Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Associate, Manila

Project Description: a) In the Philippines, UNDP works largely with different stakeholders in establishing strong institutions and
partnerships, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, and resilience and peacebuilding.
UNDP believes in meaningfully engaging youth in the Philippines who comprise 30% or 33.4 million of the
country’s total population (NYC). Despite the growing youth population, the Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS) reports that 3.88 million Filipino youth belong to the NEET (Not in Education,
Employment, or Training) category, 24% of these are female, 19% are in rural areas, and 23% come from
poor families.

b) In 2022, the Youth Empowerment Project in Asia and the Pacific (YEP-AP) became a pioneering initiative
that uses a portfolio approach. It aims to invest in and empower young people across the region, to
accelerate the implementation of SDGs. YEP-AP focuses on youth political, social, and economic
empowerment by building the capacities of young people and key stakeholders and creating safe,
inclusive, and enabling environments for youth participation and civic engagement, especially for women
and those from marginalised groups.

c) The services of a Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Associate is therefore being sought out to
support the entrepreneurship, civic engagement and political participation, and climate action work
under YEP-AP, specifically in the Philippines.

Scope of Work:

a) YEP-AP Project Implementation and Youth Engagement

• Lead the formulation and implementation of the YEP-AP Philippines work plan related to entrepreneurship, civic engagement and political participation, and climate action
• Support the formulation and implementation of the UNDP Philippines Youth Engagement Strategy;
• Support in pipeline development of and resource mobilization for youth initiatives;

  b) Youth leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship

  • Lead the startup support component of YEP-AP
  • Bridge and mobilise regional youth entrepreneurship-related resources in the Philippines to co-convene leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship activities, mentorship support and learning design;
  • Organise and facilitate online and offline entrepreneurship sessions for youth leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs
  • Travel to organise and facilitate activities, as the need arises 
  • Lead the creation and management of an inclusive and accessible community engagement platform for Youth Co:Lab Alumni, incubators, and accelerators;
  • Monitor and update data on alumni, incubators, and accelerators;

    c) Youth civic engagement and political participation, and youth in climate action

    • Liaise between BRH and CO any correspondence relevant to the above
    • Coordinate discussions with relevant stakeholders, when needed

      d) Communications and reporting

      • Develop and implement the project communications plan;
      • Monitor communications products of project initiatives including their performance;
      • Coordinate the publishing and dissemination of communications campaigns to the UNDP regional and country office communications team, partners, and networks
      • Curate content and publish quarterly newsletters incorporating all UNDP Philippines Youth Activities (National Dialogues, Springboard Programme, Movers Programme, etc.);
      • Contribute to the development of multimedia products such as animations, videos, and interactive content including and especially for young entrepreneurs; and
      • Manage project-related content creation and ensure quality control of communications products (teasers, event highlights, press releases, newsletters, etc.) for UNDP Philippines channels.

        e) Operations

        • Provide necessary administrative, logistical and operations support to YEP-AP Philippines and other related youth initiatives; and
        • Manage relevant UN online volunteers and interns.

          Institutional Arrangement

          The Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Associate will report to Institutions Capacity Building and Partnerships Team Leader, with a dotted reporting line to the regional YEP-AP Project Manager. 

          Competencies Core   Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements  Learn Continuously: 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 Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination 

          Cross functional

          Strategic Thinking

          Ability to develop effective strategies and priorized 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

          Effective Decision Making

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

          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

          Communication

          Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

          Monitoring

          Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

          Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA Min. Education requirements

          Completion of Secondary education is required.

          University degree (Bachelors’ degree) in international studies, international development, economics, or entrepreneurship fields will be given due consideration, but is not a requirement.

          Min. years of relevant work experience  Minimum of 6 years experience (with Secondary education) or 3 years (with Bachelor´s degree) in international studies, international development, economics, or entrepreneurship  Required skills 

          Entrepreneurial skills with experience operating a startup or enterprise;

          Excellent communication and digital and social media skills;

          Experience working on youth empowerment or engagement;

          Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

          Previous experience on community engagement;

          Previous assignment in a similar position would be desirable

          Multimedia skills (i.e. graphic design, video editing, multimedia software, and others)

          Experience working with international non-government organizations or the UN is an advantage;

          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. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as  reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.   Disclaimer
             Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders) 
             Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 
             UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.   Applicant information about UNDP rosters   Note: 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.
             Non-discrimination
             UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  
             UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 
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