Mexico Subnational Programme Sr. Associate

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

GGGI has a diverse portfolio of programs in developing countries around the world. These in-country programs, together with global products and services, focus on delivering results through an integrated approach of evidence-based green growth planning and implementation aligned to countries’ development priorities. The organization also focuses on knowledge development and management activities which build a strong theoretical and empirical basis for green growth, while providing concrete options and guidance for policymakers; as well as building the conditions for public and private green infrastructure investments. 

CONTEXT 

Over the last decade, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) has consolidated its role as a trusted advisor to Mexico’s federal and subnational governments, actively working shoulder-to-shoulder with key counterparts to establish a strong green growth foundation in the country.

From its inception in Mexico (2013), GGGI has supported the federal government to develop the National Climate Change Strategy and the Special Climate Change Program. From there, GGGI expanded its work to support the government with tools and analyses to manage air quality, improve public transport, reduce the use of private vehicles, and promote cleaner, more efficient mobility. GGGI has also partnered with the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) to develop workstreams at the subnational level. One such initiative (2013) was GGGI’s technical and advisory role for the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe), where GGGI supported efforts to improve the air quality of the region. In addition, GGGI worked alongside the State of Sonora to develop and adopt its Green Growth Strategy (SGGS) and governance mechanism, which has been instrumental for the development of green growth initiatives in the state in line with the priority areas of the GGS. In more recent years, GGGI has also partnered with Mexico’s Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to improve the climate finance architecture in the country and enhance Mexico’s access to climate finance through preparing local financing institutions to access funds from the GCF. The latter has opened the doors for GGGI to Mexico’s financial system, enabling to work with regulators and regulated entities for mobilizing green finance. Lastly, Mexico also hosts GGGI’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2022, GGGI (alongside the Zero Emission Bus Rapid Transit Accelerator, ZEBRA) was instrumental in the successful sign-off for 51 e-buses for the Mexico City’s Public Transport Authority (Metrobús)’s Línea 3, which mobilized $38M USD. Between 2022-23, GGGI provided technical assistance to the State of Nuevo León’s Public Transport Authority (Metrorrey) regarding the public tenders and financial closure of some 100 e-buses. These interventions in two of the largest cities in Mexico are expected to benefit 500,000 daily with enhanced sustainable transportation services over the next 15 years from electromobility solutions in Mexico City and Monterrey, plus a total of 360,000 tons of CO2e will be avoided during the project implementation period, improving air quality and the health of the environment and society.

POSITION SUMMARY 

The position will be responsible for advancing the Subnational Programme, with emphasis on the advancement of the green infrastructure and e-mobility workstreams in the State of Nuevo León.

The position will support the subnational programme following a holistic approach: from identifying new opportunities (Resource Mobilization) and liaison with subnational counterparts and donors, to gathering inputs and data to generate project proposals, to the actual implementation of project components (namely, the implementation of current green infrastructure projects in the northern and north-eastern regions of the country) To do so, the Mexico Subnational Programme Sr. Associate is expected to liaise with the Sustainable Finance and Sustainable Landscapes teams, plus the Mitigation Sr. Associate, the Adaptation Associate, as well as other GGGI staff. Finally, the position will require providing technical assistance to relevant national and subnational counterparts regarding her/his area of expertise. The Sr. Associate will report directly to the Deputy Country Representative (DCR) and Subnational Coordinator.

PURPOSE

• Support implementation of existing projects (Chihuahua Green by Design; GCF Readiness II and III) and imminent projects  (Nuevo León e-bus Phase 2), in close collaboration with GGGI’s team and partners.

• Develop materials for users, including guidelines, procedures, tools, training materials and other technical documents.

• Support identification and generation of potential resource mobilization opportunities regarding green infrastructure and/or subnational climate action.

• Serve as a first reviewer and technical advisor regarding the quality assurance of green infrastructure related projects.

ENGAGEMENT

• Work closely with key relevant parties to facilitate GGGI´s delivery, scalability and impact at federal and subnational levels.

• Whenever required, represent the DCR in relevant travel missions, meetings and events.

• Coordinate closely with the GGGI México and LAC regional teams as needed to build complementary capabilities and stronger technical delivery.

• Serve as focal point for the engagement with local counterparts (State Government of Nuevo León, City Government of Monterrey, among others) regarding existing and new initiatives.

DELIVERY

• Lead the inception, design and implementation of current workstreams, prioritizing the scale-up of e-bus fleet deployment in Nuevo León.

• Prospect new subnational interventions and concurrent workstreams, including but not limiting to the roadmap for the updating of NDC objectives in energy, waste and built environment sectors; imminent initiatives regarding the fostering of greener nearshoring, and decarbonization of built environments in Chihuahua, and the development of proposals regarding green infrastructure in the northern border region, in alignment with GGGI good practices and principles.

• Dutifully act as local liaison and representative of GGGI’s interests before State government representatives and other non-public stakeholders (e.g. academia, private sector, NGOs).

REQUIREMENTS

• Undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Urban Design, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Architecture or related fields.

• Master’s degree in urban planning, Transport Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or relevant fields

• Preferred at least 5 years of relevant working experience in green infrastructure sectors (preferably low-carbon mobility, e-mobility).

• Clear understanding of the Mexican context regarding green infrastructure regulations, projects, case studies and solutions.  

• Demonstrable experience and sound understanding of project finances and project structuring will be considered a plus.

• Experience in client facing roles in public institutions or development agencies.

• Excellent verbal and written fluency in English and Spanish.

FUNCTIONAL

• Exceptional planning and strategical skills oriented towards the effective and timely delivery of the agreed outputs; highly organized.

• Exceptional analytical and quantitative skills; capacity for synthesis, presentation, and communication; and strategic and creative thinking skills.

• Sets high but achievable standards for self and others. Seeks opportunities to improve process and outcomes. Constantly reviews performance to identify areas to develop.

• Able to pick up and assimilate relevant information quickly and easily. Learns new tasks rapidly. Responds swiftly and appropriately. Can think on their feet in rapidly changing environments.

• Takes balanced view of situations incorporating different perspectives. Seeks alternative viewpoints. Recognizes priorities, weighs up different options and evaluates risks. Reaches logical conclusions and decides on appropriate plan of action. Evaluates previous judgements in order to improve.

• Able to communicate information and ideas clearly and articulately both in oral and written form. Uses appropriate language, style and methods depending on audience and the purpose of communication. Able to convey complex information clearly. Anticipates the information that others will need.

• Outstanding stakeholder engagement, client relationship, communication, teamwork, and consensus building.

• Actively participates in team. Encourages co-operation. Aware of the needs of others and responds flexibly. Shares information and supports other team members.

• Able to identify and separate out the key components of problems and situations. Able to manipulate and interpret information from a range of sources to spot patterns and trends in information and to deduce cause and effect from this. Can generate a range of creative solutions, evaluate them, and choose the most appropriate option.

CORPORATE

• Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values.

• Promote the optimum use of public resources

• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.

• Process and share information easily.

• Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.

• Promote creativity and innovation among staff.

• Be able to lead where needed and provide solutions to project-level challenge.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Mexico Subnational Programme Sr. Associate is a National Position at X7 grade level in GGGI’s national salary scale, starting from $ 36,852. The salary will be defined depending on qualifications and experience. GGGI provides 15% of base salary towards retirement plan/long-term savings, 27 days of annual leave, and private health insurance that covers dental and vision. GGGI is committed to providing a work environment that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate diverse life-cycle challenges and assist Staff members to achieve a better balance between work and personal/family commitments, thus ensuring high performance, long-term productivity, and well-being of Staff members.