Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in more than 170 countries and territories, providing assistance to develop policies, leadership skills and partnerships, institutional capacities, and resilience-building, thereby fostering development. In Colombia, it operates in 32 departments and 360 municipalities.

UNDP is one of the 26 United Nations Agencies, Funds, and Programmes in Colombia, contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The UNDP Country Programme Document 2025–2027 seeks to support the efforts of the Government of Colombia in the transition toward peace and the consolidation of its position as an upper-middle-income country, through four priority areas:

  1. Peace consolidation, human security, and social justice;
  2. Social protection and socioeconomic inclusion;
  3. Environment, climate action, and energy transition; and
  4. Enablers of the 2030 Agenda.

At the programmatic level, UNDP Colombia is organized into two Clusters and five Portfolios: the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster, which includes the Sustainable Development Portfolio and the Productive Inclusion and Social Protection Portfolio; and the Peacebuilding and Inclusive Governance Cluster, which brings together the Democratic Governance Portfolio, the Peacebuilding Portfolio, and the Crisis Response and Rule of Law Portfolio.

From the area of Sustainable Development, UNDP Colombia focuses its actions to contribute to the economic and social development of the country to be environmentally sustainable and improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable and excluded population, promoting the development of the 2030 Agenda and the objectives of sustainable development at local, regional and national level with an environmental view of the territory, from 5 lines of work: reduction of vulnerability to climate change, improvement of the environmental sustainability of productive processes, increase of environmental governance in natural resource management, promotion of the sustainable use of biodiversity and territorial peace with environmental sustainability.

The project "Income increase for small rural farmers, through value chain strengthening in two PDET regions: Montes de María and South of Córdoba – Cosechando igualdad y sostenibilidad" is a partnership between the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Colombia, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the objective of increasing the income of small-scale producer’s families in the PDET regions of Montes de María and Sur de Córdoba. To achieve this objective, the prioritized value chains (cacao, corn, yam, cassava and plantain) will be strengthened, improving the productive, climate change adaptation, commercial and organizational capacities of at least 40 organizations and 2,400 families of small-scale rural producers, mainstreaming the gender approach throughout all stages of the project.

In this context, the project is seeking an International Analyst in Sustainable Rural Development, who will play a key role in fostering strong relationships with relevant Korean institutions to ensure the sustainability of the project. This Analyst will contribute to structuring new initiatives for scaling up results, strengthening the technical development of the project’s cross-cutting approaches, and advising on the management, analysis, and quality assurance of project data. Given the need for effective collaboration with Korean institutions, excellent communication skills, a solid understanding of Korean culture and institutional dynamics, and proficiency in the Korean language are essential. The Analyst will work closely with UNDP technical leaders and other relevant partners to achieve these goals.

Scope of work 

Summary of key functions

The International Analyst in Sustainable Rural Development is expected to perform the following key tasks:

A. Support for the management, coordination and implementation of projects.

  1. Support the management of collaboration with Korean international cooperation institutions to enhance the long-term sustainability of the project “Income increase for small rural farmers, through value chain strengthening in two PDET regions: Montes de María and South of Córdoba. – Cosechando igualdad y sostenibilidad”, ensuring expertise, and strategic support to strengthen its outcomes.
  2. Manage new alliances for the sustainability and continuity of the project.
  3. Advise on the structuring of sustainability strategies to scale project results.
  4. Proactively provide technical input to the implementation of project activities.
  5. Support in the structuring of new projects to promote the expansion of results.
  6. Draft technical documents and provide input for the design of communication materials, press briefings, social media coverage, blogs, videos, webinars, and other products that contribute to the dissemination of project results.

B. Technical development of the project's cross-cutting approaches

  1. Manage technical cooperation with Korean institutions to strengthen the project's cross-cutting approaches (climate change, gender and sustainable commercialization).
  2. Strengthen the project's technical assistance by developing and implementing innovative digital and technological solutions, drawing on successful case studies from developed countries. These solutions will be adapted to align with the project's objectives, enhancing the delivery of technical support.
  3. Identify opportunities in export markets and manage potential international buyers of agricultural products related to the project.

C. Quality assurance, project monitoring and evaluation

  1. Contribute to the management and analysis of information gathered during project implementation to facilitate informed decision making that will improve performance in achieving results.

D. Support the creation, sharing, and development of capacities relevant to the project.

  1. Participate in trainings and organize informational sessions on internal procedures for project staff. Support other capacity-building activities, including the design and delivery of tools, workshop materials, or platforms that leverage the collective intelligence of communities and promote action.
  2. Support the dissemination and exchange of relevant data and lessons learned within the country office and at the regional level. Stay up to date on emerging best practices at the national, regional, and international levels related to the assigned project.
  3. Make meaningful contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support the collection and systematization of knowledge, project outputs, and tools, as well as their broad dissemination to partners.

Perform other activities related to the achievement of project results and the field of sustainable rural development.

Institutional arrangement

The day-to-day work of the International Analyst on Sustainable Rural Development will be guided in general by the UNDP Resident Representative and jointly supervised by the National Sustainable Development Manager and the Chief Project Analyst. The outputs arising from the functions of the International Analyst on Sustainable Rural Development may be considered in consultation with relevant partners such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development-MADR, the Rural Development Agency-ADR and other relevant UNDP technical staff. This work will be carried out in close cooperation with KOICA. The core activities outlined in this document have been structured based on the approved project document.

The evaluation of the International Analyst on Sustainable Rural Development will be managed by the National Sustainable Development Manager and the Resident Representative (RR).

Competencies

Core

Achieving results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think outside the box: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 
Continuous learning LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible 
Act with determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Involve and partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enabling diversity and inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

Cross-functional and technical competencies

Subject área Name Definition
2030 agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness Effectiveness Programmatic Risk Management and Analysis
2030 agenda: People Gender Inclusive economies and the economic empowerment of women
2030 agenda: Planet Nature Climate Change Adaptation: Fostering Food Security and resilient Agricultural systems.
Business Management Communication

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
Partnership management Strategic engagement Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives.
Partnership management Emerging Partnerships Ability to engage with emerging partners, develop and manage a strategy and develop approaches to developing and managing these new strategic partnerships
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.

Minimum education requirements              

  • Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Rural Development, International Cooperation or Sustainable development or a related field is required or
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor´s degree) in International Cooperation, Sustainable Development, Rural Development, Economics, Engineering or a related field, in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of master´s degree.

Minimum years of relevant work experience       

  • A minimum of 2 years (with master's degree) or 4 years (with Professional Degree) of relevant experience in Rural Development, International cooperation or Sustainable development is required.   

Skills required               

  • Proven experience in management, capacity building and development.
  • Experience working in Rural Development, Agriculture or related programs (Sustainable and Resilient Rural Development programs) in developing countries, preferably in Latin America and with Korean government funding.  

Skills desired in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

  • Field experience (ability to work directly with farmers in the communities, especially with vulnerable populations; understanding and ability to present issues/problems on behalf of the population; ability to analyze the effectiveness, social and environmental impact of the project, etc.) with progressive responsibilities.
  • Experience in managing rural development projects funded by the Korean government.
  • Previous experience working with the implementation of sustainable and resilient agriculture and rural development programmes; 
  • Previous work experience with UNDP, KOICA or other international partners.
  • Experience with the structure and operations of Korean international cooperation is highly valued
  • Demonstrated experience of good analytical, conceptual and communication skills to create and implement advocacy strategies that lead to impactful positive change. 
  • Demonstrated experience and knowledge of UNDP and UN system policy, programming and operational issues, as well as UNDP and UN experience.
  • Prior experience and good knowledge of UNDP's Gender Equality Seal initiative, women's economic empowerment and civil society participation.
  • Demonstrated experience and ability to relate to a wide range of public and private partners, build, maintain and/or strengthen working relationships, trust and mutual understanding.
  • Previous experience and the ability to capture and maintain the attention, interest and agreement of influential, high-level decision-makers and policy-makers and to gain their buy-in to the vision and high-level objectives. 

Required language(s)             

  • Fluency in Both Korean and Spanish is required.
  • Knowledge of English is an advantage.

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. 

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.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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