Strategic Learning, Knowledge and Evaluation Specialist, P3, Bangkok, Thailand, UNCDF [Open to Tier 1 applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0 : UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1 : Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2 : UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated : All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.

As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, United Nations Organizations, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders. UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including:

• SME Finance
• Sub-National Finance
• Digital Finance

UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States. Duties and Responsibilities

Working under the guidance and supervision of the Head of the Impact Measurement, Verification, and Learning (IMVL) Unit, the Strategic Learning, Knowledge, and Evaluation Specialist leads the design, development, and implementation of UNCDF’s organizational learning and knowledge workstream, as well as coordinating UNCDF’s portfolio of evaluations.

The Strategic Learning, Knowledge, and Evaluation Specialist will drive initiatives that systematically capture, synthesize, and disseminate lessons learned, knowledge, and evaluation findings from across UNCDF’s portfolio, fostering a culture of continuous organizational learning that strengthens the design, delivery and impact of UNCDF’s work.

To support these objectives, the Specialist will lead UNCDF’s portfolio of thematic, programme, and project learning, knowledge, and evaluations activities, ensuring they are strategically designed, developed, and implemented to generate actionable insights that strengthen relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of UNCDF’s interventions. The Strategic Learning, Knowledge, and Evaluation Specialist will translate these insights into learning loops, knowledge products, strategic recommendations, and innovative tools and approaches.

The Strategic Learning, Knowledge, and Evaluation Specialist will work closely with all UNCDF divisions to implement the organization’s learning and knowledge agenda, while overseeing the evaluation cycle. The Strategic Learning, Knowledge, and Evaluation Specialist will be based in Bangkok, Thailand, and may be required to travel occasionally.

UNCDF adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNCDF personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

1.) Design and manage thematic, programme, and project learning, knowledge management, and evaluations in line with UNCDF’s learning and evaluation plan and priorities

• Liaise with all UNCDF divisions in the scoping, design, and execution of UNCDF’s learning and knowledge strategy, internal and external evaluations, and other learning exercises commissioned by UNCDF, including overseeing the work of external evaluation firms and consultants.
• Oversee the management cycle of UNCDF’s learning and knowledge strategy, including evaluations – preparing templates, finalizing Terms of References (TORs), sourcing, vetting and assessing evaluation firms/consultants, supervising inception periods, overseeing country visits of the evaluators, and reviewing draft and final reports.
• Ensure that UNDF’s learning, knowledge management, and evaluation work is aligned with relevant international standards and best practices across International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), as well as UNDP’s Evaluation Policy and UN Evaluation Group guidance and gender-responsive evaluation standards
• Provide technical guidance and quality assurance throughout the learning, knowledge strategy, and evaluation process, collaborating across the IMVL team and ensuring that objectives, questions, methodology, evidence, and deliverables are credible, useful, and fit for purpose.

2.) Strengthen UNCDF’s organizational framework, standards, and quality assurance for learning, knowledge, and evaluation

• Develop a learning, knowledge, and evaluation plan for UNCDF’s evolving portfolio of development finance instruments, to be used in all relevant organizational learning initiatives supporting UNCDF’s blended finance programming.
• Develop learning, knowledge and evaluation guidance notes, tools, templates, and training materials to support consistent application of learning, knowledge, and evaluation approaches across UNCDF’s development finance instruments and programmes, in line with applicable policies, norms, and standards.
• Participate in UNCDF Programme Appraisal Committee meetings to ensure that new projects/programmes meet relevant learning, knowledge, and evaluability standards.

• Lead, or participate in, as appropriate, internal reviews of UNCDF’s organizational or programmatic performance to identify opportunities for learning, knowledge, innovation, and greater operational impact. 3.) Guide and support knowledge building and management within and outside UNCDF

• Identify and formulate insights, lessons learned, and recommendations to be integrated into UNCDF knowledge management efforts both internally and externally with its key stakeholders,

• Use databases, tracking tools, knowledge management systems, and innovative technologies and approaches to support the use of learning, knowledge, and evaluation findings across UNCDF.
• Contribute to UNCDF’s participation in external learning, knowledge, and evaluation networks and communities of practice, including United Nations Evaluation Group task forces and other forums focused on the learning, knowledge, and evaluation of international development finance instruments.

• Participate in meetings, workshops, and other fora to establish a dialogue on learning, knowledge, and evaluation insights taking into account the information needs of various audiences for evaluation. 4.) Drive the application of organizational learning and knowledge through innovative and user-friendly approaches

• Develop innovative learning and knowledge management approaches, tools, and digital solutions to systematically capture, synthesize, and disseminate project insights and learnings from across UNCDF’s investment and programme portfolio.

• Design and manage feedback mechanisms that integrate strategic insights, lessons learned, and evaluation findings into project design, adaptive management, results monitoring, and strategic decision-making, enabling project teams to continuously strengthen implementation efforts and sharpen impact.
• Leverage AI, knowledge management platforms, and other emerging technologies to enhance learnings by identifying trends across the investment and programme portfolio and supporting insights-driven programme management and innovation.
• Establish and manage partnerships with learning institutions to advance UNCDF’s learning and knowledge contributions to the development finance community focused on early-stage, last mile financing of development solutions.

5.) Manage efficiently UNCDF resources for learning, knowledge, and evaluations

• Support the planning and budgeting of learning, knowledge and evaluation activities in coordination with programme/project teams, ensuring realistic scope, timelines, resourcing, and value for money.
• Manage UNCDF’s learning, knowledge, and evaluation resources effectively and efficiently, monitoring budgets, workplans, deliverables, risks, and timelines.
• Lead the sourcing, selection, and onboarding of learning, knowledge, and evaluation firms, consultants, and technical specialists based on requirements, technical quality, and organizational procedures.
• Coordinate and supervise learning, knowledge, and evaluation consultants and technical specialists, ensuring timely delivery, quality of outputs, and alignment with requirements, organizational standards, and contractual obligations.
• Manage UNDCF’s relationship with UNDP’s Independent Evaluation Office in line with provisions of the UNDP Evaluation Policy. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

• The position will supervise one Programme Associate
• The Position will also supervise evaluation teams including consultants, IPSA and TA in the data collection, analysis, and reporting on UNCDF performance, using established evaluation criteria and methods. Competencies

Core competencies:

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

People Management

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site .

Cross-Functional \& Technical competencies

Thematic Area Name Definition

Business Direction and 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

Business Management Knowledge generation Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

Business Management Portfolio Management Ability to select, prioritise and control the

organization's programmes and projects in line with

its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to

balance the implementation of change initiatives

with regular activities for optimal return on

investment. Knowledge and understanding of key

principles of project, programme, and portfolio

management

Business Management Monitoring \& Evaluation Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

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 supporting decision-making.

Digital Developmental evaluationLearning and adaptation focused: ability to promote and facilitate ongoing reflection and adaptation; aimed at informing learning and

portfolio related decision making.

Being comfortable with unknown unknowns, uncertainty and understand the traits and value of working with emergence. Being able to give direction rather than destination: monitor and learn about how we understand the present and our direction towards something better (general intent) – not measuring progress and milestones towards a specific pre-defined goal

Being inclusive, collaborative and co-creative: being able to design and implement evaluation frameworks with the variety of stakeholders and beneficiaries involved. Being flexible and able to use of a mix of methods, having a high tolerance for ambiguity and can draw on a variety of qualitative and quantitative evidence, is open

to unorthodox types of evidence.

Ability to set up the structures, conditions, rituals to create a culture for curiosity, reflection and learning and promote evaluation results and insights from a learning perspective.

Understand key principles of systems and complexity theory.

2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness Innovation Monitoring, Learning, Knowledge Management, and Evaluation for Portfolios.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Social or Political Science, Public Policy, International Relations, or Business Administration is required. Or

A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience, in organizational learning, knowledge management, project monitoring and evaluation, result-based management, and /or evidence-based reporting, is required.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and manage partnerships with senior leadership, programme teams, consultants, and external stakeholders to foster a culture of learning, innovation, and knowledge sharing is required.
• Experience leveraging project management, learning, evaluation tracking systems, databases, or other tools, including AI, Quantum, Power BI, Salesforce and other emerging tools are required.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, written, and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to synthesize and translate complex evidence and project findings into clear, actionable insights, knowledge products, technical reports, recommendations, and communication materials for technical and non-technical audiences are required.
• Experience and knowledge of development finance and blended finance instruments, including grants, loans, and guarantees, and related assessment of results desired.
• Experience in developing standard operating procedures, tools, templates, guidance materials, and training is desired.
• Experience with UN organizations and other multilateral and bilateral development organizations in a similar role is desired.
• Experience managing or quality-assuring evaluations, including reviewing evaluation designs, methodologies, and reports against internationally recognized evaluation norms and standards, is desired.
• Experience designing and implementing organizational learning mechanisms that translate lessons learned and evaluation findings into changes in project design, implementation, or strategic decision-making is desired.

Language(s):

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in other official UN languages (e.g., French and Spanish) is desirable.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

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