Talent Management Specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations.

Headquartered in New York City, the status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Talent Management Specialist in Nigeria

Job Identification: 2406
Location: Lagos
Grade: NOC
Job Schedule: Full time
Contract Duration: 1 Year
Vacancy Type: Fixed Term
Practice Area: Management
Bureau: Regional Bureau for Africa

Background

• Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with an estimated population of 206 Million1 and an annual population growth rate of 2.6%2. By 2050, the country’s population is expected to have doubled, reaching more than 400 million and thereby becoming the third largest country in the world3. More than half of its population will be under the age of 30 years.  
• At the same time, unemployment and under-employment are one of the key development challenges facing young people in Nigeria and undermining the prospects of the country to achieve its development aspirations and fulfil its potential as the continent’s largest economy.
• According to the National Bureau for Statistics’ report of 2018, over 13.9 million youth are unemployed.
• The highest unemployment rate was recorded for youths between 15 – 24 years standing at 40.8%, followed by those aged between 25 – 34 years at 30.7%4. Investing in Nigeria’s youth is therefore becoming more urgent than ever.  
• In response to this complex development challenge, the Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners, seeks to invest in the next generation of leaders through the establishment of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (JFP) - a platform for empowering young Nigerian graduates with practical on-the-job skills and leadership competencies through a twelve-month paid placement opportunity.
• Under this programme, highly qualified recent graduates of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme will be provided with work opportunities within private sector organisations, the public sector, UN agencies and development organisations.
• The goal of the NJPF is to enhance these Fellows with professional and leadership capacities thereby enabling them to positively contribute to the social and economic development prospects of Nigeria. 
• The enrolment of an initial 20,000 Fellows is envisaged followed by a scaling up of the programme in the coming years. 
• The Jubilee Fellows Programme will expand opportunities for learning to work transitions for fresh graduates in Nigeria through placement opportunities, job market information, skills transfer and facilitated learning.
• It is designed as a partnership platform that brings together private and public sector actors - including learning institutions to co-create and deploy to scale a viable solution that enhances youth employability, entrepreneurship and retention of national talent.     

Position Purpose

• To this end, UNDP Nigeria is seeking a qualified Talent Management Specialist to lead efforts to build a diverse talent pipeline of young Nigerians by partnering directly with the leadership of private sector host organisations and by developing and implementing the JFP talent agenda.
• The Jubilee Fellowship is aimed at producing top-class young talent through training and work placement opportunities. Therefore, the Talent Management Specialist will support the design and implementation of the Jubilee Fellowship by increasing Fellows’ engagement and accelerating their performance to deliver results.
• Talent management activities will include performance management, conducting assessments to identify and address learning gaps, supporting Fellows in the development of their personal career development plans, and designing effective mentorship and coaching systems.
• The talent management specialist will execute and measure the effectiveness of the Jubilee Fellowship project; partner and collaborate with private sector host organisations to develop, communicate and implement professional development programs and processes; and operate as the functional contact of all talent management systems and processes.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Under the direct supervision of Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor (Jubilee Fellows Team Lead), the Talent Management Specialist will be responsible for the following functions and tasks:

Summary of Key Functions
Develop the Jubilee Fellowship’s Talent Management Strategy for the Identification, Talent Sourcing of Young Nigerians, to Participate in the Fellowship. This Function will include:

• Create systems to maximize the potential of Jubilee Fellows and to enhance their performance, in partnership with the private sector host entities
• Support Jubilee Fellows in the development of their personal career development plan, and create a supportive environment to ensure that their career goals are achieved
• Establish relevant channels of career support for the Jubilee Fellows, including, career counselling and guidance, mentorship, coaching, e-learning and other channels.
• Private Sector Engagement project planning, implementation & follow-up;

Design processes and Strategies for the Identification of Young Talent with High Potential to Participate in the Jubilee Fellowship Across all 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory:

• Assist in drafting a talent management strategy across the different economic sectors in partnership with key leadership of private sector entities.  
• Contribute to the designing, building and maintaining of a pool of high-potential Nigerian youth whilst ensuring gender and geographical balance, in close coordination with the Talent Management Company.
• Coordinate the provision of personal development opportunities for Fellows through the digital learning platform, on-the-job assignments, shadowing opportunities, coaching, mentoring, etc. in close coordination with their host organisation.
• Facilitate partner discussions on career paths for Jubilee Fellows and influence host organisations on talent retention, skill acquisition and change management.
• Conduct needs assessments and research best-in-class performance approaches and systems to determine the optimal performance solutions for the Jubilee Fellowship.

Support the Iimplementation of an Outreach Strategy to Attract Qualified Young Nigerians and Host Organisations to Participate in the Jubilee Fellowship. This will require:

• Supporting and following up on engagement with youth networks governments, the private sector, and other labour markets to identify potential feeder pools and gauge their suitability for Jubilee Fellowship.
• Contributing to maintaining strategic partnerships with select stakeholders.
• Participating in campaigns to promote the Jubilee Fellowship using a variety of formal and informal channels. 
• Assist in preparing policy papers and briefing notes on issues related to youth employment.

Performance Management:

• Assess training needs of newly placed Fellows and develop and/or update training materials and content to provide effective upskilling for the Fellows, as required.
• Ensure effective on-boarding processes for all newly selected Fellows in partnership with private sector host entities
• Facilitate engagements with Jubilee Fellows to provide them with career counselling and support, in close coordination with their host entity.
• Coordinate with host organization HR and supervisors to monitor Fellows attendance to work, active engagement in official processes, performance levels, and ability to learn and adapt to new things.
• Conduct monthly audit of Fellow’s feedback and supervisors/mentors reports.
• Support other performance management projects as they arise. 

Coordinate Knowledge Building and Sharing Activities Amongst Partners to Enhance Capacity Development and Improve Project Implementation:

• Identify and formulate lessons learned and recommendations to be integrated into project implementation efforts.
• Contribute to relevant knowledge networks and communities of practice, with a view to facilitate innovation and knowledge sharing mechanisms among countries and programmes.
• Liaise with the Communication team to finalize outreach, communication and reporting materials and packages to support for resource mobilization and general communication efforts.
• Liaise with Communication team to develop and publish success stories of the Jubilee Fellowship on social media platforms as well as on the JFP digital platform.
• Coordinate the development and dissemination of quarterly reports in collaboration with project team members, UNDP CO, private sector host entities, and Government partners.
• Perform any other duties as required and requested.

Impact of Results:

• The key results have an impact on the overall effectiveness and success of UNDP’s interventions and activities in achieving the country’s development and the SGDs. 
• Effective implementation of evaluation policies and strategies, as well as efficient management of the evaluation process, enhance the organization’s capacity and credibility to provide leadership and high-quality technical advice on the formulation of innovative programme strategies and projects which address specific needs of the country in the UNDP Practice Areas.
• As an active UNDP CO team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support rendered to UNDP and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his M&E duties, resulting in a positive impact on the overall success of UNDP’s programming to support the Jubilee fellows programme.

Requriements
Education:

• Master's Degree or equivalent in Social Policy, Public Policy, Politics, Development Studies, Statistics, Political Science, International Relations, or related field.
• A Bachelor’s Degree with additional  2 years of qualifying experience may be considered in lieu of the Master’s degree.

Experience:

• 5 years (Master’s Degree) or 7 years (Bachelor’s Degree) work experience in programme management, design, monitoring, and learning.
• Experience in developing and implementing talent management strategy across the different economic sectors in partnership with key leadership of private sector entities.  
• Experience in contributing to the designing, building, and maintaining of a career development plan for diverse areas
• Knowledge of and previous experience with data visualization and data visualization software is an asset;
• Excellent knowledge of information technology.
• Strong inter-personal and teamwork skills, coupled with good communication skills.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, as well as experienced in the handling of web-based management systems.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in oral and written English.
• knowledge of other official UN languages is an advantage

Competencies:
Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results - LEVEL 2: Scale-up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively- LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously- LEVEL 2: Go outside the comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility- LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in the change process
• Act with Determination- LEVEL 2:   Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner-LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion-LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

Functional & Technical Competencies:

• Business Direction & Strategy - Business Acumen: Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks.
• Business Direction & Strategy - Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain an advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions through compromise, and creates 'win-win' situations
• Business Direction & Strategy - Entrepreneurial Thinking: Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP's organizational priorities and mandate.
• Business Development- Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
• Business Development- Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
• Business Development- 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.
• Business Development – Integration within the UN: Ability to identify, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations.

People Management:

• Supervisory / Managerial Responsibilities: None for now
• UNDP People Management Competencies can be found on the dedicated site.  

Application Closing Date
1st March, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fees in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it.
• Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
• Candidates selected pursuant to this vacancy may be subject to UNDP’s policy on Probation upon assignment.