Background

The UNDP Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in UNDP’s Bureau of Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to engineer delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local management of natural resources.

With its technical focus, EEG is organized into substantive technical teams. One such team is Energy, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology (EITT), which focuses on energy use and supply, climate resilient infrastructure and low carbon transport and mobility. The EITT team assists developing countries to attract and direct public and private investment towards these areas. Currently EITT advises on a number of sources of public and private funds including: the Global Environment Facility (GEF); carbon finance; and various bilateral, multilateral, and sub-national funds, donors and partners. Increasingly EITT’s work is oriented to utilizing scarce public funds to catalyze greater flows of private capital.

UNDP seeks to assist developing countries to access, combine and sequence different sources of climate finance, both public and private, to achieve their developmental objectives. UNDP’s various qualities - its in-country presence, its ability to act as a convener and aggregator, its long-held track-record in capacity building, and its experience in climate finance – mean it is well suited to play this role. In the area of carbon finance, UNDP organizes its activities globally through its MDG Carbon platform. MDG Carbon was launched as a programme in 2007 and provides direct, specialised technical assistance for carbon finance activities globally.

MDG Carbon’s overall mission is to increase and facilitate the access to carbon finance in developing countries in order to assist them in financing their transition to low carbon economies.

To this end, MDG Carbon has 3 core objectives:

Access:

• To expand access to carbon finance to under-represented developing countries.

MDGs:

• To promote carbon finance activities with sustainable development outcomes.

Scale:

• To promote carbon finance solutions at scale.

MDG Carbon’s activities are based on the principle that the most effective and efficient way to assist developing countries in carbon finance is through promoting hands-on, learning-by-doing experiences. As such, MDG Carbon aims to assist in the implementation of concrete, viable carbon finance activities that can then act as demonstration projects for further private sector replication.

Operationally, the MDG Carbon platform follows two main models: the first model involves capacity building activities (workshops, awareness raising and policy/technical dialogue); the second model involves direct project development assistance (specialized technical assistance for the CDM project cycle).
In terms of human resources, MDG Carbon has a dedicated, core team of experienced technical advisers specializing on carbon and finance matters. Collectively these advisers can comprehensively address the various facets and aspects of carbon finance activities.

UNDP has now obtained funding for a new project called “Scaled-up carbon finance for sustainable development”. The project will be implemented directly by UNDP-GEF/MDG Carbon, based in New York. In this context, UNDP is looking for a Project Manager and Carbon Technical Specialist who will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the project at the global and regional level, ensuring solid technical quality of deliverables, and sound financial and operational management. The Project Manager will report to the Principal Technical Adviser of the EITT unit.

The Project Manager is expected to have good management experience of climate change or related projects and have excellent technical credentials in carbon finance. S/he will advise the Principal Technical Adviser on EITT on ways the programme can provide substantive inputs to UNDP in these areas of work.

The Project Manager will be initially based in New York, USA, however this position may be redeployed, in accordance with capability, consent, and due process, to a different global centre as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Manager is responsible for day-to-day management and decision-making for the project. The Project Manager’s prime responsibility is to ensure that the project produces the results (outputs) specified in the project document to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost. In its dual role as Project Manager and Carbon Technical Specialist, the Project Manager is also responsible for technical support to achieve the outputs of the project.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Overall responsibility for project management;
• Technical guidance and advisory services on carbon technical matters.

Project Management:

• Project compliance with appropriate UNDP policies and procedures;
• Effective leadership of the project team and assurance of transparency, accountability and quality of services;
• Development of a progress and financial monitoring and reporting system to ensure judicious tracking of all input and output delivery;
• Preparation of the content of the Project's Standard Operating Procedures;
• Sound management of activities, administrative, financial and substantive elements;
• Strategic planning of the project;
• Timely preparation of the Quarterly Work Plans, Project Implementation Plans, Progress Reports, and budget forecasts for endorsement by the Project Board;
• Monitoring and managing risks;
• Coordination between UNDP, government counterpart agencies and technical service providers;
• Guide and orientate efforts and contributions of consultants, personnel, government counterparts towards the achievement of project outputs;
• Formulation of Results and Resources Framework (RRF) and monitoring of progress achieved against the indicators set in RRF;
• Organization of the meeting of Project Board and other review bodies, as necessary;
• Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the project, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions;
• Participation in audit of the project;
• Evaluation of the project impact. Monitoring and analysis of the project environment, timely readjustments in project Implementation;
• Leadership in advocating project objectives, and in assuring that all interested parties are well informed about project activities and outputs;
• Identify opportunities for inter-agency collaboration.

Technical guidance and advisory support:

• Direction and input on the day-to-day management and decision-making for the project;
• Oversight to CDM-related aspect including (i) Programme of Activties and Standardized Baseline workshops (agenda, participants), (ii) Development of online tools and webinars and (iii) Publications and presentations;
• Assisting on the carbon aspects of the project portfolio, including PDD development, DOE validation, stakeholder engagement activities;
• Oversee the implementation of Standardized Baselines and its incorporation into NAMAs;
• Support collaboration in the area of climate change and sustainable development with staff within other relevant HQ units and programmes, as well as, other UN agencies and Regional Development Banks;
• Represent UNDP before the UNFCCC Secretariat, UN Agencies’ teams, Development Banks and other external working relationships, professional groups and partnerships.

Impact of Results

The the successful management and coordination of the project by the Project Manager and Carbon Technical Specialist will result in leveraging significant sustainable development benefits of carbon finance for the developing world. The Project Manager and Carbon Technical Specialist will contribute significantly to the overall MDG Carbon business target for the 2010-2014 planning period. Failure to achieve this target will have important negative consequences for UNDP and may foreclose future opportunities in the field of carbon finance. Success on the other hand will open significant new opportunities.

Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Functional Competencies:

Professionalism

• Capable of working in a highly pressured environment with extreme deadlines;
• Managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Able to handle a large volume of data, accurately and thoroughly, with great attention to detail;
• Exercises high level of responsibility and is able to handle sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Technical Competencies:

• Strong analytical skills that can be applied to the development and application of methods and tools for climate mitigation;
• Understanding of technical standards of existing mitigation instruments and willingness to keep abreast with the latest developments under the UNFCCC and international climate negotiations;
• Skills and knowledge to build linkages between the different UNDP practices;
• Able to draft clearly, concisely, and quickly in English.

Client Orientation:

• Ability to advise on problems carefully and logically, leading to fact-based and practical recommendations;
• Ability to produce high-quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs.
• Ability to focus on impact and result for UNDP and/or the recipient country or institution.

Teamwork:

• Ability to lead, manage complexity and contribute effectively to team work;
• Ability to write and speak clearly and convincingly, including strong presentation skills;
• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks to create an enabling environment;
• Focuses on results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Ability to manage complexity and contribute effectively to team-based activities and manage conflict and stress productively.

 Partnerships:

• Interdisciplinary and intercultural sensitivity and capacity to build strong relationships with partners and clients, using interpersonal skills to network effectively.

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP;

Communication:

• Ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences, and speak clearly and convincingly, demonstrating strong chairing and presentation skills in meetings, and adapting style and content to different audiences.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to Identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations;
• Ability to work with a wide cross-section of partners: Government, NGO's, communities, media and international donors.

Management and Leadership:

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills;
• Mature judgment combined with a proactive, energetic approach to problem solving;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Masters degree in environmental engineering or other closely related area.

Experience:

• 7 years of relevant experience in climate change, carbon finance, capacity development, of which 3yrs have been with an International Organization preferably in the area of carbon project development;
• Proven ability to manage the carbon layer of mitigation projects in developing countries;
• Proven knowledge on existing mechanisms under the UNFCCC and evolving new mechanisms;
• Proven experience in capacity development, interactions with DNAs and other stakeholders in developing countries.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required (written and verbal). Proficiency or working knowledge of another UN language is an advantage.
  

UNDP Personal History form (P-11 required of all applicants)

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc