GPN ExpRes Profile – Climate  

Duty Station: Multiple

 

Successful applicants should:

• Have a Master’s degree with a minimum of five years’ experience in Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Policy or Studies, Environmental Economics, International Development, Development Studies, Political Science, or other closely related field. First degree acceptable with an additional two (2) years of relevant work experience in the areas mentioned above.
• Be prepared for potential deployment to crisis settings with short notice.
   

Additionally, specific preferences include:

• Proficiency in Arabic, French, or Spanish, with Russian and/or Portuguese considered advantageous.
• Encouragement is particularly extended to female applicants. In addition to candidates from the Global South.
   

UNDP seeks applicants under the following sub-profile areas of expertise and should refer to the additional qualifications noted below:

· For applicants applying for Climate Change Adaptation:

o Advanced degree in physical/climate sciences, environmental/geographical/geospatial sciences, environmental economics, environmental sciences, climate change adaptation/mitigation, international development with a specialization in climate change adaptation or other closely related field.

 

· For applicants applying for Climate Change Coordination and Social Inclusion (Climate and IPLC):

o Advanced degree in Environmental Management, Environmental Science or Studies, Environmental Economics, International Development, Development Studies, Indigenous Studies or Rights, Human Rights, or other closely related field.

 

· For applicants applying for Climate Change Investment and Financing:

o Advanced degree in Business/Finance, Economics, Environmental Economics, Geography, or related field.

 

· For applicants applying for Climate Change Mitigation – Forests:

o Master’s degree or equivalent experience in environmental policy, environmental law,international development, development studies, engineering, economics, natural resource management, agronomy, climate-change policies and/or other closely related field.

 

· For applicants applying for NDC Development:

o Advanced university degree in environmental sciences, development studies, international development, engineering, economics, natural resources management or other closely related field.

 

· For applicants applying for Sectoral Climate Analysis and Assessment:

o Advanced university degree in environmental sciences, development studies, international development, engineering, economics, natural resources management or other closely related field

 

WHAT IS CLIMATE?

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 Personnel 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.

BPPS’s Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy and Waste, with the support of the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit, works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy and waste related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy and waste.

The newly established UNDP Climate Hub is the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to the “Climate Promise” that aims to support programming countries designing and implementing pledges under the Paris Agreement, including ambitious National Determined Contributions, with climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions fully embedded in the national development planning and budgetary processes. The Climate Hub will build on UNDP’s existing over USD 4 billion country-level climate portfolio on Climate Change Policies and Strategies, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate and Forests, covering over 142 countries, as well as on UNDP’s Nature portfolio, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP’s Digital offer and other relevant portfolios on youth, gender, health, climate security among others.

 

The UNDP Climate Hub is responsible for:

· Thought leadership on Climate and to be the custodian of UNDP policy positions on Climate;

· Strategy and vision formulation;

· Pipeline development in coordination with the other hubs and the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit;

· Provision of integrated policy and programme support to Country Offices;

· Global engagement, advocacy in collaboration with BERA;

· Integration across thematic areas;

· Strategic Partnerships development and resource mobilization;

· Lead and Support global flagship initiatives and partnerships on Climate;

· Serve as focal point with relevant UN coordination mechanisms and Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change);

· Cross-organization knowledge and learning; and

· Innovation.

 

All qualified candidates with expertise in one or more of the following areas of climate expertise are encouraged to apply:

1. Climate Change Adaptation

o CCA Experts

o CCA Project Developers

2. Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

3. Climate Change Investment and Financing

4. Climate Change Mitigation – Forests

5. Climate Change Monitoring and Transparency

6. Energy

7. NDC Development

8. Sectoral Climate Analysis and Assessment

 

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED WORK

1. Climate Change Adaptation:

a) Climate Adaptation Experts

· Assessing existing country and government capabilities to use climate-related information, undertake hazard/risk analyses, and help identify suitable tools and scientific approaches to cover existing gaps; and to generate climate scenarios for decision-making at local, sub-national and national levels

· Take a lead role in developing and supporting appropriate methods for modelling climate-related hazards (e.g. droughts, floods, landslides/mudflows, thunderstorms/squalls, sea level rise, coastal inundation, storm surge and waves), impacts (e.g. flooded/inundated areas, crop yields, disease vectors/suitability, pest distributions), exposed assets/populations and resulting risks to infrastructure and socially vulnerable populations. In each case the approach will depend on available data, models and country/project specific technical/human capacities;

· Analysing and detecting trends in relevant impact related indices from historical hydroclimate and environmental observations, as well as expected future changes in such indices under a range of emission scenarios simulated by GCMs (where available RCMs/statistical downscaling);

· Providing tailored climate observations and projections to support risk assessments: surface temperatures (daily/monthly/seasonal averages and extremes), precipitation (daily/monthly/seasonal averages and extremes), heatwaves, atmospheric moisture deficit, drought indices (SPI, SPEI, PDSI), evapotranspiration, soil moisture, crop and irrigation water requirements, snow depth and other variables required to define climate related hazards; providing multi-GCM (CMIP 5/6) projections for different future time slices (2030s, 2050s, 2080s and 2100) and multiple emissions scenarios (RCP 2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5); providing downscaled estimates of climate change using both regional climate models (RCMs) and statistical techniques e.g. from CORDEX, NEX-GDDP, SDSM, BCSD etc;

· Developing country/locally relevant hazard models for complex phenomena e.g. statistical/dynamical models for riverine and flash flooding, streamflow, mudflows, landslides, sea level rise (including wave climates and storm surge), sea surface and ocean temperatures, acidification. Model their potential change, uncertainty ranges, probabilistic distributions, and given quantitative estimates of changes in climate define levels of risk for different future periods and emission scenarios; assessing the changes in losses, damages and the costs associated with changing risks under observed and modelled changes in climate;

· Supporting countries to be able to combine hazard and vulnerability/exposure information using GIS and geospatial technologies. Conduct workshops and training events on climate change risk assessments and hazard/vulnerability mapping using open source or freely available/subsidized software, and tailored to each country context (data availability, technical capacities to utilize software/models etc); developing storylines and narratives to explain complex inter-relationships between climate, social systems, economics and governance structures;

· Integrating climate risk information, impact modeling (e.g. crops, flooding, health and economic models) and local/traditional knowledge to understand key mechanisms and test the effectiveness of potential adaptation strategies. Identify key thresholds beyond which existing systems are significantly affected and function less efficiently or effectively. Identify metrics for measuring/monitoring the decline of these functions and the success of adaptation initiatives;

· Transferring datasets, computer code, analytic procedures and methods by conducting workshops and online tutorials with relevant national and in-country Personnel to assist in using them and building upon them for project baselines, monitoring and evaluation procedures;

· Conduct technical analyses to flesh out project components, technical sections, and project log frames with well-defined indicators, targets and outputs/activities.

 

b) Project Developers

Coordinate inputs from other experts and relevant stakeholders

· To liaise with the relevant experts, both within and outside a country supported to obtain their technical inputs that will inform and guide design and feasibility of the project of interest.

· To participate in, and lead, discussions with key stakeholders (from the grass roots level to national policy makers and political leaders) to acquire information that is critical for the design of the project that is of interest.

· To liaise with and acquire technical inputs from UNDP Personnel, at the country, regional and HQ level, as deemed relevant for the design of the project of interest.

· To participate and obtain inputs from Civil Society Organizations and the private sector to inform and guide the design of the project of interest.

· To participate in community level consultations to acquire input for the design of the project of interest.

· Design technically robust theory of change and logical framework that are backed up with scientific and technical evidence and has consensus based on in-depth dialogue including from targeting beneficiaries.

Design project concept

· Conduct technical analysis, review and dialogue to detail out project components/ outcomes/ outputs/ activities/ sub-activities and inputs

· Ensure that the design of project concept takes into account key criteria such as impact potential; paradigm shift potential; sustainable development; country needs; country ownership and cost-effectiveness

· Ensure that all documentation prepared is evidence-based and has all the necessary references to establish proof of concept and feasibility

· Prepare the project log frame with SMART indicators, clear targets, clarity of risks and assumptions, in keeping with the indicator framework for adaptation of the targeted source of financing;

· Produce a draft project concept based on the consultations, research and analysis conducted.

· In coordination with other technical specialists involved, under UNDP’s guidance, conduct necessary consultations with relevant government agencies, stakeholders and experts to obtain comments/suggestions and incorporate these comments into the draft documents.

Develop the full funding proposal and supporting documents for submission

· Develop a proposal document and coordinate inputs from all consultants to prepare the full set of Annexes as part of the package for submission (with input from UNDP and Government stakeholders)

· Coordinate with experts and/or relevant persons to facilitate the feasibility study, safeguards, gender, economic analysis and/or other prerequisite assessments required to develop the full proposal for the project of interest

· Develop the results log frame according to the targeted funds’ performance measurement framework

· Develop the detailed budget for the project (with input from UNDP and Government stakeholder input) using UNDP tools and following UNDP practices

· Work closely with the CO to develop the procurement plan for the project, in accordance with UNDP’s rules and regulation

· Work closely with the CO colleagues to present the implementation arrangements, in accordance with UNDP’s rules and regulations

· Develop terms of references for key project positions in consultation with UNDP Personnel

· Continue to support the project refinement process post submission of the proposal towards Board approval.

 

2. Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples:

· Develop and implement a [national] Indigenous Peoples plan or framework that identifies potential risks and impacts, risk avoidance and mitigation measures, and specifies measures for provision of culturally appropriate benefits, continued consultation and participation processes, grievance procedures, monitoring and evaluation procedures, and a budget and financial plan for implementing agreed measures;

· Develop policies, guidance notes, policy briefs or similar documents to ensure the mainstreaming of IP rights, and ensure observance or implementation;

· Build or strengthen partnerships and collaboration with Indigenous Peoples organizations, Civil Society Organizations, Non-Government Organizations, government agencies, donors and private sector;

· Support the design or implementation of social and environmental safeguards;

· Identify gaps in NDC’s and in UNDP approaches in relation to Indigenous Peoples rights, and suggest recommendations for actions.

· Support the monitoring of implementation of NDC’s especially on indicators relating to Indigenous Peoples

· Regularly disseminate relevant information relevant to Indigenous Peoples and ensure horizontal and vertical flow of information

· Promote resource mobilization for IP & LC work in NDCs and explore direct granting programs of the UN;

· Organize capacity building activities and implement information sharing plans

· Contribute to the database on Indigenous Peoples, climate change and climate finance;

· Document, promote and incorporate best practices, guidance and protocols to ensure appropriate inclusion and consideration of IP rights and their perspectives in the NDC’s, and in policies;

· Support increased efficacy of Indigenous Peoples advocacy at the national and international arena including at the UNFCCC COP, UNFCCC-organized negotiations and events (SBI, pre-COP, etc.), and other UN-led events and forums in the area of climate change;

· Support the delivery of outputs related to IP in initiatives related to UNDP’s support in implementing the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use;

 

3. Climate Change Investment and Finance:

• Assess current policy priorities and strategies as they relate to climate change and the extent to which these strategies and policies are coherent with national development, poverty reduction and economic growth strategies;

• Review institutional arrangements for promoting an integration of climate change policy priorities into budgeting and expenditure management including within and across key ministries and stakeholders;

• Review the integration of climate change objectives within the budgeting process including as part of budget planning, implementation, expenditure management and financing;

• Integrate climate finance concerns into the governance and management of public sector policies and programmes within and across major productive sectors including agriculture, mining, infrastructure, tourism, forestry and fisheries;

• Strengthen public sector capacities needed to assess, allocate, mobilize and manage climate finance;

• Provide high-quality police advice to governments to systematically integrate climate finance into national planning and budgeting processes, as well as helping to establish rule-of-law, legislation and a regulative framework for climate finance;

• Analyze legal and institutional frameworks related to climate finance across sectors;

• Provide technical support and training on the design and use of various approaches including Finance Assessments, Integrated National Financing Frameworks etc.;

· Assess costs and benefits of priority actions and technology options for climate change mitigation and/or adaptation in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and other related national and sectoral climate policies and plans;

· Identify financing gaps and preparing a financing plan for NDCs, NAPs, and other relevant national and sectoral climate policies and plans;

· Develop climate investment or financing strategies/frameworks/plans;

· Conduct de-risking analysis and other targeted investment barrier analysis to guide government policy and regulations to encourage investment and financial flows for climate action from private sector.

 

4. Climate Change Mitigation – Forests:

· Technical support for forest related GHG accounting associated with NDCs and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

· Assess and support improvements to existing measurement, reporting and verification systems and approaches (MRV) to meet requirements for the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF)

· Support for improving forest reference emission levels (FREL)/ forest reference levels (FRL)

· Support market readiness and design of market approaches (domestic and/or international)

· Support creation of REDD+ registry/ systems for tracking units/ initiatives

· Develop plan for nesting subnational jurisdiction and project-level activities within context of national-level implementation and accounting

· Support for the development of institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks for nesting including the adoption and implementation of international best practices

· Application of relevant market-based standards, including but not limited to VCS/VERRA, ART/TREES, and California’s Tropical Forest Standard.

· Support for the design and implementation of social and environmental safeguards

· Undertake environmental, social and gender impact assessments (country systems + assessments themselves)

· Undertake stakeholder’s consultation processes

· Mainstream social inclusion and gender and women’s empowerment principles into all supported projects and technical assistance provided to countries and stakeholders

· Project and results management, including administration of oversight functions, quality assurance, and work planning and preparation of progress reports and briefs.

· Development of project proposals, budgets, workplans, project design

· Knowledge management to document and share lessons learned and innovative approaches across Climate & Forests Programme initiatives, technical and geographic areas and with stakeholders and external partners.

· External communications, creating impact stories and milestones in coordination with BERA and external partners.

· Design of benefit-sharing schemes

· Support for the development of carbon ownership legislation considering the existing land tenure

· Development of legal agreements for the sale and transfer of carbon rights as part of carbon markets transactions

· Support the development of institutional, legal and regulatory framework and processes for international, regional and/ or domestic carbon market infrastructure

· Develop business models and financial flows to support the implementation of the forest component of the NDC

· Create economic scenarios with countries accessing results-based finance and carbon markets considering price/ opportunities/ NDC achievement

· Create zero deforestation credit lines to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement

· Provide evidence based policy design for the forest sector

· Supporting interventions to enhance the sustainability of supply chains of agricultural commodities that potentially impact forests:

o Improved sustainable agriculture practices (agroforestry, silvopastoralism, agroecology, improved seeds/breeds, etc.)

o Agriculture traceability (product tagging, remote sensing, etc.)

o Sustainable agriculture standards (sectoral, jurisdictional)

· Setting up intergovernmental fiscal transfers

· Land use planning

· Methodologies and technologies for clean cooking / sustainable biomass energy production/consumption as a means to address forest degradation from the collection of fuelwood

· Sustainable forest management practices and certification schemes

· Payment for Ecosystem Services and/or other conditional cash transfer programs

· Environmental law enforcement

 

5. Climate Change Monitoring and Transparency:

· Minimum seven years of professional working experience in fields related to climate change, climate vulnerability and adaptation or closely related issues;

· At least eight years of experience working on National Communications and Biennial Reports, MRV systems, NAMAs, NAPs, and/or GHG inventories at the national or international level;

· Demonstrated experience in designing and/or conducting capacity building activities

· Experience working with international and national climate change- focused ecosystem of NGOs, think tanks, UN agencies, UNFCCC consultative groups and partnerships (PATPA), bilateral and multilateral donors, and/or multilateral vertical funds (GEF, GCF);

· Excellent organizational, diplomatic, networking, conflict resolution and communication skills;

· Proven understanding of the UNFCCC negotiation process, reporting requirements, funding mechanisms, and other related issues.

 

6. Energy:

· Provide technical support, including for the development of new GEF climate change mitigation projects and implementation support for ongoing projects

· Support identification, development and writing of project idea notes and concepts

· Support Climate Hub’s mitigation projects’ annual project implementation review (PIR)

· Support the reviewing of Climate Hub’s climate change mitigation projects’ mid-term reviews and/or final evaluations

· Support climate change mitigation team with UNDP Global Policy Papers with feedback and comments

· Support the identification and sourcing of technical expertise including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification, and evaluation of experts, and reviewing reports

· Support on knowledge management including evaluating, capturing, codifying, synthesizing lessons and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of knowledge materials

· Support responding to queries on programme/project progress, impacts and lessons

· Support monitoring and reporting products on the climate change mitigation portfolio

· Perform assessment of financial instruments in UNDP’s climate change mitigation portfolio, and develop methodologies for a comprehensive review of the entire portfolio

· Provide on-demand, tailored assistance on the design or implementation of financial instruments in several climate change mitigation projects.

 

7. NDC Development:

· Develop policy advisories, strategies, projects and programmes in the in key sectors for NDC design and implementation.

· Assess costs and benefits of priority actions and technology options for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

  Secure a multi-stakeholder and high-level engagement at national and international levels.

· Identify financial gaps and prepare financing strategies for key sectors to shift towards low carbon and climate resilient pathways.

· Support the development of investment plans for key sectors with private sector’s and financial institutions.

· Assess and support improvements to existing measurement, reporting and verification systems and approaches (MRV) to meet requirements for the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).

· Support for the development of institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks, including the adoption and implementation of international best practices.

· Undertake stakeholder’s consultation processes.

· Project and results management, including administration of oversight functions, quality assurance, and work planning and preparation of progress reports and briefs.

· Development of project proposals, budgets, workplans, project design.

· Knowledge management to document and share lessons learned and innovative approaches across Climate & Forests Programme initiatives, technical and geographic areas and with stakeholders and external partners.

 

8. Sectoral Analysis and Assessment:

· Provide sectoral analysis for NDC implementation. key sectors of focus: Energy, Transport, Forests, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Agriculture and Food, Urban/Cities.

· Undertake gap analyses and action plans for key sectors , including inclusiveness considerations (e.g. gender- and youth-responsive).

· Develop policy advisories, strategies, projects and programmes in the in key sectors.

· Assess and support improvements to existing measurement, reporting and verification systems and approaches (MRV) to meet requirements for the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).

· Support for the development of institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks for key sectors, including the adoption and implementation of international best practices.

· Undertake stakeholder’s consultation processes.

Knowledge management to document and share lessons learned and innovative approaches across Climate & Forests Programme initiatives, technical and geographic areas and with stakeholders and external partners.

 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:

At UNDP, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UNDP recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNDP, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UNDP’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UNDP personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference checks.

 

Requirements and skills

Global Call

-Climate

 

This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position:

• Application preparation: Before you apply for this position: Improve your application documents by registering for a Job Application Support. Our coaches are here to help tailor your application to the requirements of the job (service provided at your own cost).
• Interview preparation: When invited to the interview: Prepare for the interview by registering for a Job Application Support.
• Additional services for  Swiss nationals who get invited to the selection process (written test, interview, assessment centre, etc.):
  • Let us know by writing to [email protected]. We flag matching applications to HR partners and SDC/SECO for visibility.
  • Benefit from free interview/assessment preparation by registering here : Interview and Assessment Centre Preparation for Jobs in Multilateral Organisations. Our coaches stand ready to help prepare for upcoming interview/assessment centre.