Overview
The Strategy and Institutional Affairs Specialist provides coordination and institutional coherence to support UNCDF’s strategic engagement and alignment across directorates. The role ensures senior management decision-making is informed by coherent inputs and that strategic priorities are translated into coordinated internal action.
Key Responsibilities
- Translate executive-level priorities into coordinated internal messaging, analysis, and reporting.
- Ensure alignment between corporate policy positioning, investment pipeline narratives, and external engagement messaging.
- Coordinate inputs from across UNCDF for engagements with member states and UN organizations.
- Provide structured and substantive briefing materials and talking points for senior management.
- Support the development, coherence, and implementation of the Strategic Framework, Integrated Results and Resource Matrix, Resource Mobilization Strategy, and Partnership Action Plan.
- Ensure corporate presentations and materials reflect coherent institutional positioning.
- Support institutional and corporate processes, including those related to the Strategic Framework and the Executive Board.
- Monitor and provide strategic planning and policy analysis on inter-governmental processes and inter-agency matters.
- Identify emerging policy positioning priorities.
- Advance UNCDF’s strategic engagement with major country groups.
- Represent UNCDF in UN system coordination mechanisms and inter-agency fora.
- Contribute to partnership and resource mobilization efforts.
- Monitor programme country trends on financing needs, policy developments, and external financing shifts.
- Provide structured analysis and strategic insights to support senior management decision-making.
- Support the identification and development of thought leadership opportunities.
- Contribute to the development of key corporate knowledge products.
- Serve as Secretariat to the Project Investment Committee (PIC) and Investment Decision Investment Committee (IDIC).
- Ensure procedural integrity, quality control, and timely preparation of documentation for investment approval.
- Strengthen coordination between pre-assessment, review, and final approval stages.
- Support adherence to accountability, transparency, and documentation standards in investment governance processes.
- Act as focal point on embedding gender equality, women's economic empowerment, and PSEAH considerations.
- Develop the Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment (GEWEE) Strategy and UN-SWAP Action Plans.
- Integrate PSEAH risk assessment into investment governance processes.
- Represent UNCDF in inter-agency gender and PSEAH coordination mechanisms.
- Perform other duties as necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.
Required Experience
- Minimum of 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic planning, institutional affairs, policy advisory functions, or external relations within the UN system, international organizations, development finance institutions, or comparable multilateral settings is required.
- Demonstrated experience supporting senior management decision-making through preparation of executive-level briefs, talking points, background notes, and strategic analyses is required.
- Prior experience with investment governance processes, quality assurance, committee secretariats, and corporate review processes is required.
- Experience mainstreaming gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and safeguarding/PSEAH considerations within institutional, policy, or programmatic frameworks is required.
- Prior experience in financing for development, catalytic and blended finance, development finance instruments, and the role of public capital in crowding-in private investment is required.
- Experience engaging with United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanisms, multilateral reform processes, international policy debates, particularly related to development finance and least developed countries is desired.
- Hands-on experience in institutional policy development, strategic planning, and results-based management frameworks in international organizations is desired.
- Prior familiarity with donor engagement, partnerships and resource mobilization is desired.
- Experience working with the United Nations System, both at HQ and country level is desired.
Qualifications
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Public Administration, Social Sciences, Law, International Relations, Development Studies, Political Science, or other relevant fields 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.
