Project Development Analyst

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. 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.
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.
UNDP India’s new Country Programme (2023-2027) builds on our prior work and aims to provide an integrated approach to development solutions in three strategic portfolios:
Climate-smart solutions, sustainable ecosystems and resilient development for reduced vulnerability. South-South cooperation, gender equality and social inclusion are promoted across the pillars. The programme is supported by a framework of renewed partnerships and blended finance solutions, strategic innovation and accelerator labs, and data and digital architecture.
You are invited to join a team of future-smart development professionals to support India in achieving the national and globally agreed goals. As part of the UNDP team, your focus will be to work with diverse stakeholders to find country-specific solutions that lead to sustainable development and reach those furthest behind first.
Project Description
UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2023-2027) intended outcome 2 states that “By 2027, people will benefit from and contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth through higher productivity, competitiveness and diversification in economic activities that create decent work, livelihoods, and income particularly for youth and women”. The focus of the portfolio is enhanced economic opportunities and social protection to reduce inequality, with a focus on the marginalized communities across the country.
Under the portfolio, there are several projects being implemented Across different thematic areas such as Skills, Jobs and Sustainable Livelihoods, Women Entrepreneurship and Youth Innovation, Accessible and Inclusive Social and Risks protection Mechanism, Care Economy with focus on:
Socio-economic empowerment and resilience building of marginalized and vulnerable populations through bridging the information gap, building managerial, financial, and digital capacities and improving access to opportunities. Support unlocking the full impact of public supports schemes– Agri Insurance & Credit, Social protection, Forest Rights and Entitlements, Skill India, NULM with improved Institutional Capacity, Service Delivery and Enhanced Coverage Confront the significant barriers and stigma faced by women and girls, enhance agency and promote inclusive workplace. Over the past decade, UNDP India’s value-chain programming has prioritized women’s agency alongside income generation, recognizing that increased commercialization can alter intra-household and enterprise-level control over assets and decision-making. Accordingly, interventions have sought to address not only market access and productivity, but also women’s roles, voice, and bargaining power across the value chain, with particular attention to ownership, leadership, and decision-making at household, collective, and enterprise levels. Programmes such as DISHA built gender-transformative roles like Women Sourcing Managers (WSMs) and Women Business Managers (WBMs) that place rural women at the heart of procurement, quality, pricing, logistics and enterprise management across FPOs and producer groups.
Building on its past work, UNDP is implementing a new project i.e. “Market Led Inclusive Value Chain Development” to significantly strengthen women's economic empowerment, improving outcomes such as incomes, asset ownership, productivity, and savings. Overall goal of the planned project is “resilient, equitable and inclusive value chain, which ensures sustainable livelihood and increased income for rural households, particularly women SHG/ collective members”. The project is anchored with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). NRLM has already laid strong foundations by linking primary producers to markets and building producer organisations at scale. Building on these models, UNDP, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, will work across select value chains and states to further enhance women’s agency – particularly in post-harvest operations, processing, branding, and market engagement.
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the National Programme Manager, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Unit, the Project Analyst – Livelihoods and Inclusive Value Chain and in collaboration with National Project Manager
Value Chain Development and Private Sector Partnerships will provide analytical, coordination, and project management support for programme implementation. The position will support planning, coordination, and results- oriented implementation of programme activities across selected states and value chains, working closely with central and state government counterparts, implementing partners, and ecosystem stakeholders.
Supporting planning, coordination, rollout, and monitoring of programme interventions across DAY- NRLM priority value chains and geographies, including livelihoods, market linkages, and enterprise development activities. Supporting multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnership coordination among government agencies, financial institutions, private sector actors, civil society organisations, and technical partners to enable scale, convergence, and sustainability of value chain interventions. Supporting monitoring, reporting, learning, and routine project management functions, including partner coordination, documentation, progress reporting, stakeholder engagement, and follow-up. Supporting design and coordination of capacity-building, technical assistance, and financial literacy initiatives for producer collectives, FPOs, financial institutions, and other ecosystem stakeholders. The main purpose of the position is to support UNDP and the Ministry of Rural Development in the planning, coordination, and delivery of programme activities aimed at strengthening inclusive and sustainable livelihoods under DAY-NRLM. The role will support implementation, partnerships, monitoring, and learning across priority value chains, with a focus on enhancing the economic participation and resilience of women SHGs, producer collectives, and women-led FPOs.
Ensure Activity Planning, Coordination, and Implementation
Contribute to annual and quarterly work planning, implementation schedules, and activity-level execution plans. Support implementation and monitoring of programme activities at national and state levels, ensuring progress against agreed timelines, outputs, and qualitative and quantitative targets. Support identification and engagement of appropriate local partners, technical agencies, financial institutions, and government departments for programme implementation. Coordinate with on-ground partners, technical support agencies, and service providers to ensure timely and quality delivery of outputs, and flag implementation risks or delays. Provide day-to-day project management support related to partner coordination, timelines, deliverables, documentation, and follow-up. Coordinate closely with the Value Chain Expert, Private Sector Partnerships Expert, and Communications Specialist to ensure coherence across workstreams. Support coordination with MoRD, SRLMs, MNRE, financial institutions, private sector actors, civil society organisations, and research institutions to enable smooth implementation. Support analysis and documentation of DRE-specific financing solutions, including preparation of financing concept notes, option papers, and borrower journey analyses. Support engagement with financial institutions (including NABARD, SIDBI, RRBs, and others), with particular attention to barriers faced by women entrepreneurs. Support coordination and documentation of training programmes for financial institutions, including pre- and post-training summaries. Support planning and coordination of financial literacy and technical assistance programmes for DRE end-users, particularly women SHG members and marginalised groups. Support preparation, adaptation, and dissemination of training materials and user-friendly guidance notes in collaboration with technical partners. Support documentation of uptake, usage patterns, and user feedback to inform adaptive programme implementation. Support synthesis of lessons learned, implementation challenges, and emerging best practices. Contribute analytical inputs to digital dashboards, learning products, and programme reviews. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
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: 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 & Technical competencies
Business Management
Project Management : Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals. Risk Management: Ability to identifyand organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks Monitoring Evaluation: Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Partnership Management
Private sector Engagement: Ability to identify, conduct outreach, and manage relationships with the private sector 2030 Agenda– People
Women's Economic Empowerment, including labour issues. 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 other parts of the system. Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resole points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates in-in situations Required Skills and Experience
Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Rural Development, Development Studies, Economics, Public Policy, or a related field is required. Or A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience:
Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in any development sector organizations, government, think tank/research organizations. Demonstrated expertise in planning, coordinating, and supporting implementation of livelihoods and value chain development interventions, including integration of cross-cutting enablers such as technology, finance, and market linkages. Strong project management and analytical experience, including the ability to support work planning, track implementation progress against targets, analyse field-level data, and contribute to evidence-based programme decisions. Proven ability in multi stakeholder coordination and working with government-led livelihoods programmes and institutional systems, including coordination with central and state government departments, missions, and implementing agencies. Strong documentation and reporting experience with the ability to prepare analytical briefs, progress updates, technical notes, and knowledge products to support programme monitoring, learning, and accountability Experience supporting market linkage, enterprise development, or value chain upgrading initiatives. Experience engaging with financial institutions, private sector actors, or market intermediaries to support inclusive finance or market access for smallholder producers and women-led enterprises. Exposure to gender-responsive, climate-resilient livelihoods, or women’s economic empowerment programmes. Familiarity with Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) livelihood frameworks or MNRE policies. Required Language
Fluency in English and Hindi is required. 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. 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.
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.