Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Moldova works to support the Government of Moldova in advancing the national reform and development agenda and to enhance capacities of counterparts at a national, regional and local level through innovative approaches to policy and service design as well as public engagement.  To this end, UNDP in the partnership with the E-Government Center of Moldova as well as other local and international partners plans to set up Social Innovation Hub. The Social InnoHub (SIH) will act as a multilateral platform serving to engage actors from different sectors (public, private, non-profit, etc.) to seek and experiment with innovative approaches to the society’s problems.

In practical terms, InnoHub will try to advance an ecosystem for change, which satisfies the following conditions:

• Open, as to allow for unhindered discussions of topics, problems, opportunities and challenges as well as spotting the future;
• Creative and flexible, as to foster generation of ideas and to provide venue for experimenting with different approaches to problem-solving;
• Democratic as to provide equal opportunities to various actors to contribute and to get involved into the Hub’s activities;

Under these conditions and responding to the above needs the Hub will:

• Help involved stakeholders spot societal problems;
• Help generating ideas, including through various innovative approaches like crowd-sourcing, challenges, and others;
• Support developing and testing solutions, including through use of design thinking techniques, gaming, behavioral science,  mobile technologies and data, and others;
• Help building the case for wider use of the tested solution, including in public services;
• Bring together interested actors to tackle those problems – those who want to do, those who know how and those who have resources to do.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Policy Specialist, the Research Officer contributes to the effective and efficient implementation of the Social Innovation Hub. The incumbent applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations. 

The Research Officer works in close collaboration with the Communication Officer, and the Team of the Projects Implementing Unit, as well as other project teams in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and resolving complex programme/project-related issues and information delivery.

The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

The Research Officer under the overall supervision and guidance of the Policy Specialist and in close cooperation with the e-Government Center of Moldova, will be responsible for managing the successful implementation of research activities of the Innovation Hub. The Research Officer will lead a team of short-term experts.

The incumbent will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the project) of the highest quality and standards to national counterparts and clients. The Officer is expected to identify, develop, test and deliver prototypes, projects and programmes that support practical innovation in defined fields, including modernization of public service design and delivery, in close collaboration with external partners. 

Specifically the Officer will perform the following functions:
 

• Co-manage, with the Communication and Outreach Officer, the day-to-day operations of the InnoHub;
• Be responsible for the implementation of the Project work plan according to indicators for achieving planned results, as well as for the overall management of the Project in accordance to prevailing UNDP rules, regulations and procedures;
• Assume full responsibility for and manage effectively and efficiently all InnoHub research activities and resources (human, financial, physical / material assets, etc) in order to meet expected results;
• Develop, together with the Communication and Outreach Officer, the InnoHub activity and procurement work plans as well as budgets based on expected outputs, develop and submit to the Policy Specialist periodical activities and other reports;
• Identify the most interesting innovations applicable to the development sector in Moldova, as well as respond to requests from colleagues for research in defined fields;
• Ensure in-depth research on identified areas in terms of knowledge, existing expertise and networks;
• Scope areas of opportunity, identify candidates for financial and non-financial support, manage selection processes, including business case development and phase-gate approvals;
• Use the previous experience with design thinking, gaming for development and behavioral science to support scaling up these initiatives in the public sector;
• Support UNDP Policy Specialist in mainstreaming innovation into UNDP programming;
• Maintain updated evidence of applied knowledge services delivered to UNDP colleagues and Government partners through research packages and concepts;
• Maintain updated evidence of workshops and seminars delivered in support of Hub’s concepts, Government counterparts and UNDP colleagues;
• Support enhancing the activity of InnoHub, and promotion of innovation among UNDP staff more broadly;
• Document the overall experience of InnoHub work, including the support to the concepts throughout the incubation cycle; the research on knowledge, expertise and networks in identified areas; the support to resource mobilization to ensure the long term sustainability of the InnoHub; and provide documentation reports to the Policy Specialist  upon request;
• Apply UNDP programming tools and policies as explained in the Results Management Guide. Keep abreast of UNDP programming practices and maintain an optimum level of knowledge by continuous learning;
• Develop Final Evaluation notes after the piloting of each approach/project (results achieved, lessons learned, recommendations for similar future projects);

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
• Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures.  Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must.
• Adheres to the core values of the United Nations; in particular, is respectful of differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status.Ensures that programmes and projects are consistent with UN/UNDP values.
• Treats peers fairly by maintaining consistent values inspiring trust and confidence through personal credibility.
• Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience.
• Focuses on tasks/activities which have a strategic impact on programme and capacity development activities.
• Promotes a supportive environment to enhance partnerships, leverages resources and build support for UNDP’s strategic initiatives.
• Collaborates with regional, national and local partners to create and apply knowledge and concepts that will help partners achieve UNDP’s development objectives within the country and regional context.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
• Strong research and networking skills.
• Intellectual curiosity.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise / In-depth knowledge of the Subject-matter

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines.
• Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff.
• Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally.
• Good financial and business planning skills.
• Interested in social entrepreneurship, ideas and innovation.
• Creative flair and originality.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results-Based Management, including support to design, planning and implementation of Programme, managing data, reporting.
• Ability to provide input to business processes, re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems.
• Ability to engage with various partners and stakeholders at different levels, to establish and maintain contacts with senior-level officials of the host government and represent UNDP in national and regional fora. 
• Ability to obtain, evaluate and interpret factual data and to prepare accurate and complete reports and other documents. 
• Ability to write and communicate orally with accuracy and professionalism, as well as sensitively across different constituencies.
• Capacity to implement the strategic vision and programmatic goals as laid down in the Project Document;
• Proven performance in organizing and coordinating major initiatives, events or challenging inter-organizational activities.
• Adapts flexibly to changing situations, overcomes obstacles and recovers quickly from set-backs.

Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high quality standard throughout.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team and to foster team spirit and synergy.
• Ability to show initiative and work independently.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:   

• Master Degree or equivalent in social studies or other development related discipline.

Experience and skills:   

• At least three (3) years of experience in the design and delivery of programmes/projects across multiple policy areas.
• Direct experience supporting innovation is an advantage.
• Experience of creating or analyzing business plans is an advantage.
• Experience in programme management, including managing budgets, suppliers and grant recipients.
• Experience in the design and delivery of lectures, workshops or seminars is an advantage.
• Records of writing reports, researches, articles and/or blogs. 
• Experience in developing partnerships across a wide range of organisations is an advantage.
• Experience in the usage of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), as well as multimedia tools.

Language Requirements:   

• Fluency in oral and written Romanian, Russian, and English is a must.
• Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language would be an asset.

This is a local position, therefore only citizens of the Republic of Moldova or others legally authorized to work in the country are eligible to apply.

Applications should be submitted on line and include fully completed Personal History Form (P11) as attachment instead of CV/resume.

Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.