Risk Management and Compliance Internship

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS works closely with UNDP's Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP's development programmes.

HIV and Health Approach

UNDP is a founding cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, a signatory of the WHO led SDG3 Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-Being for All, and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages UNDP’s core strengths and mandates in sustainable development, governance, poverty reduction, and climate. UNDP delivers support to countries in three areas of HIV and health: reducing the inequalities that drive disease, promoting effective and inclusive governance for health and building resilient and sustainable systems for health. UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty, governance, financing, and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP collaborates with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights, and health responses, especially for those left behind. UNDP also supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multisectoral health projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. The UNDP/Global Fund partnership is an important part of this work, facilitating access to resources for action on SDG 3 by countries that face constraints in directly receiving and managing such funding. UNDP partners with countries, WHO and other partners in responding to health emergencies and HIV and health dimensions of crisis/post-crisis situations.

As a long-standing partner of the Global Fund, UNDP’s value proposition lies in providing an integrated package of development solutions to strengthen institutions to deliver health services drawing on policy and technical support from other UNDP business units (e.g., data, digital, environment, climate). Through its contributions as interim Principal Recipient (PR) and provider of technical assistance to Global Fund grants in fifty-three countries since 2003, UNDP’s provision of integrated policy, implementation and capacity development support to countries has yielded significant health and development results in challenging operating environments.

Based on demand from Country Offices, and building on the relationships, expertise, systems, partnerships, including across the UN family, and comparative advantage established through the Global Fund partnership, the GPN/BPPS/Global Fund Partnership Health Systems Team (GFPHST) is providing support to Country Offices through three overarching modalities: 1) the Global Fund portfolio, 2) health system strengthening and 3) other health implementation support beyond the Global Fund, including Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNITAID and Smart Facilities. GFPHST provides its support through a country team approach to strengthen and integrate the different functional capacities (e.g., capacity development, finance, monitoring and evaluation, procurement and supply management, programme, Sub-recipient management), leveraging technical and policy support from the HIV, Health, and Development (HHD) Group, other GPN teams and Regional and Central Bureaus.

Duties and Responsibilities

Risk Management and Compliance Support

• Support tracking and analysis of audit findings and recommendations.
• Assist in maintaining and updating risk and compliance trackers, including follow-up actions and timelines.
• Contribute to portfolio-level risk analysis outputs, including trend summaries and heatmaps.
• Support identification of recurring compliance gaps and systemic issues across the portfolio.
• Assist in preparing input for risk reporting and compliance updates for internal stakeholders.
• Support tracking and analysis of compliance areas, including PSEAH and other thematic risks, as relevant.

Data Analytics and Risk Insights

• Compile, clean, and structure datasets related to the Global Fund portfolio, including audit findings, recoveries, risk registers, and compliance indicators.
• Support analysis of data to identify trends, recurring issues, emerging risks, and anomalies across countries and portfolios.
• Develop and maintain data visualizations and dashboards (Excel and/or Power BI) to support risk monitoring, audit follow-up tracking, and compliance performance.
• Support interpretation of analytical outputs into clear, concise insights to support management decision-making and reporting.
• Support data quality assurance through validation, consistency checks, and standardization of datasets received from country offices.

Portfolio Monitoring and Reporting

• Support preparation of periodic reporting outputs (monthly, quarterly, annual) through data aggregation and synthesis.
• Produce content, summary tables, and visual outputs for management briefings.
• Contribute to the development of standardized reporting templates and tracking tools.
• Assist in consolidating inputs from multiple sources to support portfolio-level oversight.

Knowledge Management and Process Support

• Support documentation and refinement of risk and compliance-related tools, trackers, and processes.
• Contribute to development of guidance materials, briefs, and internal knowledge products.
• Assist in capturing lessons learned and emerging best practices from portfolio analysis.
• Support targeted research on key risk topics for deep dives.
• Support preparation of analytical briefs for meetings and workshops.
• Assist in notetaking and follow-up tracking where relevant.

Expected Outputs:

Support to the UNDP-Global Fund Partnership:

• Contribute to the team’s support to UNDP country offices implementing Global Fund grants.
• Support preparation of structured and validated datasets to inform portfolio monitoring and reporting.
• Contribute to maintaining updated trackers, dashboards, and simple data visualizations.
• Support preparation of periodic reports, summary tables, and briefing materials.
• Contribute to identification of trends and recurring issues in portfolio data.
• Support consolidation of data inputs from country offices.
• Provide support to research and knowledge products (briefs, summaries, presentations).
• Support meetings, coordination tasks, and other team priorities as needed.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional:

• Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret complex datasets.
• Basic understanding of gender, safeguarding, or PSEAH-related concepts
• Proficiency in Excel; knowledge of Power BI or similar tools is an asset.
• Experience in data cleaning, validation, and visualization
• Ability to present data in a clear and structured manner.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Strong writing skills for concise and well-structured outputs

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Degree programme in public health, international relations/development studies, or other relevant fields.

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher).
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent).
• Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Background in international development, global health, public policy, or a related field.
• Basic understanding of public health, risk management, compliance or gender and safeguarding issues is an asset.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and collaborative environment.
• Experience with web-based applications, data visualization software, Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is required.

Languages:

• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.
• Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

Reporting:

The intern will report to the Risk Management and Compliance Specialist (Geneva), working on support to the UNDP-Global Fund Partnership Health System Team, as well as broader work on health and development, as necessary.

Applicants available for a minimum of three months and up to six months are preferred. Applicants must state their availability.

Conditions of the Internship:

• As of 1 January 2020, Interns may be given a stipend according to the UNDP Internship Policies, if is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation, or scholarship programme,
• Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of the internship. UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
• The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed.
• Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship.
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
• The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
• The intern will be evaluated at the end of the contract and due recognition of work will be issued in writing.

In case an applicant is successfully selected, s/he will be requested to provide electronic versions of the following documents:

• Copy of the applicant’s most recent resume or curriculum vitae.
• Letter from his/her university confirming current enrollment and graduation date.
• Letter of recommendation from a professor.
• Copy of his/her school transcript.
• Copy of passport.
• Completed UNDP internship application form (to be provided upon selection).
• Signed UNDP Internship Agreement (to be provided upon selection).
• Medical Certificate of Good Health (to be provided upon selection).
• Proof of medical insurance (to be provided upon selection).

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

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.