Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
UNDP is working with the Government of Pakistan, civil society, national partners and the people of Pakistan to help find solutions to persistent development challenges. We work to build lasting institutional capacity, provide technical expertise to improve development outcomes, and help link the Government and people of Pakistan to innovative global solutions in areas such as improved data quality and collection, better environmental management, climate change finance and adaptation, strong and accountable governance mechanisms and capacities to respond effectively to conflict and disasters.
Resilience, Environment and Climate Change is one of the biggest programme portfolios of the UNDP Pakistan Country Office (CO). Currently, the portfolio is funded by various resources including the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund and in 2024 constitute a third of the CO’s program delivery targets. Resilience, environment and climate change is one of the key areas in the current Country Programme Document period from 2023 – 2027. Since 2023, and following the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan, the Unit has been involved in multi-pronged programming to support flood affected communities in Pakistan. This includes institutional support to the Government of Pakistan for building its capacity to develop, implement, and monitor 4RF aligned flood recovery projects and streamline efforts to realize funding pledges made at the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva. The USD 90 million Program dovetails high level institutional support with downstream interventions on livelihoods recovery, infrastructural development, and improving access to basic services in some of the worst affected areas through intersectional programming involving elements of post crisis recovery and long-term resilience building.
For more information on programmes and projects please visit UNDP Pakistan website at: https://www.pk.undp.org/
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative (DRR), the TL/ARR acts as a senior advisor to the Senior Management on all aspects of the Country Office (CO) programme in the area of resilience, climate change and environment, including the development/operationalization of new climate financing, green economic growth, resilient recovery from the 2022 floods and other climate induced disasters, and nature and climate change actions. S/he also works in close collaboration with other policy and programme portfolios and the Operations Team to ensure a collaborative and harmonized joint UNDP programme. Cross-cutting coordination with the CO Communications, Gender and other relevant experts will be required to increase the impact of the development interventions. The ARR leads in policy development, capacity building and strategic planning for new programme areas while ensuring consistency with UNSDCF and CPD priorities together with the advancement of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization and expansion of the country portfolio. The ARR develops innovative solutions while ensuring oversight and compliance of the vertical funds’ management for partnership building and resource mobilization.
The purpose of the role of the TL/ARR/Unit Head for Resilience, Environment and Climate Change Unit (RECCU) is to ensure effective oversight on programme/ portfolio management, accountability, and achievement of the CPD results within the assigned outcome. To achieve this, the ARR supervises staff assigned within the unit. The position works in close collaboration with the Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP HQ, staff from other UN Agencies and national partners from the Government, civil society, and donors through multilateral and/or bilateral arrangements.
- Provides strategic direction, coordination and management of programme/unit in the area of Resilience, Environment and Climate Change.
- Ensures accountability, quality control and effective oversight.
- Ensures the integration of women empowerment and gender equality into programming and budgeting/resource allocation in the area of Resilience, Environment and Climate Change and supports the Gender Team’s efforts to uphold the CO’s Gold Gender Equality Seal award.
- Ensures the integration of the Government of Pakistan’s key strategic frameworks on resilient recovery from the 2022 floods in UNDP’s programming and positions UNDP as a leading development partner to support Government efforts in this regard.
- Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and supports resources mobilization in cooperation with Senior Management and other programme units.
- Leads innovation and ensures identification of development and climate financing solutions.
- Ensures provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitates knowledge building and management.
- Ensures the integration of women empowerment and gender equality into programming and budgeting/resource allocation in the area of Resilience, Environment and Climate Change and supports the Gender Team’s efforts to uphold the CO’s Gold Gender Equality Seal award.
- Ensures the integration of the Government of Pakistan’s key strategic frameworks on resilient recovery from the 2022 floods in UNDP’s programming and positions UNDP as a leading development partner to support Government efforts in this regard.
Provides strategic direction, coordination, and management of the programme/unit in the area of resilience, environment and climate change, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Leads the analysisof the political, social, and economic situation in the countryand ensures collaborative and coordinated preparation/revision of CCA, UNSCDF, CPD, annual business planning, dialogue compact, Integrated Work Plan and ROAR, project documents, their work plans and other programmatic documents.
- Oversees programme/ project design with development partners, UN Agencies and implementing partners for the Resilience, Environment and Climate Change portfolio, ensuring robust articulation of Theory of Change and results from framework linking inputs and activities to programme outputs and outcomes, supported with evidence to report on the Strategic Plan and CPD indicators.
- Leads localization of the UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) as related to programme and project implementation at the level of the country office as well as CO business processes mappingand the establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures in project management, controlof the workflows within the unit.
- Ensures constant monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely adjustment of programme, measuring of the impact of the projects, and that results, and lessons learned to inform analysis, policy and programme, and project work.
- Leads identification and analysis of strategic programmatic areas of cooperation based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities and operationalization of UNSDCF / CPD with the Government and other partners of UNDP. Identifies and leads engagement on possibilities for joint programming with other UN Agencies.
Ensures accountability, quality control and effective oversight, achieving the following results:
- Strategic oversight of portfolio programmes/projects and compliance with corporate programming, quality assurance, and reporting requirements. Specific oversight on the vertical funds projects to ensure compliance with their programming requirements, including planning, monitoring, evaluations and quality assurance. Organize annual work planning and quarterly progress reviews and ensure adequate monitoring and quality assurance.
- Ensures robust oversight on key performance indicators of the portfolio and leads implementation of corrective strategies and measures based on risk-informed analysis and trends.
- Facilitates and quality assure the completion of the GEF checklist and ensures appropriate separation of duties is in place and maintained throughout the project cycle.
- Ensures application of programme management and monitoring modules of Quantum and corporate and regional tools and mechanisms. Performs the function of Manager Level 2 in Atlas for development project transactions approval in line with the CO ICF, as required.
- Ensures application of UNDP’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework in the assigned portfolio, including the review of projects’ Social and Environmental Screening Procedures (SESP) and ensuring adequate establishment of safeguards and management plans.
- Oversees portfolio compliance with the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfer (HACT) framework covering micro assessments, audits, spot checks and programme visits, ensuring appropriate remedial actions are implemented for adequate risk mitigation. Oversees the management of project-level cash transfers to Implementing Partners/Responsible Parties in accordance with UNDP Financial Rules and Regulations and HACT guidelines.
- Ensures programme finance oversight measures (incl. tracking of NIM advances, monitoring programme delivery progress, co-financing and other IFD parameters; escalating and advising the CO Management on timely remedial actions required) to improve CO compliance within the assigned portfolio.
- Ensures that the unit-specific enabling actions included in the annual Integrated Work Plan are implemented and goals in the Country Office compact are met. Oversees the contribution of the unit to the CO’s performance in corporate KPIs.
- Ensures high-quality project/programme reports are regularly prepared following RBM principles; alignment of financial with narrative reports and timely submission of donor reports, other reports and briefs as required.
- Ensures organizational set-up and fully functional project management and risk management systems to create the best possible enabling environment for high-level performance of Project Teams within the portfolio.
- Leads development and nurturing of an empowering work environment at RECCU, providing guidance and supporting unit members to deliver at their optimum level.
- Ensures compliance with a cost-recovery system for the services provided by the CO to projects in close collaboration with the Operations Manager.
Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and leads resource mobilization in cooperation with Senior Management and other programme units focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Leads development and implementation of CO partnerships and resource mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes related to Resilience, Environment and Climate Change area.
- Leads deployment of partnership strategies and related actions with a focus on programme portfolio development and the identification of sustainable and predictable funding mechanisms for the implementation of the country programme, including but not limited to GCF and GEF.
- Leads partnership building and relationship management with key Government line departments (at the Federal and Provincial levels) involved in national flood recovery efforts.
- Leads and maintains strong and strategic working relations with Government counterparts as well as other national stakeholders and international partners.
- As part of the overall CO’s RM strategy, reviews the development of new project concepts to ensure the Project Documents and financial agreements are developed with high quality and in line with UNDP rules and procedures.
- Leads engagement, networking and mobilization of experts of the international development community, government partners, UN Agencies, and prominent think tanks.
- Determines programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donor priorities in order to support mobilization of resources to support the achievement of programme outcomes.
- Leads development of strategies for Government cost-sharing in the Resilience, Environment and Climate Change area.
- Clears donor reports and ensures that conditions of partnership agreements are met by projects under the unit.
Lead innovation and ensure identification of development and climate financing solutions.
- Actively champions, promotes and facilitates innovation and innovative approaches to the delivery of results.
- Leverages innovative approaches, resources, and collaborative efforts to enhance programme and project impact.
- Leads close unit cooperation with the CO UNDP Accelerator Lab in exploring, experimenting and solution mapping the frontier’s challenges identified for climate change adaptation and mitigation and climate financing solutions.
- Leads analysis of domestic and international financial sources of climate finance, including instruments used and institutions. Evaluates practices in and outside the country in terms of climate budgeting and ensures a systematic approach to enhance climate budgeting in the national context.
- Leads the design of the climate finance strategy, as well as a comprehensive landscape and key stakeholder analysis to determine implementation activities existing in climate financing, and the key stakeholders involved.
- Leads and facilitates sector mapping to inform financing priorities and strategies for climate financing programming. Ensures the development of green project pipeline generation for development/climate financing.
- Facilitates assessment of barriers and opportunities to enable private sector participation in climate investment and analyzes potential incentives for financial institutions to increase financing of green projects.
- Quality assures all required capacity and risk assessments, including private sector due diligence.
Leads provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitates knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Provides thought leadership and identifies strategic policy and programme issues in close collaboration with national partners.
- Translates evaluation findings, real-time monitoring data, and applied learning to learn to formulate adaptations in UNDP’s programme / project and policy advisory work.
- Coordinates and supports development institutions working towards addressing national development priorities in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.
- Ensures capacity building of national counterparts for effective management and compliance with funding partner’s requirements including those of vertical funds.
- Maintains effective network with development partners and Government at the national level and sub-national level and where necessary links up with the corporateGlobal Policy Networkof UNDP and other international actors.
- Leads the implementation of awareness building and advocacy around UN/UNDP events and observances related to environmental conventions on climate change (UNFCCC), Biodiversity (CBD) Desertification (UNCCD) and chemical conventions.
- Contributes proactively to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
- Writes and communicates on best practices and lessons learned linked to programme and policy goals.
- Facilitates knowledge building and management especially between the programme and projects and organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on relevant programme issues.
Ensures the integration of women empowerment and gender equality into programming and budgeting/resource allocation in the area of Resilience, Environment and Climate Change and supports the Gender Team’s efforts to uphold the CO’s Gold Gender Equality Seal award:
- Ensures that women empowerment and gender mainstreaming is integrated and applied in all programmes/projects from the design to implementation, including planning and budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as reporting in line with and using the corporate gender equality commitments, tools and strategies.
- Ensures that the team applies gender analysis for RECC programme planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to understand why and how issues affect women and men differently and unequally within a particular context and what options exist to address them.
- Ensures that gender is mainstreamed in resilience, environment and climate change programme related documents such as: technical briefs, analytical reports, assessments, communication strategy, terms of references, call for proposals, requests for proposals etc.
- Ensures that programme portfolio projects are up to date in terms of gender mainstreaming where needed.
- Participates and contributes to the CO and Inter-Agency (if applicable) gender focal teams actively making sure that the responsible activities under the respective plans are implemented successfully on an annual basis.
- Ensures that the programmatic indicator targets are achieved in line with CO’s Gold Gender Equality Seal requirements.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The ARR will be responsible for supervision, performance management and development of the Programme Analyst, Programme Operations Analyst and Programme Associate.
Competencies
Core Competencies:
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
People Management (Insert below standard sentence if the position has direct reports.)
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found on the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:
Business Direction & Strategy – Strategic Thinking
- Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
- Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight to model what future developments and ways forward look like for UNDP.
Business Direction & Strategy – System Thinking
- Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.
Business Management – Results-Based Management
- Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
Business Management – Partnerships Management
- Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
Business Management – Risk Management
- Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
Business Management – Portfolio Management
- Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.
- Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.
Nature, Climate and Energy – Nature, Climate and Energy
- Climate Change Adaptation: concepts and advancing resilient development.
2030 Agenda: People – Gender
- Climate Change and Risk Management of Disasters with a Gender Perspective.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Financing, Environmental Economics, Natural Resources Management, Climate Change, International Development, Business Administration, Public Administration, Development Economics, Economics, International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or related field is required. Or
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- Minimum of 07 years (with master’s degree) or 09 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience is required at the national or international level in providing policy and/or management advisory services, oversight services and climate financing solutions.
- Extensive experience providing advisory services, including risk management, to multiple complex development projects in the area of resilience, environment, nature, energy, climate change, development/climate financing or disaster risk reduction is an asset.
- Experience in designing and implementing post crisis institutional support and downstream programming in the context of climate induced disasters is required.
- Sound understanding of development and climate financing and policy development processes is an advantage.
- Demonstrated experience in working with the Government Ministries on collaborative initiatives to address key development challenges pertaining to climate change, biodiversity conservation, and environmental degradation in Pakistan including risk management is desired.
- Demonstrated experience in multi-stakeholder facilitation and coordination skills.
- Proven people management and multi-cultural teams experience preferably in the technical area of climate change reporting and/or transparency is an advantage.
- Working experience in a UN Agency and/or an international organization is an advantage.
- Experience in the usage of computersand office softwarepackages, experience in handling web-based management systems is required.
Language:
- Fluency in English and Urdu is required.
NOTE: Please upload copies of your academic qualifications and 3 latest Performance Evaluations (if applicable).
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Disclaimer
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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