Digital Transformation (DPI/GovTech) Specialist (Open to internal and external applicants)

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

Governments across the Asia–Pacific region are actively seeking to leverage digital and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance public service delivery, improve decision-making, strengthen accountability, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. However, despite adopting national digital and/or AI strategies, significant implementation gaps persist. In many contexts, these gaps reflect underlying state capability and governance constraints, including unclear institutional mandates, weak cross-government coordination, fragmented accountability, and limited capacity to design, govern, and sustain complex public digital system over time. These governance bottlenecks are further compounded by fragmented data ecosystems and uncertainty around responsibly operationalizing emerging technologies such as AI and Digital Public Infrastructure within public sector environment. Concurrently, unprecedented momentum is built for human-centered, integrated service delivery propelled by Government-as-a-Platform (GaaP) and DPI approaches, which place new demands on institutional design, coordination and stewardship

The UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH) provides regional policy advisory services, technical services, and programme support to UNDP Country Offices across the Asia Pacific region, working with governments and partners to advance the localization and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH), through its Regional Innovation and Digital Team (RIDT), supports government partners and UNDP Country Offices across Asia-Pacific to address these gaps. The team is building a growing portfolio that bridges institutional design, adaptive policy, responsible AI and data governance, and digital public infrastructure (DPI). Increasingly, Country Offices are requesting deeper, hands-on support to help governments design context-appropriate Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) stacks as well as operationalizing AI safely. This support encompasses capability diagnostics, use-case identification, co-design approaches that prioritize citizen needs, foster cross-government integration, and generate fiscal efficiencies.

To further drive this systemic shift, enhance peer-to-peer learning via DPI stewards, and deploy novel service delivery models, RIDT is hiring a Digital Transformation (Digital Public Infrastructure/ GovTech) Specialist. This role will deliver dedicated coordination, product management, and Country Office engagement to ensure that regional initiatives, including the AI Sprint, are strategically aligned, well-documented, and positioned for a sustainable scale.

The Digital Transformation (DPI/GovTech) Specialist will work under the supervision of the Regional Innovation Advisor and Team Lead, RID, in close coordination with the Regional Digital Transformation Specialist and Public Sector Innovation/ Partnerships Specialist. The scope is structured around four interlinked pillars that connect strategic digital ambition with practical, human-centered implementation:

Duties and Responsibilities

The Digital Transformation (DPI/Govtech) Specialist will report to the Team Lead- Regional Innovation and Digital Team and work closely with the Regional Digital Transformation Specialist and Public Sector Innovation/Partnerships Specialist. Where relevant, the Specialist will also collaborate and consult with governance team across the Hub and the Region to ensure alignment with broader public sector reform. The specialist will work in close coordination with colleagues across teams relevant for public sector innovation/ digital partnerships context.

DPI Stewards, DPI-nomics, and applied Research and Development

Ensure DPI Stewards Coordination:
• Co-lead the technical delivery of the DPI Stewards cohort alongside the Public Sector Innovation and Partnerships Specialist.
• This includes scoping use cases, designing experimentation sandboxes, facilitating structured peer learning across Steward countries; and facilitating the 18-month implementation journey toward the Global DPI Summit showcases.

Ensure Applied R&D for Local Context:
• Lead applied R&D to deploy DPI use cases that prioritize local context, citizens’ needs, and “Government as a Platform” (GaaP) approaches.
• Champion service design and agile methodologies to help Country Offices build sustainable, life-event-driven public service models.

Ensure Evidence Synthesis and “DPI-nomics”:
• Research the investment logic and economic impacts of DPI.
• Analyse policy trade-offs (e.g. vendor dependency vs. Local industry development) and translate findings into reusable knowledge products, impact briefs, and concrete programmatic offers for Country Offices.

DPI / Digital ID for Service Delivery, and Institutional Integration

Use Case and Journey Co-Design:
• Advise and support Country Offices and government counterparts in identifying priority and high impact public service use cases where DPI layers (e.g. digital ID, payments, data exchange) can improve inclusion, delivery efficiency, resource saving.
• Facilitate co-design of DPI-enabled service delivery journeys across ministries, local governments, and service delivery institutions.

Advise and support on Interoperability & Implementation Guidance:
• Advise governments on strengthening institutional coordination and interoperability across service delivery platforms and databases.
• Develop implementation guidance and reusable models that demonstrate how DPI investments translate into integrated public service delivery outcomes with a clear investment logic.

Ensure Documentation and Scaling and knowledge sharing

• Support knowledge capture and documentation of country case studies and institutional integration pathways.
• Support the design of programmatic and financing opportunities that scale DPI-enabled service delivery solutions.

• GovTech/ Whole-of-Government Digital Architecture, and Capacity Strengthening

• Support governments in designing and operationalising whole-of-government digital transformation architecture, including platform governance, enterprise architecture alignment and governance frameworks and institutional readiness tools that support sustained digital transformation.

Ensure Policy Experimentation and Coordination:

• Facilitate cross-ministerial coordination and policy alignment processes for digital and AI transformation initiatives.

Support governments in piloting policy experimentation and implementation labs to test cross-sector digital transformation reforms and strengthening engagement with national digital transformation committees, delivery units, and sector ministries.

Leadership and Capacity Building:
• Design and support delivery of stewardship-based capacity building programmes focused on policymaker delivery capability, institutional reform, and digital governance leadership.
• DPI × AI × Digital Public Goods — Scaling, Financing and Public Sector Sustainability

Ensure Integrated Programming (AI and DPGs):

• In consultation with the existing Digital/AI Specialists within the team, support Country Offices and governments in identifying integrated programming opportunities combining DPI, responsible AI, and Digital Public Goods.

Ensure Economic Narratives and Business Models:

• Co develop compelling investment cases and economic narratives that demonstrate public sector efficiency gains, reduced leakage, and public sector productivity improvements.

Ensure Scaling and Codification:

• Support design of scalable digital flagship initiatives aligned with government priorities and partner financing pipelines.
• Capture and codify cross-country learning on scaling digital public infrastructure and AI-enabled public services into programmatic offers and knowledge products.

Ensure Financing and Resource Mobilization:

• In consultation with the Public Sector Innovation and Partnerships Specialist within the team, support Country Offices in mapping Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), philanthropies, and private sector financing opportunities for digital transformation programmes.

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

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-functional & Technical Competencies

Business Direction and Strategy

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process and system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Development

• Knowledge Generation: Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.
• Human-Centered Design: Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process. Knowledge and understanding of human- centered design principles and practices.

Business Management

• Partnership Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Digital

• Digital Transformation Design: Practical and strategic skills in digital transformation for governments and organizations.
• Innovation management: Being able to create the strategies, conditions, structures and systems to enable innovation at an organizational level. Ability to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity is able manage projects-based principles of adaptation and emergence; Ability to shape demand for innovation services, navigate political constraints and make the case for allocation of resources to innovation, connect the appropriate innovation approaches based on business needs and make the case for innovation to be integrated at the planning level within their context. Having in-depth theoretical and experiential knowledge of innovation processes, methods, capabilities.
• Digital Public Goods: Knowledge of how it works, understanding of the opportunities and challenges for governments and society.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Computer Science, Data Science/Analytics, Information Systems, Engineering, Public Policy/Administration, Urban Systems, or a closely related field is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years (with Master’s degree ) or seven (7) years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in AI and digital transformation for public service delivery in Asia Pacific context.

Other Experience, Knowledge, and skills:

• Experience working with government institutions and other public sector organizations for digital transformation and/or AI initiatives in Asia Pacific context, both at national and subnational level.
• Experience in design and deliver practical digital/AI solutions for public services in Asia Pacific context.
• Experience with responsible data and AI governance (privacy, security, fairness/bias, accountability) in public‑sector contexts.
• Experience coordinating projects/ programmes and engaging multiple stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience in development project in the UN System or International Organization.
• Experience with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and/or GovTech unit set‑up/operations.
• Experience building partnerships and supporting resource mobilization with government, academia, private tech, donors and civil society.
• Experience in urban and limited connectivity contexts.

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another language from Asia Pacific countries is an asset.

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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

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