Story from a former JPO

Ricarda Rieger
Deputy Country Director / Operations
UNDP Cambodia

Ricarda Rieger is a former UNIDO JPO in a UNDP Country Office in DPRK (North Korea) from September 1989 to September 1991. She is currently Deputy Resident Representative / Operations with UNDP in Cambodia.

Name

Ricarda Rieger

When and where did you work as a JPO?

I was a UNIDO JPO in a UNDP Country Office in DPRK (North Korea) from September 1989 to September 1991.

How did the JPO assignment help you in your career?

While a JPO in a small country office with limited national staff capacity, I was often called to go beyond the normal call of duty for assignments which I found challenging and interesting. These included doing research for the first ever publication of the Development Cooperation Report for DPRK with chapters going beyond my scope as a UNIDO JPO. However, as an economist and as a West German, I found it fascinating to be gathering information on the reclusive state and trying to make sense of it.

I was also asked to familiarize myself with gender, housing and environmental issues, to be able to guide incoming missions on the situation in the country.

Over time the Resident Representative and Deputy Resident Representative began to appreciate my inputs and recommended me for interview for the UNDP intake of the Management Training Programme, putting me on the UNDP career path, where I have been since.

How did you get an assignment with UNDP at the end of your JPO assignment?

I was recommended by the country office senior management for interviews in NY for the Management Training Programme. After 2 days of interviews competing with numerous other hopefuls, I was finally selected for an assignment in Thailand immediately following my JPO assignment in DPRK.

What has been your career path with UNDP until now?

After the JPO assignment I was a Programme Officer and then Assistant Resident Representative responsible for environment in Thailand from November 1991 - Feb 1995. I joined the Regional Bureau for Arab States in New York as Policy and Programme Officer from Feb 1995 - September 1997. While in NY, I helped design a regional environmental programme for the Mediterranean countries in partnership with WB, EIB and EU. In September 1997, after a 6 week Environmental Economics Course at the Harvard Institute for International Development, I became a project staff in Cairo, implementing environmental capacity building activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. The project experience was very valuable in that it showed me the distance many UNDP project staff have to UNDP proper, both from their own perspective as well as from the perspective of the organization.

In February 1999, after the birth of my first son, I returned to UNDP and to Asia as Deputy Resident Representative for Programme and Operations in the Philippines where I was till June 2003. Working in a middle income country with highly qualified colleagues was a challenge but also very rewarding. Here I was exposed to UNDP's work in a post-conflict situation in the southern Philippines and one of the first joint programmes with numerous UN and government organizations. Juggling the demands and expectations of all required negotiation skills and the recognition that not everyone can be pleased.

After a year off, for the birth of my second son, I joined the UNDP Cambodia office as Deputy Resident Representative for Operations, taking me for the first time out of my programmatic comfort zone and making me responsible for the HR, procurement, finance, and general service support of UNDP in a large and complex LDC. I continued to cover programme for several months until the arrival of the DRR for Programme.

What are your major lessons learned during your career with UNDP in terms of professional growth, career planning and opportunities?

While some people are very good at setting themselves targets on where they want to be at a certain age, I have been able to go with the flow and find opportunities and learning along the way. At some point in each assignment, one needs to look for the next. However, when I put my name in the hat for the Philippines, it was mainly to begin to voice my interest in returning to Asia. Little did I expect that I would be selected based on that one application. On the other hand, when trying to return to UNDP after the birth of my second son, I had to apply for several positions before finally being selected.

I believe that with every assignment I have grown professionally, occasionally less in substance but in management skills. UNDP has offered a number of training courses on management, many of which I have been allowed to participate in. Many colleagues have been supportive and have offered advice. Keeping up to date on UNDP's position in the practice areas is a challenge, but possible.

Real career planning for individuals, however, does not take place in UNDP. There is no guardian angel who advises on next steps to take to reach a personal goal, or who coaches to revise that goal if it may seem unrealistic. One has to search for the opportunities, push for what one believes in, do one's job well, and take one's pick when it comes to applying for new positions.

What is your career advice to JPOs?

A JPO assignment gives tremendous opportunities to make a mark in UNDP. Some people take it, others don't, some are at the right place at the right time, others are not so fortunate. As a colleague once termed it correctly: JPOs are free radicals. As the office does not get to chose between different people, the office has to make the best of the situation once a JPO is placed. At the same time, the JPO can use the assignment to make a good impression and be noticed, by taking initiative, asking questions, bringing in new information, networking, mixing with national colleagues and showing a genuine interest in the work of UNDP.

Not every JPO assignment leads to employment with UNDP, and not every JPO wants to stay in the UN system. Nevertheless, having served in a UNDP office in a developing country is a unique experience in any person's career.