external counterparts to identify new policy ideas and initiate project concepts. The role involves coordinating with technical advisors and institutions for effective project formulation and ensuring a strong relationship between programmatic work and policy initiatives. Additionally, the position will provide oversight and management of initiatives using Result-Based Management tools, monitor project performance, and contribute to regular reporting. Partnership building and resource mobilization are crucial, involving stakeholder coordination, identifying capacity building needs, and preparing briefs for funding opportunities. Facilitating knowledge generation and management through developing lessons learned products and leading the preparation of relevant knowledge products is also a core duty. The role supports the Senior Economist in various unit functions and performs other assigned duties.
Work Experience
A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in Economics, Development Studies, and Social Sciences is required for candidates with a Master's degree. Candidates with a Bachelor's degree require a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in these fields.
Skills
Core Competencies: Achieve Results, Think Innovatively, Learn Continuously, Adapt with Agility, Act with Determination, Engage and Partner, Enable Diversity and Inclusion. Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies: Results-based management, System Thinking, Monitoring, Risk management, Project Management, Communication, Partnership management, Relationship Management. Required Skills: Understanding of India's development challenges, policy debates, and federal structure; policy advice and technical assistance experience; excellent writing and data analysis/visualization skills; experience in data-driven research and understanding of public policy research landscape. Fluency in Hindi and English is required.