Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP’s 2018-2021 Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical links between environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and broader efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP’s Nature, Climate Change, and Energy (NCE) Team promotes and scales up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

The NCE Team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on environment, climate change, and energy. This multi-billion-dollar portfolio encompasses: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services including forests; Sustainable Land Management and Desertification including food and commodity systems; Water and Ocean Governance including SIDS; Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation; Renewable and Modern Energy; Extractive Industries; Chemicals and Waste Management; Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy and SCP approaches. This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning. UNDP's Nature, Climate and Energy practice spans 137 countries, with a portfolio directly benefiting 86 million people. Our support to Governments focusses on enabling an inclusive, resilient, green recovery by: building competency to accelerate access to sustainable energy and climate and nature-positive policies and finance; scaling capacity to ensure No One is Left Behind; catalyzing SDG and Paris-aligned investments (public and private); delivering client-focused solutions that respond to countries' immediate, mid- and long-term recovery and socio-economic development priorities; and leveraging our on-the-ground presence and networks to unlock bottom-up solutions that deliver lasting impacts at country level.

In addition to UNDP’s bilateral partnerships on nature climate and energy, UNDP is an accredited multilateral implementing agency of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Multilateral Fund (MLF), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which includes the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF Trust Fund); the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF); the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF); and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). As part of UNDP’s partnership with these vertical funds, UNDP provides countries specialized integrated technical services for eligibility assessment, programme formulation, capacity development, policy advice, technical assistance, training and technology transfer, mobilization of co-financing, implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, performance-based payments and knowledge management services. 

Climate change could drive an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. Countries have increasingly included adaptation priorities in their NDCs pointing to issues of water and food security, safeguarding economic assets from extreme climate events and disasters, and protection and regeneration of natural capital. This is particularly important in the Arab region, the world’s most water scarce and food import dependent region and where temperatures are rising faster than the world average. The region is seeing more frequent and severe droughts and climate induced disasters, converging with situations of fragility, conflict and displacement. 

Building on the experiences and lessons from a portfolio of initiatives in over 137 countries, UNDP advances a ‘whole-of-society' approach to accelerate adaptation and continues to support countries to mobilize public and private finance to implement their adaption priorities. UNDP assists government partners to scale up the integration of climate change adaptation into policy, planning, and investments at both national and local levels through the support to the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process and the NDCs. UNDP supports climate change adaptation action in the context of agriculture and food security, water resources, coastal zone management, ecosystems protection, public health, resilient infrastructure, urban resilience, livelihoods, and climate information/early warnings.

The Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) works under the overall supervision of the Principal Technical Advisor of Climate Change Adaptation as primary supervisor and the Regional Team Leader for Nature, Climate and Energy as secondary supervisor, and works in close collaboration with other regional technical advisors at both global and regional levels. The Regional Technical Advisor will be part of the NCETeam and the Regional Hub for Arab States supporting country offices in the region and is expected to travel frequently.

         Institutional Arrangement

• The Regional Technical Advisor – Climate Change Adaptation will report to the CCA PTA under BPPS/ NCE, based in New York and the Regional Team Leader for Nature, Climate and Energy at UNDP’s Regional Hub for Arab States in Amman;
• The Regional Technical Advisor – Climate Change Adaptation will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The Regional Technical Advisor – Climate Change Adaptation will be responsible for providing her/his own work equipment (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.);

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The Regional Technical Advisor will provide second level oversight, quality assurance and compliance with fund/donor requirements for NCE programming initiatives during the design phase and implementation phase and ensure portfolio wide risk-based oversight of the NCE portfolio, for the related technical area, within the Arab region. The Regional Technical Advisor is primarily responsible for providing technical, policy, and programming implementation support and oversight, and knowledge and capacity development services pertaining to the work of the NCE Team signature programmes to UNDP country offices, working with other UN agencies, governments and inter-governmental organizations, NGO’s, donors, the private sector and many others.  Specific results are expected in the areas of:

Innovation, Strategic Leadership, Policy Dialogue and Advocacy

• Provide support to establishing and maintaining a strategic understanding of, and engagement with, the substantive technical issues, institutions, and processes within the region, including establishing contact and developing strategic partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGOs, the private sector, scientific institutions and the like;
• Participating in the development and implementation of UNDP’s global and regional strategies on environment and sustainable development within the BPPS and beyond; engagement in policy and advocacy work with external partners where relevant
• Providing policy development support and guidance;
• Supporting the development of strategic UNDP policy position papers and internal briefing notes;
• Facilitating policy analysis and the development of technical tools and guidance;
• Maintain a trusted leadership role within the region;
• Keeping the Regional Team informed of trends and issues with respect to the substantive technical area;
• Keeping the Principal/Senior Technical Advisors informed of trends and issues in the region;
• Participating in cross-substantive area technical dialogue, common strategic visioning, mainstreaming, programming, and other collaboration within the regional team
• Contributing to identification, development and implementation of new strategic programming opportunities and partnerships in the area of climate change adaptation and sustainable livelihoods.

Portfolio Management

• Assisting in the maintenance of programme/project and portfolio information;
• Facilitating the identification, and sourcing of technical expertise and support including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts and reviewing reports;

• Supporting the development of strategic policy and guidance for strengthening UNDP Country Offices with climate change adaptation project design and implementation including alignment with national priorities;
• Assisting the development of and advocacy for specific policy analysis and development tools and guidance in support of programming and finance for Climate Change Adaptation;
• Supporting the establishment of a trusted leadership role for NCE within the region;
• Sourcing of technical expertise and support including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts and reviewing reports;
• Contributing to regional retreats, focal area retreats, regional strategic planning, pipeline management exercises, etc.;
• Promoting gender equity/empowerment in programming opportunities;
• Helping to ensure that strategies and projects are aligned to country outcomes and UNDP corporate environment results in internal UNDP project tracking systems (e.g. ERBM);
• Maintaining quality/accuracy in data and project management (UNDP EF systems such as PIMS), management of ATLAS Risks logs, and portfolio delivery rates;
• Monitoring to ensure expected quality standards are maintained in project implementation reviews; 

• Supporting the Regional Hub to internalize lessons from evaluations in programming in the region.

Programming and Quality Assurance Design:

• Supporting programme and project identification and development for integrated, strategic and/or high-risk projects, in line with project origination SOPs and RACI.
• Providing timely and quality information and technical advice on sources of funds, policies, priorities and activities – including the Global Environment Facility funds, the Green Climate Fund, other multilateral donors, bilateral donors and foundations;
• Identifying and suggesting to the PTA priorities and entry-points for UNDP assistance;
• Provide 2nd level technical quality assurance and compliance checks with UNDP technical investment criteria on nature, climate and energy related matters and fund/donor requirements, including providing quality assurance for NCE technical specialists assigned to projects, across the process of preparation, design, submission, reviews and approval of programme/project concepts and full-fledged proposals, in line with Fund/donor/UNDP policies and requirements;
• Provide 2nd level quality assurance, in coordination with relevant units across NCE in line with the POPP and RACI, on alignment of budgets, procurement plans, safeguard appraisals, and etc. associated with the project with fund/donor requirements.
• Provide second line quality assurance to ensure the required due diligence of Implementing Partners has been completed by the CO (in coordination with the Regional Bureau) and CO capacities are assessed and considered to inform the implementation arrangements and risk management in line with the policies of the fund/donor and UNDP
• Providing guidance and support in the identification and sourcing of technical expertise and support including providing technical inputs for the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts and reviewing reports;
• Facilitating liaisons with potential financing agencies and institutions

Portfolio Management- Quality Assurance and Development Impact

• Assisting with inception, contracting and startup of programmes/projects including establishment of indicators, benchmarks and work plans to ensure that these align with the technical investment criteria and the requirements of funds/donors;
• Supporting UNDP country offices and programme/project implementation partners in supervision, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, troubleshooting and adaptive management (including project revisions and extensions, etc.) in line with Fund/donor policies and requirements.
• Preparing reports and communications pieces effectively showcasing socio-economic development benefits as well as environment results.
• Undertake supervision mission aimed at (a) verification of results and (b) troubleshooting to manage technical quality assurance risks
• Undertake risk management oversight of technical risks that compromise the effectiveness and efficiency of the Fund/donor approved projects, including conducting risk-based second tier portfolio oversight and support CO/RBX/BPPS to address escalated GEF project risks/critical issues (through Action Plan)

Learning, Knowledge Management and Self Development

• Evaluating, capturing, codifying, synthesizing lessons and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of knowledge materials;
• Peer reviewing, commenting on, and seeking to improve the technical quality of programmes/projects, policies, practices, guidelines, advisory notes, publications and the like;
• Contributing to the preparation of regional Community of Practice meetings;
• Supporting the preparation and delivering of training courses;
• Responding to queries on programme/project progress, impacts and lessons;
• Developing and carrying out a personal learning plan.
• Preparing reports and communications pieces effectively showcasing socio-economic development benefits as well as environment results.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA