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.

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.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

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.

In addition to UNDP’s bilateral partnerships on natural capital, environment and climate, UNDP is an accredited multilateral implementing agency of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Multilateral Fund (MLF), the Adaptation Fund (AF) 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.

One of six signature solutions under UNDP’s current Strategic Plan is to “Close the energy gap”. Access to clean and affordable energy is an essential enabler for the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

In the Decade for Action UNDP seeks to scale-up its current energy offer to work with partners on three areas:

Close the gap on energy access so that marginalized people and communities gain access to sustainable, clean, energy and the dignity and opportunities it brings.

Drive innovation in energy value chains to speed up investments in energy access in off-grid and crisis-affected contexts.

Accelerate the energy transition through system-changes that support a green recovery and bring together the best ideas from the worlds of government, business, and finance.

UNDP is seeking the services of an Energy Policy Specialist to support the NCE team in providing rapid, agile and tailored response to developing countries needs to achieve their energy access and transition targets.

The Energy Policy Specialist will also support UNDP’s role in UN Energy and in the preparation of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy which has been convened at a summit level during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Energy Policy Specialist will work from home;
• The Energy Policy Specialist will work in collaboration with the BPPS/NCE Energy team;
• The Energy Policy Specialist will report to, and be directly supervised by, the Head of Energy;
• The Energy Policy Specialist will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The Energy Policy Specialist will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, assignment specific software, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection;
• Given the global scope of the work to be undertaken during this assignment, the Energy Policy Specialist is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability taking into consideration different time zones.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The NCE Team require the support of Energy Policy Specialist to deliver on the activities described below. The scope of work over the course of the period will vary depending on the specific assignment and region. The geographic scope is global, and the Specialist can be called upon to service requests for assistance in any of UNDP’s 5 regions.

1. Policy Coherence, Research and Development

• Develop and define strategic approaches for UNDP’s work on sustainable energy and climate change mitigation, drawing on UNDP’s existing work in this area as well as an analysis of the global/regional policy context;
• Works collaboratively with the mitigation, adaptation and climate and disaster risk management policy staff to identify policy issues regarding the implementation of energy-related SDGs and the nationally determined contributions (as they relate to energy);
• Supports UNDP’s work to assist countries, regional bureaus, and regional hubs in designing energy policies to foster low carbon growth in the context of their sustainable development efforts;
• Develop guidance in the specific thematic area, and related tools for the implementation of global policy standards, including testing and roll out of tools and methodologies;
• Develop policy initiatives for different contexts on key emerging energy policy agendas, in collaboration with policy teams in the Regional Hubs bringing in perspectives and knowledge from Country Offices and the regions.
• Coordinate and conduct analysis of data, case evidence and research findings to distill relevant lessons from projects and programmes to inform policy formulation and guidance;
• Develop relevant analysis on issues related to energy, in close collaboration with BPPS strategic positioning team, on emerging issues of global significance and contribute to new research, including through working with the Global Policy Centers;
• Guide the policy teams in the Regional Hubs in applying policy and tools to crisis context to make them relevant for specific situations; and
• Support the quality assurance of energy policy services and foster policy innovation by reviewing lessons learned and evaluations to enhance programme delivery.

2. Policy Advice/Programme and Project Delivery Support

• Provides substantive inputs on sustainable energy policy issues and strategic issues emerging from relevant international processes, including the SDG 2030 agenda, Paris Agreement and others;
• In collaboration with the GPN teams in the Regional Hubs and Nature, Climate and Energy team, support the delivery of technical advice and programme support on sustainable energy that responds to country office needs, including through the provision of capacity building and backstopping;
• Apply integrated multi-disciplinary approaches, including through setting up, coordinating and engaging with other relevant technical teams, to meet policy and programming needs in line with corporate guidance and standards;
• Collaborate with global, regional, national and sub-national staff to promote UNDP’s de-risking approach and implementation of the corporate sustainable energy strategy;
• Provide support to Regional Hub and Country Office teams in their application of risk management tools across country typologies by answering questions, providing guidance and sharing relevant documents and lessons learned.
• Provide guidance and input on energy in UNDP’s Climate Promise initiative.

3. Policy Positioning and Representation

• Provide substantive and content input to contribute to mobilizing, fostering and strengthening strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant bodies and provide inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives in areas of sustainable energy;
• Prepare briefing notes and speeches;
• Provide substantive input in the process of advocating the importance of the thematic area in various fora, including academia and civil society, with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms; and
• Support UNDP’s engagement in UN interagency coordination, including UN-Energy, in relevant policy areas by drafting briefing, preparing for and participating in meetings.
• Provide support to UNDP’s involvement in the High-Level Dialogue on Energy.

4. Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• In coordination with BERA, support the engagement with global partners and develop/implement resource mobilization plans under corporate guidelines, including to fulfill corporate and donor reporting, advocacy and information-sharing requirements in relation to sustainable energy;
• Support the design and oversight of energy relevant projects financed by a variety of sources funds;
• Provide substantive inputs related to global external partnerships in the area of work, including with IRENA and UNEP and corporate initiatives like the Climate Investment Platform; and
• Develop implementation plan to foster strategic partnerships with UN and external partner institutions, Governments, private sector, academia, NGOs, and CSOs.

5. Knowledge Management

• Provides substantive inputs for HQ policy briefs/position papers prepared in collaboration with other practices that address links between energy and development concerns;
• Coordinate team contributions and support to corporate KM activities, whether at the global, cross-regional or region-specific level to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area in collaboration with policy teams at HQ and in Regional Hubs; and
• Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned from UNDP supported initiatives in the specific thematic area (irrespective of funding source) including verify that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools.
• Support the development and implementation of substantive trainings and briefings on emerging sustainable energy issues and methodologies;
• Contribute, and coordinate as requested, substantive inputs for energy programming outputs (e.g. work-plans, project documents, inception missions, workshops, technical working papers, methodologies).

Competencies

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s 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.

Technical Competencies

• Ability to strengthen and maintain the capabilities of individuals, societies, organizations and governments to set and achieve development objectives overtime (Capacity Development);
• Knowledge of development planning processes and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations (Development Planning);
• Ability to productively share UNDP Knowledge and activities (Advocacy);
• Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply strategic and/or practical situations (Sustainable Development).

Communications

• Able to communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

Professionalism

• Capable of working in a high- pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
• Exercises the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Teamwork

• Works well in a team;
• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback.

Required Skills and Experience