UNDP

UN VOLUNTEER

Host Entity UNDP

Country of Assignment Malawi

Number of UN Volunteers 1

Sustainable Development Goal 8. Decent work and economic growth

How many hours per week will the volunteer be needed? 1 - 5 hours per week

Duration 12 week(s)

Organisation mission and objectives

UNDP works in more than 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience to sustain development results. UNDP has been present in Malawi since 1964. Working closely with the Government of Malawi, civil society and the private sector, UNDP's work aims to contribute to economic growth, sustainable environmental management, and democratic governance and accountability in Malawi. UNDP's Country Programme Document is closely aligned to the Malawi Agenda 2063 and supports Malawi's aim to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. UNDP's programme is designed to address the interlinked issues of poverty, inequality and vulnerability to shocks and is managed within two portfolios: Responsive Institutions and Citizen Engagement which works towards strengthening effective, accountable and inclusive governance that promotes civic engagement, respect for human rights, rule of law, peace and democracy. It also works towards strengthening data generation and analysis. Resilience and Sustainable Growth which focuses on enhancing economic innovation, inclusive business, job creation, and renewable energy access. It also works towards helping Malawi adapt to climate change and build resilience to disasters.

Assignment context

UNDP Malawi, in collaboration with the Government of Malawi, established the University Innovation Pod (UniPod) at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) in 2024. The UniPod is a state-of-the-art facility that promotes innovation, product development, prototyping and small-scale manufacturing. It bridges academia, local innovators and industry by transforming ideas into practical solutions that address Malawi's development challenges. At the regional level, the UniPod is connected to UNDP's timbuktoo initiative and contributes to a growing network of university-based innovation and entrepreneurship hubs across Africa. UNDP seeks to engage a UN Volunteer to build and embed an innovation-tracker dashboard to improve UniPod's management of day-to-day operations and give UNDP, MUBAS, and other stakeholders a clear, evidence-based view of UniPod's impact and remaining gaps. The UN Volunteer will receive the benefit of portfolio development, exposure to UNDP initiatives, and a reference letter upon successful completion of the assignment.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Support finalization of the KPI framework across the dashboard's four modules (equipment and space use, skills and training, IP, outcomes and consumer trust).
2. Build and refine simple data intake forms (e.g., in Kobo Toolbox or Google Forms) aligned to each module.
3. Support development of the MVP dashboard (e.g., Google Sheets + Looker Studio, or Power BI), populating it with available pilot data.
4. Support training of designated UniPod staff data owner and help produce a short maintenance guide.
5. Document processes clearly enough that a non-technical staff member can maintain the dashboard independently.
6. Integrate the Dashboard in UniPod website
7. Provide monthly progress updates to assigned supervisor.

Expected Outputs

1. A working, documented MVP dashboard populated with pilot data.
2. Data intake forms in active use across all four modules.
3. A short-written maintenance/handover guide.
4. A brief monthly progress note to the UniPod/UNDP focal point.

Required skills and experience

Education

1. Background or ongoing study in data analytics, statistics, IT, or related field.
2. Experience
3. Previous work in IT, data management, and data analysis/analytics or data visualization is preferable.
4. Experience working with multidisciplinary or volunteer teams is an asset.
5. Skills and Competencies
6. Working familiarity with at least one of: Google Sheets, Looker Studio, Power BI, or Excel.
7. Strong written communication skills, comfortable documenting work for a non-technical audience.
8. Genuine interest in youth innovation ecosystems; prior remote/volunteer experience is a plus but not required.
9. Fluency in English; knowledge of Chichewa is desirable.

Language

1. Language Language skills Language requirement
2. English Working knowledge Yes
3. Chichewa Native language No

Area of Expertise

1. What type of task do you need support with? Knowledge management, research, reporting
2. Does this project include an additional, secondary type of task? Innovation, foresight, change management

Other information

1. Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Apply now

https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1784888021271924