UNDP Internship (Position Extended) Head of Experimentation in Kyiv, Ukraine
Duties and Responsibilities Head of Experimentation Internship
Scope of Work
- Experiment portfolio design
- Works with UNDP and partners in mapping the context and nature of development challenges, with a particular focus on understanding systemic issues beyond traditional silos and classifications and identifying drivers of change, and levers for intervention
- Identify logic against which to asses fit and coherence of the individual portfolios with the frontier challenges on which they are meant to generate learning
- Together with UNDP and development partners, coordinate portfolios of experiments to target multiple domains of complex problems.
2. Management of tests and experiments for sustainable development challenges
- Collaborate with UNDP colleagues and stakeholders on the design of experiments across to validate the hypotheses and test the effectiveness of identified prototypes, including (but not limit to) defining variables, formulating hypotheses, and coordinating experimental protocols
- Develop a framework to capture the learning from the experiments in such a way that it favours critical reflection and rapid adaptation over static reporting
- Provide technical guidance for experiment design, roll-out and validation based on the experiment conditions, resources available, and requirements
- Proactively manage risks within experiments including those related to ethics and privacy
3. Working out Loud
- Proactively use blog and social media to share findings from the experiments and portfolio implementation
- Liaise with UNDP’s global Accelerator Lab network and share learnings and insights from the country-specific experience
- Jointly with the CO, support lab partners to develop an emerging pipeline of new initiatives, support other activities related to the design and operation of the Lab
- Design and deliver engaging and meaningful methods for reflection on learning from experiments
- Lead other activities related to the design and operations of the Accelerator Lab
4. Organizational learning and interface with the core business of UNDP
- Help embed a portfolio logic in clients’ work including the existing UNDP Country Programme (as determined and agreed with the senior management)
- Working with clients to encourage reflection and capturing of insights from individual experiments, as they related to the overall portfolio logic
- Design and deliver engaging and meaningful methods for reflection on learning from experiments
- Lead other activities related to the design and operations of the Accelerator Lab
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Also check: UNDP Project Intern Manager at Moldova
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in Social Science, International Development, Environmental Science, Transition or Complexity Science, Engineering, Design (e.g. industrial or service design, architecture, urban planning), Psychology or a related area;OR
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, International Development, Environment Science, Engineering, Design (e.g. industrial or service design, architecture, urban planning), Psychology or related area
Experience:
A minimum of 2 years (with Master´s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of professional experience in development programming or policy; social innovation; partnership building; engagement (public and private sector) and/or resource mobilization.
Required skills
- Demonstrated ability to design experiments, validate hypotheses and test prototypes;
- Professional experience in development programming or policy and social innovation.
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
Experience in following areas is desirable but not necessary:
- Proven professional knowledge and experience in social innovation approaches such as Systems Thinking, Behavioral Insights, Qualitative and Quantitative User Research, Co-creation, Prototyping, Lean Startup, Design Thinking, Data Empowerment, and Collective Intelligence
- Demonstrated ability to work with clients to help surface unarticulated needs
- Demonstrated ability to apply a portfolio logic to experiments
- Demonstrated ability in running co-design sessions and capacity-building in experimental design, lean iteration and impact evaluation.
Also check: 2024 Foreign Policy and Democracy Internship
Required Language(s)
- Proficiency in written and spoken English.
- Fluency in the UN language of the duty station is required.
- Fluency in the national language of the duty station is required for local personnel.
Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.