Programme Management Contractor (Youth Affairs)

The individual contractor will contribute to the successful planning, coordination and implementation of the inaugural UN Youth Townhall, while strengthening the UN Youth Office's work to promote meaningful youth engagement in technology, innovation and digital cooperation. Successful completion of the assignment will contribute to effective programme management of the Townhall, strengthened coordination with UN entities and external partners, improved approaches to measuring the Townhall's impact, and enhanced opportunities for young people to engage meaningfully in technology and innovation-related policy processes.

New York, USA

Sept - Dec 2026

Background: The United Nations Youth Office was established by General Assembly resolution 76/306 as a dedicated entity for youth affairs within the United Nations Secretariat. The Office is mandated to lead system-wide coordination on youth, strengthen advocacy and policy coherence on youth issues across the United Nations, and promote the meaningful engagement of young people in United Nations processes and decision-making. Within the Office, the Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications Section leads strategic initiatives and partnerships that strengthen youth participation across multilateral processes, foster cross-sector collaboration, and advance innovative approaches to youth engagement. As part of these efforts, the Office is advancing its work at the intersection of youth, technology, artificial intelligence and innovation, while preparing for the inaugural UN Youth Townhall, to be held from 8 to 10 December 2026 in Heidelberg, Germany. The Townhall will bring together young people, Member States, UN entities and partners to strengthen meaningful youth engagement across the United Nations system and advance more coordinated approaches to youth participation. Objective and Scope of Work: The individual contractor will provide temporary programme management and substantive support to the Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications Section during a period of parental leave, supporting priority initiatives through 31 December 2026. The contract will focus on two primary areas of work. First, the individual contractor will provide programme management and coordination support for the inaugural UN Youth Townhall, including supporting implementation planning, coordination across workstreams, stakeholder engagement, and the development of monitoring and impact frameworks to assess participation, engagement and outcomes associated with the event. Second, the individual contractor will support the Office's work to strengthen meaningful youth engagement in policy dialogue and decision-making related to technology, digital cooperation, innovation and emerging technologies. This includes supporting engagement with relevant United Nations entities and intergovernmental processes, identifying opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully in these discussions, and contributing substantive inputs on issues related to digital transformation, artificial intelligence and future-ready skills. The individual contractor will work under the supervision of the Chief of the Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications Section and collaborate closely with colleagues across the UN Youth Office and the wider United Nations system. Duties and Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Chief of the Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications Section, the individual contractor will: UN Youth Townhall Coordination and Programme Management: • Support day-to-day programme management for the planning and implementation of the inaugural UN Youth Townhall. • Coordinate implementation across internal workstreams, individual contractor, UN entities and external partners contributing to the Townhall. • Develop and maintain project plans, implementation timelines, coordination mechanisms and tracking tools to ensure timely delivery of key milestones. • Develop practical monitoring, evaluation and impact frameworks to assess participation, stakeholder engagement, outputs, commitments and follow-up associated with the Townhall. • Coordinate preparation of concept notes, agendas, briefing materials, talking points, meeting summaries and other programme documentation. • Support engagement and coordination with Member States, UN entities, youth organizations, speakers and strategic partners participating in the Townhall. • Monitor implementation of agreed follow-up actions and maintain project management documentation throughout the planning and delivery process. • Support programme coordination before, during and following the Townhall, including on-site support as required. Technology, Innovation and Meaningful Youth Engagement: • Support implementation of the Office's work on meaningful youth engagement in technology, innovation, artificial intelligence and digital cooperation. • Monitor developments across relevant UN intergovernmental and policy processes relating to technology, digital governance and innovation, identifying opportunities for meaningful youth participation. • Serve as the Section's focal point for engagement with relevant partners and entities, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Office of Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), Global Digital Compact implementation processes, the UN Innovation Network, the UN 2.0 initiative and other relevant stakeholders, under the leadership of the Chief of Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications. • Coordinate substantive inputs, briefing materials and policy analysis related to innovation, emerging technologies and digital cooperation. • Support engagement with youth-led organizations, young experts and partners working at the intersection of technology, innovation and youth. • Work closely with communications colleagues to connect outreach and advocacy efforts on AI and future-ready skills with opportunities for young people to engage in technology policy and multilateral processes. Programme Management and Substantive Support: • Conduct research and prepare analytical inputs, briefing notes and written materials related to assigned workstreams. • Support coordination across UN entities and external partners contributing to Section priorities. • Contribute to internal planning, reporting and programme management processes. • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in international relations, public policy, political science, public administration, development studies, innovation, technology policy or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. At least two years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, policy, international development or related fields is required. Demonstrated experience supporting multilateral processes, stakeholder engagement or intergovernmental coordination is desirable. Experience coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives or international events is desirable Experience working on issues related to youth policy, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence or digital cooperation is desirable. Experience developing monitoring, evaluation or results-tracking frameworks is desirable.

Fluency in written and spoken English is required, and proficiency of other UN Languages is desirable.

Not available.