AI for Sustainable Development Manager – Home based

Emerging and future digital technologies and the opportunities they offer will profoundly improve the lives of those furthest behind. Recognizing this potential, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched an organization-wide digital transformation that will splice digital into its DNA—harnessing its potential to do good for more people, better and faster. UNDP’s 2019-2021 Digital Strategy created a new UNDP Digital Unit (the Chief Digital Office), charged with leading the next wave of innovation in sustainable development. A digital strategy (2022-2025) outlines how UNDP will create a world in which digital is an empowering force for people and planet.

UNDP is the development arm of the United Nations. Present in 170 countries with over 17,000 people, UNDP works on the world’s biggest problems: extreme poverty, climate change, good governance, renewable energy, crisis prevention, and women’s empowerment, among others. 

We are leveraging the power and agility of digital to propel all people forward, starting with digital initiative development, scaling innovation, and communicating this organizational change internally and externally. To achieve this, we need a team that’s nimble, that’s passionate, that has the technical skills required to help close the digital divide. Are you one of these people? Read more about our digital strategy here. 

To bring digital around the globe, we need someone who can work directly with governments, linking our growing global offer of expertise and advisory services with digital transformation initiatives at country level. This position will be part of the team at the Chief Digital Office (CDO) and report to the Head of Digital Programmes.
 

1. Provide strategic technical direction and leadership:

• Contribute to the design of and leading execution for UNDP’s programme on Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development, leading to successful delivery of our strategic objectives
• Lead strategy for AI, while contributing to Data, Digital Public Infrastructure.  This includes ongoing development of critical frameworks, models, guides. 
• Build UNDP’s ability to spot trends across our network to help UNDP stay ahead of the frontier issues of digital development. 
• Collaborate with other Managers to support the development of cohesive offers, proposals, programmes, and projects.

2. Ensure Effective Implementation & Scale: 

• Develop and execute the AI priorities, establishing touchpoints and processes for sourcing & implementing new ideas, tracking existing workstreams, and ongoing team management. 
• Design and pilot new approaches for connecting countries and stakeholders to harness digital development AI opportunities and mitigate risks and challenges, playing to UNDP’s strengths and value proposition. 
• Contribute to the digital transformation network to scale and support thematic, regional and country teams in co-designing impactful digital development programmes. 
• Lead the strategic development of the digital programme capabilities at UNDP to create a cohesive and/or coordinated approach where necessary. 

3. Ensure effective talent management.

•  Manage projects/programmes funded by donors, ensuring timely reporting and results. 
• Ensure excellent talent pipeline and hiring, including resource optimization working with other parts of digital transformation areas which prioritizes utilisation of existing resources.
• Manage the current pipeline and work with other teams to ensure the overall financial sustainability of the capability. 
• Lead the iteration and success of the specific offers within Digital Transformation. 

 4. Lead Advocacy & Thought Leadership 

• Design creative approaches to identifying target audiences, and devising grassroots and/or digital campaigns to communicate UNDP’s work. 
• Lead on frontier issues, distilling uncovered trends to shape the future of digital development. 
• Manage stakeholder events to spotlight attention to the opportunities and challenges of digital development and set directions for the future. 

5. Lead in Fundraising & Partnerships 

• Lead in the co-designing digital programmes with funders and partners. 
• Develop and manage partnerships relevant to the digital transformation, ensuring UNDP’s value-add and value proposition of partners to contribute to scale support to countries.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Institutional Arrangement

The position will report directly to the Head of Digital Programmes within CDO. Home based. 

Duration:

6 months with possibility of extension.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:                           

LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 

Think Innovatively:         

LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 

Learn Continuously:      

LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility:         

LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 

Act with Determination:  

LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner:      

LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:   

LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional competencies

• Business Direction & Strategy    
  • Business Acumen           
    • 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.
• Digital & Innovation
  • Digital Ecosystems        
    • Knowledge of how they work, understanding of the opportunities and challenges for governments and society.
• Information Management & Technology 
  • Data Management & Analytics 
    • Knowledge in data management, data sciences, ability to structure data, develop dashboard and visualization. Design data warehouses, data lakes or data platforms concepts. Familiarity with Machine learning, natural language processing or generation and the use of artificial intelligence to support predictive analytics. CDMP or TOGAF9 or equivalent certification desirable. 
• Digital & Innovation        
  • Agile methodology and processes          
    • Ability to manage projects and processes through continuous iteration, learning and improvement.  Ability to manage a self organising cross-functional teams, foster a team culture of curiosity and learning. Being nimble and being able to improvise and quickly adjust to unforeseen events or changes in conditions or context.
• Business Development  
  • Data privacy and digital ethics    
    • Knowledge of ethical usage of digital technology (e.g. AI, robotics, automation) and data. Ability to assess ethical implications when using, combining, or sharing data, when building or implementing AI systems, and when advising on robotization and automation etc. Ability to design privacy protocols to ensure data is protected and used for legitimate purposes without unnecessary privacy risks.
• Business Management
  • Results-based Management       
    • Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. 
• Business Direction & Strategy    
  • System Thinking             
    • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Minimum Qualifications

Min. Education requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, International Affairs, Public Administration or Management, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Computer Science and Technology Management is required, Or 
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in driving digital transformation and/or digital networks is required. 

Required skills

• Experience and understanding of human centered design and agile methodologies.
• Proven track record in driving projects – effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, startups.
• History of successful leadership in high growth environment.
• Demonstrated ability to write on complex technical issues pertaining to digitalization, new technologies, data innovation and big data.
• Demonstrated ability to carry out interview with technical experts and extract and compile easy to understand content. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead all activities of a high-level event.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including governments, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations, private sector companies, academia, and donors. 
• Experience in excellent project management and execution skills to drive complex and ambiguous topics.

Desired skills

• Experience and strong understanding of the UN System as well as the digital and technology worlds
• Proven experience in exercising the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.
• Experience and deep understanding of digital transformation and organizational change, with a focus on AI.
• Experience of strong knowledge of public policy, digital and AI. 
• Working understanding of human centered design and agile methodologies.
• Proven track record in driving projects – effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, startups.
• History of successful leadership in high growth environment.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in English is required.  
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is advantageous.