Junior Professional Officer (JPO) – Strategic Planning and Analysis Analyst

About the Organization

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting the Government of Ethiopia in the implementation of the National Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Programme (NDRP) as part of broader efforts to consolidate peace and support recovery in conflict-affected regions. The NDRP is being implemented in diverse and politically sensitive settings, including Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, and other areas affected by conflict. These regions vary significantly in terms of their political dynamics, levels of insecurity, and the socio-economic realities faced by ex-combatants and host communities.

In this context, the need for clear, consistent, and conflict-sensitive communication is paramount. The dissemination of DDR objectives and progress must be tailored to regional specificities while ensuring alignment with national narratives. Misinformation, political contestation, and diverging public expectations pose significant risks to the credibility and perceived neutrality of the DDR programme. As such, strategic communication and risk analysis are critical to mitigating tensions, building trust, and maintaining the programme’s momentum.

This position is therefore essential to ensure UNDP’s work remains responsive to local realities, politically informed, and strategically positioned in Ethiopia’s complex recovery and peacebuilding landscape.

UNDP’s DDR Unit in Ethiopia supports the nationally led stabilization and recovery process by coordinating development partner engagement and managing pooled funding in support of the National Demobilization and Reintegration Programme (NDRP), which is implemented by the National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC). The Unit’s key priorities include ensuring coherence among donor-supported initiatives, promoting conflict-sensitive programming, facilitating regional and federal-level coordination, and supporting monitoring, learning, and accountability frameworks.

Given the diverse operational settings in which the NDRP is being implemented—including regions with different political dynamics, conflict legacies, and levels of community acceptance—the work of the DDR Unit is shaped by the need for careful messaging, timely political analysis, and strong collaboration with implementing and funding partners. This position is thus integral to ensuring that risk-informed, adaptive, and context-sensitive communication supports national DDR efforts and contributes to broader peacebuilding and stabilization outcomes.

This position directly supports the Unit’s strategic priorities by ensuring that political risk monitoring, conflict sensitivity, and strategic communication are integrated into DDR implementation. The role also supports the Unit’s efforts to engage productively with government actors, development partners, and communities across diverse and politically complex regions—helping to build trust, anticipate and mitigate risks, and ensure that the programme remains agile and responsive to the evolving peace and security landscape in Ethiopia.

Job Summary

The Strategic Planning and Analysis Analyst working under the supervision of the Director DDR will support the effective implementation of UNDP’s DDR programme through timely political and conflict analysis, strategic communication, and high-level engagement. The position will work in close alignment with the National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC), ensuring consistent messaging and coordinated outreach to national, regional and international stakeholders. The position plays a central role in ensuring conflict sensitivity, promoting trust among stakeholders, informing programmatic and partnership decisions, and supporting resource mobilization efforts. It will also ensure that UNDP’s messaging around DDR remains coherent while being carefully tailored to the distinct realities of each operational context. Given the varied security environments, levels of community acceptance, and political dynamics across regions, the position will help ensure that communication strategies are both nationally aligned and locally responsive—enhancing credibility, mitigating tensions, and fostering greater programmatic acceptance on the ground.

The ideal candidate will bring experience in political risk analysis, conflict sensitivity, planning and strategic communication in complex contexts. This role requires proven skill in producing high-level analysis working under the guidance of the Director DDR, supporting engagement with government and international actors, and navigating politically sensitive environments with neutrality. Key requirements include excellent coordination and interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently under pressure, an advanced degree in a relevant field, and a minimum of three years of relevant professional experience.

Familiarity with the political context in Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa region is considered an asset.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

1.) Political Risk Analysis and Accountabilities

• Support DDR team to monitor national and sub-national political and conflict dynamics, with regular updates on trends affecting DDR implementation, including instability in the Horn of Africa and its implications for stabilization, durable solutions, and peace efforts.
• Support conduct of horizon scanning and risk analysis to flag political developments and emerging threats and provide practical recommendations for adaptive and conflict-sensitive programming, including HDP linkages.

2.) Strategic Communication and Government Engagement

• Support engagement with federal and regional authorities, preparing briefings, talking points, and strategic messaging for meetings at ministerial and ambassadorial levels.
• Ensure coherent, politically informed communication of DDR objectives and results to government counterparts and partners.

3.) Informal Reporting and Presentations and facilitate knowledge management

• Prepare monthly informal reports and visual presentations for internal use and partner updates, synthesizing political, security, and programmatic developments.
• Contribute analytical inputs for senior leadership, inter-agency forums, and UNCT coordination mechanisms.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms.
• Organize training for the operations/ projects staff on programme related matters in assigned areas.

4.) Support Donor Engagement and Conferences

• Assist in the preparation and follow-up of international donor conferences (in Addis or abroad), providing donor intelligence, political context analysis, briefing materials, and partner coordination support.
• Provide tailored updates to development partners, helping position DDR as a priority stabilization, HDP, and peacebuilding investment.

5.) Proposal Development and Risk-Informed Programming

• Support the drafting of project proposals and concepts notes, ensuring integration of risk and context analysis and conflict sensitivity in alignment with donor priorities.
• Work closely with the partnerships and programme teams to link DDR work with broader peacebuilding and stabilization efforts.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None

Required Qualifications

Experience

• A minimum of two (2) years (with master´s degree) or four (4) years (with bachelor´s degree) of relevant professional experience in development sector or foreign affairs/international relations is required.
• Experience must include work in political risk analysis, conflict sensitivity, strategic communication, or peacebuilding in complex or transitional settings is required.
• Proven track record of experience working with government institutions, development partners, or international organizations is required.
• Experience producing high-quality reports, policy briefs, and political updates for senior-level audiences is required.
• Experience in building and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders is required.
• Experience working with the political and security dynamics in Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa region is desired.
• Experience with UNDP or UN system processes, including political analysis, programmatic planning, and conflict sensitivity tools or experience in a foreign ministry is desired.
• Experience in peacebuilding, DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration), or governance reform approaches is desired.
• Experience in providing strategic advice or analysis to senior officials or diplomatic actors is desired.
• Experience in using data visualization tools or software to support political and conflict analysis (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, GIS) is desired.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another official United Nations language is desired.

Nationality

This position is offered within the framework of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme and is open exclusively to nationals of Norway. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements established for the JPO Programme and the specific requirements of the position.

Required Skills and Competencies

Core

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• 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 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

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

• 2030 Agenda: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions – Conflict Analysis
• 2030 Agenda: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions – Conflict Sensitivity
• Partnerships – Relationship management – Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
• 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.
• Digital – Data storytelling and communications – Skilled in building a narrative around a set of data and its accompanying visualizations to help convey the meaning of that data in a powerful and compelling fashion.
• Business Management – Portfolio Management – Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.
• 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

How to Apply

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