Background

nstructions 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.  The Nature, Climate and Energy Team focuses on managing the oversight of climate and environmental financial resources from global trust funds to catalyze and unlock other types of public and private financing for sustainable development. This includes oversight of the design as well as implementation phase of projects (together with Country Offices and Regional Bureaus), as well as portfolio level oversight and management.

Climate Change Adaptation Programme

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. 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.

Climate Change Mitigation Programme

In order to avoid an irreversible climate crisis, we need to halve global emissions by 2030, and have carbon-neutral economies by 2050. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions – or climate change mitigation - is essential to fulfilling commitments to the Paris Agreement and limiting global mean temperature increase to 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels. All sectors, including energy, transportation, industry, forests, and land-use/agriculture must make a meaningful contribution towards achieving carbon neutrality. UNDP, as the largest implementer of climate change support within the UN system, plays a critical role by supporting countries in their emission reduction plans. With a commitment to providing long-term development support, our mitigation portfolio currently comprises of over 280 projects and programmes in over 110 countries. Together with our partners, UNDP supports countries to take ambitious climate action, advance Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and use a wide range of strategies and approaches across energy, forestry and land-use/agriculture sectors.

Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme

UNDP recognizes health ecosystem services and biodiversity as the foundation of human wellbeing and essential for tackling multiple development challenges: the climate and biodiversity loss crises, inequality and poverty, insecurity and migration. UNDP works to increase government, business and public support for biodiversity conservation, accelerating the actions necessary for systemic changes that are necessary for achieving the global biodiversity goals. These systemic leavers UNDP focuses are: (i) redirecting flows of finance from nature negative to positive; (ii) transforming production and consumption system through mainstreaming; (iii) placing nature at the very heart of development thinking and actions; (iv) leveraging legal and human rights instruments for protection of nature;  (v) causing large scale behavioral change of individuals, businesses and governments.  Through national, regional and global programming and policy support UNDP catalyzes these changes.

Water Governance

Water is essential for life and sustainable development. UNDP works across the full range of the water resources challenges, addressing them from a governance perspective to promote equitable and efficient use and protection of water resources, supporting institution-building and capacity development for participatory governance of water resources.

Supporting integrated ecosystem-based management in 27 shared basins, UNDP is one of the major global actors in transboundary water management and governance. The water governance programme seeks to expand its engagement in national and local water governance reform, including in support of climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as peacebuilding and the reduction of multi-dimensional poverty and inequality for greater prosperity.

Taking a source-to-sea / ridge-to-reef holistic perspective on integrated management of land, water, biodiversity and coastal resources, the water governance work is managed in close coordination with the ocean governance programme.

Energy Programme

UNDP has been a leading advocate and the largest UN implementing agency for the energy transition at global, regional and national levels for several decades. UNDP’s Energy Programme supports policy makers with high quality data to make informed decisions on selecting and designing cost-effective public instruments to promote private investment in clean energy, contributing to SDG 7 and in line with UNDP’s ‘signature solution’ on energy. UNDP has a successful track record in using policy instruments to de-risk and catalyze investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy access projects, including a series of sustainable energy initiatives specifically adapted to the needs (and resilient recovery) of fragile and crisis-impacted countries. UNDP’s support to countries on the energy transition is structured around three tracks: A) Policy de-risking for energy market transformation with overall aim of reducing energy-sector GHG emissions and achieving universal access to electricity particularly in SIDS and LDCs; the focus is on off-grid, rural distributed renewable energy-based systems; B) Addressing the energy-health nexus with focus on i) increasing access to clean cooking solutions and overall aim of reducing social, economic and environmental impacts of solid fuels, and ii) electrification of health care facilities C) Addressing the energy-fragility nexus with focus on countries in crisis and fragile situations (e.g. Middle East, Sahel region and Horn of Africa,  especially solar energy solutions for displaced communities to address emergency needs through livelihoods restoration, health and education facilities.

Climate and Forests Programme

Forests support the livelihoods of over 1 billion people and host the largest share of the world’s biodiversity. UNDP provides expertise in stakeholder engagement, social and environmental safeguards, governance, institutional coordination, strategic planning, implementation of policies and measures to address drivers of deforestation, access to innovative finance and accessing results-based payments. UNDP also facilitates the necessary partnerships to address the complex elements of the REDD+ process.

Food, Agriculture and Commodities Programme

Current production and consumption patterns are taking food systems on an unsustainable trajectory with multiple impacts on human development. UNDP works on Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS) to support a new paradigm of agricultural production based on diversified, resilient agroecological systems which work simultaneously to achieve economic, environmental, social, and health outcomes. Sustainable agriculture has the potential to help address some of the world's biggest challenges. It can play a vital role in ending hunger and food insecurity, alleviating poverty, tackling climate change and protecting life below water and on land, addressing multiple Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP’s Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS) Programme is active in more than 100 countries and close to 500 landscapes.  UNDP’s FACS strategy focuses on 5 intervention areas: (i) Reforming policy, legislative & regulatory frameworks; (ii) Strengthening capacity in sustainable food and agricultural commodity systems (iii) Improving market & financial incentives; (iv) Promoting sustainable livelihoods for small producers; and (v) Increasing impact through global support and initiatives. Through this, UNDP aims to upscale sustainable production landscapes and jurisdictions, support the transformation of food and agricultural commodity supply chains towards sustainability and ensure that all members of vulnerable households and smallholder producers are empowered to become more resilient, attain food security and pursue sustainable livelihoods. 

Ocean Governance

The ocean contributes substantially to human development, including via the provision of food security, transport, energy, tourism, and critical ecosystem services; ocean sectors contribute around $3 trillion per year to the global market economy. Due to governance and market failures leading to unsustainable ocean practices, the health and socioeconomic contributions of the ocean   face significant threats including overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, invasive species and climate change. UNDP works with national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, NGOs, academia and the private sector to advance integrated, cross-sectoral, ecosystem-based approaches to ocean management that help to create and maintain sustainable blue economies.  

Small Island Developing States Programme

The distinct characteristics of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) render them a special case for sustainable development, as recognized by the United Nations. While diverse and distinct development trajectories, SIDS are also bound together by certain commonalities. Based on national demand and needs, and embedded within UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021, UNDP’s “upgraded” SIDS offer identifies transformative levers for advancing sustainable development. The upgraded offer aims at support SIDS in realizing the goals of the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway and the 2030 Agenda. It is aligned with UNDP’s Strategic Plan and builds on the organization’s multi-sectoral programmatic portfolio, as well as its overall breadth of development expertise and experience and its valuable network of traditional and non-traditional partners. UNDP’s upgraded SIDS offer responds to their most pressing needs as well as greatest opportunities for accelerating sustainable development. Building on multipliers that promise to accelerate progress across the SDGs, and building on UNDP’s comparative advantage and specific expertise, UNDP over the next 10 years will elevate and expand its support in: (i) Climate Action; (ii) Blue Economy; and (iii) Digital Transformation, with access to financing harnessed as a key enabler. This work will put the natural capital at the center of sustainable development, promoting nature-based solutions –solutions that reflect cultural and societal values in the protection, conservation and use of ecosystems goods and services.

Local Action

UNDP focuses on empowering community-based sustainable development and socio-ecological resilience by: (a) strengthening social inclusion through effective engagement of women, indigenous peoples, youth, and persons with disabilities; (b) targeting support to LDCs and SIDS with funding and support, and capacity development; (c) supporting community innovation through learning-by-doing; (d) promoting partnerships for broader adoption of local innovations and influence policies and strategies at all levels; and (e) providing grants and access to finance for community-driven initiatives.

Chemicals and Waste Programme

Sound chemical and waste management could reduce the risks of exposure to hazardous chemicals and protect the human health and environment. UNDP Montreal Protocol/chemical Programme focuses on for providing policy and technical advisory, design and implementation oversight to the chemical projects funded by Global Environment Facility, the Multilateral Fund, and bilateral donors. Chemical team are organized into a number of substantive technical teams with staff located in both HQs and UNDP's Regional Hubs in Istanbul, Panama, and Bangkok. Currently, UNDP supports over 73 countries in meeting their obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances and its Kigali Amendment on HFCs, Stockholm convention on POPs, Minamata convention on mercury, as well as strategic approach of international chemical management (SAICM). UNDP has been on the forefront of efforts to advance the Kigali Amendment to tackle the climate change and improve cooling efficiency by partnering with developing countries, MLF, GEF, K-CEP, CCAC, Cool Coalition, bilateral donors and private sectors. UNDP’s Chemicals and Waste Programme  helps client countries improve their capacities for sustainable production and consumption, clean air action plan, integrated waste management (healthcare waste, E-waste, plastics), sustainable and non-chemical development in SIDS, promotion of Green/Circular Economy, resource efficiency, good practice in Artisanal and Gold Mining sector (ASGM).

Environmental Governance Programme

UNDP’s Environmental Governance Programme focuses on strengthening environmental governance as one of the critical pathways to advancing environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and broader efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreement, and post-2020 Biodiversity Framework. Environmental governance and related cross-sectoral, whole-of-governance initiatives, such as Green and Circular Economy approaches, Resource Efficiency, Poverty-Environment Nexus, and Sustainable Consumption and Production, are needed to strengthen rule-of-law, legislation, and institutional capacities that enforce social and environmental safeguards, rule-of-law, and prevent pollution and environmental degradation, while protecting human rights and access to justice. These approaches are applied across the Nature, Climate and Energy portfolio and broader work of the Global Policy Network to fully integrate environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies. They help to shift economic incentives and financial flows away from nature-destructive investments in infrastructure, extractives, agriculture, energy and other sectors, towards financing that accelerates nature-based solutions across productive value chains. The NCE team also works closely with sister UN agencies and others to strengthen Environmental Governance through global flagship initiatives and partnerships, such as the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), Environmental Governance Programme on Mining, and Poverty Environment Action (PEA), as well as through UN coordination mechanisms such as the Environmental Management Group.

Institutional Arrangement

• The NCE Technical Specialists will be home-based and report to the NCE Regional Team Leads located in UNDP’s Regional Hub in Panama.  The NCE Technical Specialists will be guided and overseen on technical matters (subject matter specialization) and fund/donor requirements related elements  by the BPPS/NCE Principle Technical Advisor (PTA);
• The NCE Technical Specialists will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The NCE Technical Specialists will be responsible for providing their own work station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the NCE Technical Specialists are expected to be reasonably flexible with their availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The NCE Technical Specialist will provide first layer technical support in specialized thematic areas to augment and support UNDP Country Offices and to provide technical oversight of the design of new programmes and projects that are strategic and essential in nature. The RTS will provide technical quality assurance support to the CO and the design lead (progrmame programme officer/EFP) in line with UNDP and donor policies and requirements.

The scope of work will vary depending on the specific assignment but would include one or various of the below tasks:

Project Origination, Concept/PIF and Full Proposal Design and Development

The Technical Specialist will support UNDP Country Offices (CO), working with NCE Regional Team Leads (RTL), Regional Bureaus (RBx), Regional Technical Advisors (RTA), Principal Technical Advisors (PTA)/ Senior Technical Advisors (STA) and the NCE Directorate, in line with the roles and responsibilities as per the RACI in the POPP. Coordinating with the CO Environmental Focal Point (EFP), the Technical Specialist should support coordination across the design task team, comprising of various technical experts and consultants (e.g. feasibility experts, safeguards, gender, economic/financial, etc.) during the design and development process. Detailed functions include:

• Support COs in assessing government requests for programming, including integrated approaches and multi-focal area projects, for prima facie alignment with UNDP’s Strategic Investment Criteria on nature, climate and energy;
• Provide first layer technical advisory assistance on nature, climate and energy-related subject matters that are of focus or related (in the context of integrated solutions) with the targeted project/programme, including advising on project components and all technical sections, logframe,etc.;
• Provide first layer technical advisory assistance to COs for the preparation of the Pre-Investment Steering Committee (PISC) submission package, including the draft idea notes and/or concept/PIFs;
• Provide technical inputs on the capacity requirements at the CO level to meet UNDP investment criteria on nature, climate and energy related matters and fund/donor requirements for project/programme design and implementation;
• Assist in the maintenance of programme/project and portfolio information;
• Facilitate the identification and sourcing of technical expertise and provide technical inputs for the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts, and review reports;
• Provide high quality first layer technical review and quality assurance of ideas, PIF/Concepts, PPG Initiation Plans, PPF, and ProDoc/Funding Proposals and related annexes on both the nature, climate and energy subject specialization as well as fund-specific requirements and UNDP requirements (POPP);
• Provide technical input to the preparation of budget, procurement plans, safeguard appraisals, etc. (led by CO) associated with the project, in line with the fund/donor requirements;
• Liaise with CO and RBx colleagues to ensure that the necessary due diligence of Implementing Partners (IPs) has been completed, and CO capacities are assessed and taken into account to inform the implementation arrangements and risk management in line with UNDP and fund/donor policies;

• Support the CO in liaising with the relevant experts in Government, NGOs, CSOs, Private Sector, and Development Partners to obtain critical advice and information that can feed into the preparation of a feasibility assessment, concept design and proposal development;
• Support the CO in organizing, leading, participating and collating information based on a series of consultations with stakeholders and communities to both inform and validate the project design;
• Ensure that COs are aware of deadlines, guide COs in establishing clear timelines for preparation, review and submission.  Support CO Senior Management to put in place risk management strategies and action plans to ensure that deadlines for submission are met as per the policies of the funds/donors;
• Undertake due diligence checks on fund specific requirements and UNDP policies and obligations as per the POPP and provide adequate notification to other UNDP units to ensure that due diligence is conducted on time and within scope;
• Provide guidance to the CO programme officer/EFP on the submission, for second level quality assurance led by BPPS NCE, of the complete proposal packages for the idea, concept and full proposal, in line with fund/donor requirements;
• Support the CO programme officer/EFP on the technical responses to reviews received from the UNDP second level quality assurance, the fund secretariats and associated governance bodies (Board/Council, etc.) to ensure that the UNDP submission is of the highest quality;
• Under the supervision of the PTA/STA, support the BPPS NCE units in negotiation with the funds/donors to achieve project/programme approval;
• In addition to project development, based on request by CO, provide technical support to augment CO capacity for 1st level due diligence and oversight of implementation (including adaptive management) insofar as this relates to NCE related technical areas of the project/programme.

Advocacy, Learning, Knowledge Management

• Contribute to a strategic understanding of, and engagement with the substantive technical issues, institutions, and processes within the region, including establishing contact and identifying strategic partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGOs, the private sector, scientific institutions and the like;
• Support the development of policy analysis, tools, guidance, and strategic UNDP policy position papers and internal briefing notes and keep the NCE Regional Team Leads and relevant counterparts in the Regional Bureaus informed of trends and issues with respect to the substantive technical area;
• Evaluate, capture, codify, synthesize lessons and stimulate the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of knowledge materials;

• Contribute to the preparation of regional, training, and Community of Practice meetings.

Competencies

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA