Project Officer - Innovation in Sustainable Design

The Project Officer will provide technical support, partnerships and programme coordination to the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Initiative (DEDI) focusing on innovation in sustainable design, youth engagement, green transition, and entrepreneurship. The role involves programme design, implementation, partnership development, monitoring, reporting, and knowledge management to support youth-led innovation and green transition initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide programme technical support and advisory
• Support the coordination and implementation of programme activities related to innovation, youth, entrepreneurship, and skills for the green transition, ensuring efficient and timely delivery
• Develop and co-create programme concepts for bootcamps, ideation activities, incubation cycles, mentoring, and showcase events in collaboration with a range of partners in Egypt and Denmark
• Design and lead calls for proposals, including the selection and onboarding of youth participants, partners, and stakeholders for programme activities and related engagements
• Support the development and refinement of youth-driven business models, technical solutions, and initiatives
• Proactively identify project challenges and risks and contribute to the development and implementation of appropriate mitigation strategies
• Supervise a national UNV in supporting programme-related tasks and logistics
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships in Egypt and Denmark to ensure high-quality implementation of activities related to innovation, youth, entrepreneurship, and skills for the green transition
• Support engagement and coordination with a diverse range of partners, including universities, innovation hubs, SMEs, design institutions, and entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs)
• Lead and coordinate the design and finalization of contractual agreements in collaboration with UNDP procurement and partnership teams
• Support financial tracking, procurement processes, and payment processing in collaboration with UNDP procurement and finance teams
• Facilitate collaboration and showcase opportunities between youth innovators, stakeholders, and industry partners, including SMEs
• Support networking efforts to expand DEDI’s partner base and stakeholder engagement, including through linkages with the UNDP Green Link Taskforce
• Lead the development and refinement of indicators, tracking of KPIs, articulation of results, and follow-up on activities related to innovation, youth, entrepreneurship, and skills for the green transition, in line with the approved DEDI MEL Framework
• Prepare progress and learning reports, including tracking results of innovation and youth-focused activities
• Support bi-annual reporting to the DEDI Advisory Group and provide substantive technical inputs to ad hoc reporting requirements, as needed
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning efforts within DEDI, with a view to capturing insights and lessons learned for continuous improvement and scale
• Provide substantive inputs to communication and visibility efforts, including social media content, press releases, knowledge products, and related communication activities
• Systematically document achievements and challenges related to innovation, youth, entrepreneurship, and skills for the green transition
• Contribute to the identification and application of innovative approaches to programme delivery, using learning to inform continuous improvement and adaptation
• Stay abreast of relevant local and global research and support the integration of emerging knowledge and best practices into DEDI programming
• Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Sustainable Development, Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences, 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 two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree
• Minimum of 2 years (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience at national and/or international level in designing and/or implementing innovation programmes, entrepreneurship support initiatives (e.g. incubation, acceleration), and youth-focused programmes related to sustainable development or the green transition
• Demonstrated experience in supporting the design, coordination and/or implementation of development programmes is required
• Experience working with youth-related initiatives, innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, or related fields is required
• Proven experience in stakeholder engagement and partnership development, including collaboration with public, private, or civil society actors, is required
• Demonstrated ability in programme coordination, including planning, implementation support, monitoring and reporting, is required
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), database packages, and web-based management systems such as ERP is required
• Project/programme management certification is an advantage
• Experience working with regional or international organizations, including UN or multilateral contexts, is an asset
• Familiarity with youth, innovation, entrepreneurship, and/or sustainability ecosystems in Egypt or the Arab region is an asset
• Experience in youth engagement, policy dialogue, or capacity-building initiatives is an asset
• Exposure to innovation, research, or ecosystem development for SMEs or startups is an advantage
• Experience in sustainable development, climate, or green transition programming is an asset
• Fluency in English and Arabic is required

Skills

• Innovation Programme Design
• Entrepreneurship Support
• Youth-Focused Programmes
• Sustainable Development
• Green Transition Projects
• Programme Coordination
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Partnership Development
• Project Management
• Monitoring and Reporting
• MS Word
• Excel
• Database Management
• ERP Systems
• Policy Dialogue
• Capacity Building
• SME Ecosystems Development
• Research in Innovation
• Knowledge Management

Languages

English, Arabic