Chief Development Goals Specialist

UNDP proposes to engage a Chief Development Goals Specialist to support SDGCC Tamil Nadu leading the activities of the centre. S/He will have multi-sectoral experience and programme management, partnership development, and coordination skills to manage the SDGCC Project Management Unit overall and ensure timely delivery and reporting of the SDGCC work plans. The Chief Development Goals Specialist will work under the overall guidance and supervision of Chief Advisor and Team leader, SDG Acceleration Unit, UNDP India and in close collaboration with the UNDP Regional office and Programme Project Team members and day to day supervision on the implementation issues with the Government of Tamil Nadu. S/He will ensure engagement of all direct stakeholders and delivery of project objectives, in coordination with the Government of Tamil Nadu. The incumbent will focus on achievement of the following results. Leading the SDGCC team and managing the Project Leadership and Vision: Provide leadership, vision, and strategic oversight to the SDGCC team, ensuring alignment with the Government of Tamil Nadu's Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). Responsible for overseeing all SDGCC pillars including Sustainable Transport, Skilling and livelihood, Gender, Policy Analysis, M&E, Communication and knowledge Management. Policy Coordination and Advocacy: Coordinate and contribute to key policy discussions on SDGs at the state level, working closely with the Dept. of Planning and Development, ensuring effective collaboration and influencing policy reforms related to SDG implementation. Stakeholder Relationship Management: Build and maintain collaborative relationships with State Government counterparts, UN Agencies, Donor Agencies, and Civil Society Organizations, fostering partnerships to advance SDG initiatives and facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration. Program Development and Gap Analysis: Lead the identification of program interventions to address gaps in policy, infrastructure, capacity, and technology. Formulate and develop proposals for targeted SDG initiatives in the State, ensuring alignment with development priorities. Accountability and Monitoring: Ensure the successful implementation of the SDG work plan by monitoring progress, tracking deliverables, and holding the SDGCC team accountable to the UNDP and Government of Tamil Nadu for timely and effective results. Leading Advocacy for SDGs and Adapting the SDG 2030 Vision Alignment of SDGCC Project with Global Mandates: Adapt SDGCC projects based on the SDG 2030 global mandate, integrating national guidance from NITI Aayog and (Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation) MoSPI. Ensure that the projects, especially in sustainable transport and mobility, skilling, employment, and livelihoods, contribute to achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and align with both the national and global development agendas. Translation of SDG Vision into Action Plans: Ensure that the SDG Vision 2030 document is updated and effectively translated into action plans and strategic frameworks for implementation, with a focus on key SDGs related to sustainable mobility, job creation, skills development, and livelihood opportunities. Develop performance parameters for departments to ensure that SDG targets are aligned at all levels of administration, from state to Gram Panchayat. Development and Implementation of State Indicator Framework: Oversee the development of the State Indicator Framework version 2.0, aligning it with MoSPI's National Indicator Framework. Establish a robust M&E plan to track performance and progress, ensuring accountability for achieving SDG targets at the state level. Support Data Collection Systems Across Departments: Advise and support departments in building comprehensive data collection systems for qualitative and quantitative SDG indicators, with a special emphasis on transportation metrics, mobility access, skilling initiatives, and livelihood outcomes. Ensure that these systems enable evidence-based decision-making, particularly for monitoring progress in transport infrastructure and employment generation programs. Mapping Resources and Integrating SDG Targets: Lead the mapping of resources for SDG implementation, identifying nodal departments, existing schemes, and available resources. Support the development of a comprehensive Output-Outcome Monitoring Framework (OOMF) to measure the impact of these resources and initiatives, ensuring that funds and efforts are optimally allocated to achieve the SDG targets. Innovative Conceptualization and Proposal Development: Identify and develop innovative Proof of Concept (POC) opportunities, particularly in sustainable transport solutions, mobility access, skilling programs, and livelihood enhancement. Translate state-specific development priorities into actionable concepts and strategies that align with the broader SDG framework, ensuring that these interventions are scalable and directly linked to the state's development needs, promoting economic growth and environmental sustainability.

UNDP has been working in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development. Together with the Government of India and development partners, we have worked towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening local governance, enhancing community resilience, protecting the environment, supporting policy initiatives and institutional reforms, and accelerating sustainable development for all. With projects and programmes in every state and union territory in India, UNDP works with national and subnational government, and diverse development actors to deliver people-centric results, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the integrator for collective action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the UN system, we are committed to supporting the Government of India's national development vision and priorities and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs for the people and the planet.