In autumn 2019, the President of Ukraine adopted Decree #722/2019 on the integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the policy development practice of Ukraine, which (a) encourages the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to analyze higher-level programme documents and strategic forecasts through the SDG lens, (b) foresees the establishment of a regular tracking and reporting system for SDGs in Ukraine and a mechanism for relevant annual reporting, and (c) recommends core scientific and R&D centers of the country to align their research priorities with principles that underpin 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Based on the request from the Government partners at the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (SCMU), UNDP Ukraine together with SIDA and FDFA supported the launch of SDG BRIDGE Ukraine (Building Resilience for Implementing Development Goals Effectively) and the establishment of a dedicated unit that would help to develop an institutional framework for SDG coordination and implementation in Ukraine. The SDG BRIDGE Project will morph a group of advisors within the SCMU / Prime Minister’s Office into a dedicated SDG Office to provide high level technical advice and strategic guidance, and to demonstrate how SDG-related coordination can and should function.

In this context, the UNDP Ukraine invites applications from highly-qualified and experienced Ukrainian professionals for the post of Advisor on SDGs implementation between Government and Parliament, to support the Government of Ukraine in enhancing coordination mechanism on SDGs implementation between Government and Parliament.

The incumbent will accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment within all implementations and promote UNDP’s mandate as a gender-responsive organization with zero tolerance to any kind of discriminatory and abusive behavior, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.

• Provide policy and institutional advice and expertise, reviews and recommendations to the Vice-Prime Minister’s Office (VPM Office) on design and deployment of the reforms linked to SDG implementation and the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, bringing in gender perspectives and concerns;
• Streamline the processes for policymaking, strategic planning, and policy management within the VPM Office and across Ukraine’s governmental institutions required for reform implementation vis-à-vis SDGs and EU-Ukraine Association Agreement priorities;
• Advise on building, consolidating, and nurturing partnerships with Parliament, government entities and other stakeholders, including women’s groups, facilitate development of long-term policy goals through Innovative approaches of strategic planning (e.g. foresight) that will advance SDGs implementation and connect them with short-term achievable tasks;
• Support the preparation of analytical documents in the context of SDGs implementation and EU-Ukraine Association Agreement;
• Enhance intergovernmental cooperation and increase the effectiveness of collaboration with the Parliament  for the achievement of SDGs and the “green” transition;
• Coordinate with the Project-selected pilot Ministries.

• At least 1 year of proven prior experience of professional or advisory services to the Government and/or Parliament;
• Proven experience in Ukraine-EU legal approximation and Association Agreement implementation

• Demonstrate focus on achieving quality results and impact.
• Consistently strive to meet or exceed excellence standards.
• Hold self and others accountable for results.
• Efficiently establish appropriate plans and resources for self and others to accomplish goals.

Think Innovatively 

• Look beyond conventional approaches and established methods.
• Propose new ideas, approaches and solutions to problems.
• Seek patterns and clarity outside boxes and categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choice.

Learn Continuously 

• Actively pursue opportunities for learning and self-development professionally and personally.
• Keep abreast of new developments in one’s professional area.
• Proactively seek feedback, demonstrates a desire to learn from others as well as from experiences, both positive and negative.
• Contribute to the learning of others.

Adapt with Agility 

• Be flexible in handling change, and adopt new ideas, approaches and ways of working.
• Seamlessly adapt to working within new situations or contexts, with new people, and in different ways.
• Participate in, support, contribute to or drive meaningful change in UNDP.
• Be comfortable with ambiguity and effectively managing multiple demands.

Act with Determination

• Pursue everything with motivation and drive.
• Not give up in the face of adversity and setbacks; demonstrate resilience and composure.
• Demonstrate courage, self-motivation and initiative to act on opportunities without being prompted by others.
• Be authentic and modest, get things done without unnecessary noise.

Engage and Partner

• Act in a way that demonstrates empathy and emotional intelligence, showing consideration for the needs and feelings of others.
• Demonstrate and encourage teamwork and co-creation internally and externally to achieve joint objectives and results.
• Establish and develop networks that deliver powerful collaborations.
• Encourage and respect the views of others; accept views and ideas other than one’s own

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

• Treat all individuals with respect, consider ethical implications and respond sensitively to all differences among people.
• Fully accept and value all people, creating an inclusive environment.
• Understand that inclusion is multi-faceted (e.g. race, gender, age, disability, culture, etc.).
• Understand and appreciate issues from the perspective of others.
• Treat everyone fairly and equally.
• Demonstrate honesty and transparency

Cross-functional competencies

Strategic Thinking

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.

Business Acumen and Commercial Thinking

• Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks.

Effective Decision Making

• Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.

Partnerships Management

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Negotiation and Influence

• Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations.

Knowledge Generation

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context.

Communication

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Technical Competencies

Governance

• Public Administration and Local Governance.
• Transparency and Anti-Corruption.
• Planning and Assessment.
• Parliamentary Institutions.
• Transparency and Anti-Corruption.
• Localization of the SDGs.

Gender Mainstreaming

• Knowledge of gender issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, including analysis and implementation of projects from a gender perspective.

Strategic Policy Engagement

• Horizon-scanning and future of development.
• Strategic policy advice.

Partnership management

• Relationship management.
• Strategic engagement.

SDG Integration

• SDG Acceleration.

Legal

• Legal Analysis and Report Writing.
• Knowledge of applicable legal framework.

• Master’s degree or equivalent in political science, economics, public administration, law, international relations, or related field.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field with additional two years of relevant progressively responsible experience could be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. At least two (2) relevant analytical papers, reviews, policy papers or other materials that were provided as recommendations to the Public Institutions.