Background

UNDP's Strategic Plan (2026–2029) commits the organization to advancing human development on a healthy planet through systemic transformation, integrated portfolios, and a culture of innovation and learning. Its four strategic objectives (prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience, and a healthy planet) are powered by three accelerators: digital and AI transformation, gender equality, and sustainable finance.

To address the aforementioned strategic objectives and programmatic priorities outlined in its Country Programme Document (2026–2030), the UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina is pioneering a systemic, portfolio approach to programme design and implementation with digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) integrated as critical enablers and accelerators of development impact. 

Within this framework, the UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina is recruiting a Digital Transformation and AI Analyst to drive the digital dimension of the Country Programme, ensuring that digitalization acts as a cross-cutting accelerator for inclusive green growth, human capital development, and accountable, effective institutions, as well as social cohesion. This involves the identification and co-design of new digital transformation and AI initiatives, providing strategic and technical advice across the UNDP programme, overseeing the quality and governance of digital and AI products and data systems, and fostering a culture of learning, experimentation, and innovation that embeds digital transformation, data analytics, and responsible use of trustworthy AI into UNDP's programme design and implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The Analyst will also support the relevant work of the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) Innovation and Digital Team. In this capacity, he/she will support regional initiatives and provide technical advisory support to other Country Offices in the RBEC region, specifically assisting with the inception, scoping, design, and development of their Digital and AI initiatives.

This role operates at the intersection of technology, policy, and experimentation, ensuring that digital interventions drive systemic change that leaves no one behind. The Analyst will operate under the supervision and coordination of the Resident Representative, and will extensively collaborate with other advisors, programme team members, and technical experts. Within IRH, the position will be part of the Innovation and Digital team, reporting to the regional lead for digital (currently the Learning, System Thinking and Digital Specialist) and working under the overall guidance of the Strategic Innovation Specialist (regional team leader).

Duties and Responsibilities

The Digital Transformation and AI Analyst will be responsible for the following tasks and functions: 

Strategic Advisory and Programmatic Integration of Digital and AI:

• Provide technical leadership to programme, portfolio, and project teams to integrate digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) as cross-cutting accelerators and enablers in portfolios and projects, ensuring alignment with the Country Programme Document (2026–2030) and the national and regional digital agendas.
• Lead the identification, scoping, and co-design of new digital and AI-related initiatives. The tasks include system and stakeholder mapping, problem framing and foresight exercises, facilitation of participatory workshops during the early design phase, drafting concept notes, and development of resource mobilization materials to seed future project pipelines.
• Facilitate digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) policy discussions with national partners and a broader ecosystem regarding country priorities stemming from Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU accession requirements and participation in multilateral agreements.
• Support the preparation of technical briefs and presentations for the UNDP BiH participation at high-level policy dialogues and conferences.

Regional Innovation, Digital and AI Ecosystem Support: 

• Serve as a technical resource for the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) Innovation and Digital Team, collaborating on the design and rollout of regional digital and AI initiatives and tools.
• Provide on-demand digital and AI advisory and capacity-building support, as agreed with IRH, to portfolio and project teams from other Country Offices in the Europe and Central Asia (RBEC) region, including supporting partner governments on comprehensive digital transformation strategies.
• Harvest and disseminate learning on Digital and AI in development, including collecting use cases and shaping insights for use by national and regional decision-makers, development partners, and communities of practice.
• Assist the regional team in identifying opportunities for cross-border partnerships.

Digital and AI Products Design and Quality Assurance:

• Collaborate with the UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina portfolio and project teams in designing digital and AI solutions (information systems, e-services, digital platforms and dashboards, mobile applications) and drafting technically sound requirements and procurement criteria, ensuring avoidance of vendor lock-in and adherence to the Digital Public Goods (DPG) standard where appropriate. Ensure that Digital and AI products adhere to open standards, interoperability, data privacy, cybersecurity, accessibility, "do-no-harm", and LNOB principles.
• Provide hands-on guidance to the portfolio and project teams during the implementation phase of digital products, facilitating agile software development as a standard collaboration method of UNDP programme teams, national partners, and external software vendors, to ensure delivery meets end-users' needs.

Digital and AI Ecosystem Building and Partnerships:

• Map and nurture partnerships with institutional partners (at the state, entity, cantonal, and local levels), the public and private sectors, the startup/tech community, academia, and civil society, facilitating a "whole-of-society" approach to digital and AI transition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Facilitate collaboration with other UN agencies and development partners to advance the digital transition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Participate in relevant discussions on digital transformation, data, and AI, as requested, and support communication and advocacy efforts that position UNDP as a credible partner for BiH's digital and AI transition.
• Design and deliver targeted capacity-development activities for UNDP staff, civil servants, and partners on digital and AI technologies and data use, and public sector innovation.
• Curate and maintain a practical Digital and AI knowledge hub for the Country Office (including catalogues of existing solutions) to enable reuse and scaling.
• Advise other Country Offices and partners on curating digital and AI ecosystems in their contexts. 

Innovative Programme and Portfolio Co-Design:

• Support the CO programme teams in the participatory design of new programme offers and interventions using a portfolio approach, design thinking, human-centered design, and other system-level participatory methods and tools.
• Design and co-lead applied digital, data, and AI interventions and experiments that generate actionable insights for portfolios and the programme. Translate experiment results into recommendations for scaling, iteration, or discontinuation.
• Ensure that innovative digital and AI interventions and experiments incorporate cross-cutting principles such as gender equality, inclusion, and environmental sustainability. 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Analyst will work within the programme team and report to the Resident Representative, with frequent interactions with other CO senior advisors and programme and portfolio teams. Given the regional dimension of this role, the Analyst will maintain a technical coordination line with the Innovation Team Lead at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, and the regional digital lead. The Analyst will balance their time between Country Office priorities (~70 % - office-based) and regional support functions (~30 % - remote), as agreed upon in the annual work plan. Any significant adjustments to this allocation will be agreed jointly between the Country Office and the Istanbul Regional Hub.

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Achieve Results: 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: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: 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 Direction & Strategy    

• Systems Thinking:    
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Development    

• Knowledge Generation:    
  • Ability to research information and turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. 
  • Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. 
  • Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

Business Management    

• Project Management:    
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Data    

• Data Analysis:    
  • Ability to extract, analyse, and visualize data to form meaningful insights and aid effective business decision-making.

Digital     

• Data Collection:    
  • Skills in sorting and cleaning data, administering surveys, presenting and reporting, including real-time data collection (e.g., mobile, satellite, or sensor data).
• Data Governance:    
  • Knowledge of data science, and proficiency in developing data management tools, organizing and maintaining databases, and using data visualization technologies.
• Experimentation:    
  • Ability to design, conduct, and manage tests to assess ideas, solutions, or interventions addressing development challenges, observe and learn about (system-wide) effects and implications. 
  • Selecting appropriate experimentation methods, tools to fit with specific learning purposes (probe, trail & error, validate), conditions and constraints; being able to assess their potential risks, trade-offs and ethical ramifications. 
  • Ability to turn test results into recommendations, document and present them in compelling ways to inform further improvements, iterative development cycles, planning and decision making.  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Computer Science, Digital Technologies, Information Systems, Artificial Intelligence, or other relevant fields is required; or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in the areas mentioned above with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (with Master's degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor's degree) of relevant professional experience in digital products and information systems management, and strong technical expertise in ICT and AI.

Required Skills:

• Experience in information management and digital transformation in governance, development, or related contexts;
• Demonstrated experience in designing or implementing digital and/or AI-enabled initiatives in governance, public administration, or development contexts; 
• Experience in scoping, planning, and managing the lifecycle of digital and/or AI products (from problem framing and user research to piloting, iteration, and scale-up), including working effectively with vendors, technical teams, and institutional partners;
• Experience in collecting, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data (including from surveys, web systems, and other digital resources) and translating insights into user-friendly presentations, visualizations, and briefings for decision-makers;
• Solid knowledge of data protection, privacy, cybersecurity, accessibility, human rights-based approaches, "do-no-harm" and LNOB principles, and ability to apply these in the design, procurement, and oversight of digital and AI solutions;
• Experience in project management to plan, implement, and evaluate initiatives within specified timeframes and budgets;
• Experience translating complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for non-technical audiences, produce concise written products in English, and work effectively in multidisciplinary teams, fostering a culture of learning, experimentation, and innovation;
• Proficiency in MS Office applications and web-based management systems; up-to-date knowledge of different AI technologies and tools.

Desirable Criteria:

• Proven professional knowledge and experience in social innovation approaches such as systems/design thinking, behavioral insights, qualitative and quantitative user research, participatory development approaches, prototyping, lean startup and agility, data empowerment, and collective intelligence, 
• Experience in global, EU, and regional digital and AI policy frameworks and their relevance for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.
•  Experience in partnering with clients and stakeholders to uncover hidden needs and deliver customized solutions that drive measurable impact.
• Experience applying portfolio logic in programming.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating co-design sessions and capacity-building in experimental design, lean iteration, and impact evaluation.
• Previous UN experience.

Required Languages:

• Fluency in BHS and English is required.

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.

Scam alert

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