Job Description

United Nations Development Programme

Background

The Global Disability Fund (GDF) (formerly UNPRPD) is a multi-partner trust fund dedicated to advancing disability-inclusive development globally. It supports the implementation of the CRPD and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by providing technical assistance, policy guidance, and financial support to governments, UN agencies, civil society, and businesses.

The GDF is hosted within the UNDP Governance team in the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support (BPPS). The GDF Secretariat operates in accordance with its own Strategic Plan and agreed annual work plan approved by its Steering Committee. As GDF expands its strategic reach and portfolio, it is essential to ensure that its impact, effectiveness, and accountability are continuously monitored and evaluated. 

The Technical Hub Coordinator will play a critical role in driving technical excellence, advancing knowledge-sharing, and strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration. This position will lead efforts to ensure disability inclusion remains a global priority, supporting governments and organizations in achieving transformative, sustainable change for persons with disabilities, while also overseeing efforts to promote resilient, disability-inclusive cities.

UNDP provides integrated programmatic, policy and financing solutions to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, UNDP has created a Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Crisis Bureau (CB) are the two anchor Bureaux of the GPN. 

The Bureau for Programme and Policy Support (BPPS) plays a central role in developing relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS designs and implements global projects and provides technical expertise and advisory services to countries and engage in global policy processes across a wide range of thematic and cross-cutting issues, including poverty and inequality, governance, climate change, environment, energy, sustainable finance while ensuring that human rights, gender equality, and social inclusion as central to its approach.

The Crisis Bureau (CB) spearheads UNDP's efforts to support countries on a key challenge: how to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from fragility and crisis. CB addresses the risks that precipitate crises, prevent early exit from them, and perpetuate long-term dependency on humanitarian assistance. Guided by UNDP's Crisis Offer (2022), CB works within the GPN and with Regional Bureaux (RBx) and Country Offices (COs) to implement solutions across prevention, response and recovery that help break the cycle of protracted fragility and crisis. 

 

Position Purpose

The Global Disability Fund (Formerly UNPRPD) is seeking a highly qualified and experienced coordinator to lead its Technical Hub. This role is critical for driving technical excellence, capacity building, and knowledge management in line with the new strategy for 2025-2030, which emphasizes advancing the implementation of the CRPD and promoting disability-inclusive development.

The Coordinator of the Technical Hub will lead comprehensive efforts in technical support, research and development, policy guidance, and stakeholder engagement. This role is crucial in fostering cross-sectoral approaches that address the complex intersections of disability with sustainable development, equality, and humanitarian action. The ideal candidate will possess a unique blend of local, national, and global experience in both humanitarian and development contexts. The candidate should demonstrate extensive leadership experience in disability inclusion, social policy, rehabilitation, development, and humanitarian action. This position requires a strategic professional capable of navigating complex international landscapes while maintaining a strong focus on practical, ground-level implementation and impact.

Additionally, the Coordinator will manage the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Hub to catalyze multistakeholder engagement in creating resilient, disability-inclusive cities.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across 

interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provision of technical leadership and strategic planning

• Provide leadership to the Technical Division, ensuring all activities align with the Strategic Operational Framework and contribute to the implementation of the CRPD
• Lead the integration of cross-cutting issues, including gender equality, poverty reduction, and humanitarian action, to ensure that disability inclusion is comprehensively embedded within the UN system and partner programs
• Advise the Technical Secretariat and governing bodies on strategic direction and priorities related to disability inclusion and CRPD implementation

2. Lead Capacity Building & Knowledge Management

• Design and implement capacity-building initiatives to support stakeholdersincluding UN agencies, governments, and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs)to strengthen their ability to mainstream disability across policies and programs
• Develop and disseminate innovative training and learning materials, emphasizing multi-stakeholder collaboration and ensuring all capacity-building efforts are inclusive and context-specific
• Lead the development and implementation of knowledge tools and systems that address technical gaps in disability-inclusive development, humanitarian action, and social protection
• Establish and manage platforms for knowledge exchange, enabling stakeholders to access and apply evidence-based practices and lessons learned from CRPD implementation globally
• Foster a culture of learning and innovation within the Technical Division to continuously improve global support for disability inclusion
• Ensure these programs contribute to achieving national ownership of CRPD implementation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, as outlined in the UNPRPD framework

3. Lead hub coordination - Resilient and Inclusive Cities Hub

• Coordinate the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Hub, ensuring effective multistakeholder engagement and collaboration
• Oversee in collaboration with the grants management team the implementation of country-level pilot programs that promote disability-inclusive resilient cities, incorporating Universal Design Principles and enhancing the participation of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs)
• Coordinate with the partnership and resource mobilization team to support efforts to secure additional resources to advance the capability of the initiative
•  Manage the Global Helpdesk & Technical Assistance, providing on-demand support for practitioners and aligning assistance with international standards and the CRPD
• Lead the Global Capacity Building & Advocacy efforts, identifying required expertise and strategies to enhance OPD leadership in resilience-focused projects and positioning the Hub prominently at global events
• Curate a Global Knowledge Repository, consolidating research, best practices, guidance, toolkits, and case studies to support ongoing learning and knowledge dissemination.

4. Provide Team Leadership 

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary team, fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and results-driven work culture
• Set strategic direction and clear performance expectations, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities while empowering team members to take initiative and grow
• Promote collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and continuous learning, creating a supportive environment that enhances team effectiveness and innovation.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the and the Technical Secretariat and the Fund.

 

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously:

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility:

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination:

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner:

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

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.

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

Policy and Programme - Governance:

• Disability Inclusion.

Digital - Innovation capacity building:

• Ability to define and create the conditions for trying out new ways of working or introducing new problem solving approaches to an organization.
• Ability to develop, manage and evaluate a learning curriculum that raises awareness, builds confidence, strengthens innovation capabilities around a certain method, tool or technique; or helps develop an innovation mindset.
• Ability to create the authorising environment (mandate, incentives) to embed and spread new ways of working.
• In-depth knowledge of one or more innovation methods, broad knowledge of innovation processes and innovation management.
• Ability to align a learning and development strategy with broader innovation strategy.

Partnership management - Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding:

• Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms.

Digital -Team Design & Management:

• Ability to create a clear sense of shared purpose while leveraging curiosity, expertise and agency at an individual level.
• Set up and manage team rituals and rhythms that create a safe space for learning and reflection.
• Foster a positive culture around failure, encourage exploration, experimentation.
• Set the conditions and structures for 'fluid' team modelling and distributed leadership enabling the team to continuously develop and renew itself.
• Ability to create synergy between team members with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds, being able to leverage their broad knowledge and skillsets.

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Public Policy, Public Management, Social Sciences, International Development, Human Rights, or related fields 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.

 

Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of seven (7) years (with master's degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor's degree) of progressively responsible experience in disability rights, inclusive development, disability services, and humanitarian actions, including at least 5 years in program management and technical support at national and local levels 
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with national and local actors.
• Proven track record of technical leadership and management in relevant fields

Desirable:

• Strong background in implementing multi-stakeholder disability inclusion initiatives at national and international levels
• Proven experience within the United Nations system or similar international organizations 
• Proven experience of strategic planning
• Proven experience of leading high-performance Teams is a strong asset

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of other UN languages would be a strong asset

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. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Important Application Information:
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Sector: Nonprofit/Community/Social Services/International Cooperation

Role: Other

Working hours (%): 80-100% / 100%

Job type: Staff (Permanent and Fixed Term)

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Fixed term contract, Local area, Immediate start, Trial period,

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