Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk

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 Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis and fragility related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response, and recovery. The Bureau has the responsibility for support to prevention, crisis response, resilience, recovery, and peacebuilding work under the auspices of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Crisis Bureau staff provide global strategic advice to UNDP management and technical advice to Regional Hubs and Country Offices; advocate for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora, and engage in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. As part of the Global Policy Network (GPN), the Crisis Bureau works in an integrated manner with UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) ensuring that issues are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. Peace outcomes are delivered in a coherent manner, working across the GPN that includes the Governance team in Bureau of Policy and Programme Support. 

The Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions (CPPRI) Team covers the following thematic/programming areas as part of the GPN: 

• Conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
• Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE).
• Core government functions, including local governance in transition, conflict, and fragile settings.
• Climate security.

Position Purpose

As a member of the Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions Team (CPPRI) and the Regional Hubs in Bangkok, Dakar, Istanbul and Panama, the Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk will provide technical guidance on climate, environment, peace, and security. S/he works with teams in the Crisis Bureau, as well as across UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) particularly with NCE, the Regional Hubs, Country Offices and Global Policy Centers, supporting the development of substantive approaches, products, and tools on responsive, accountable, and effective institutions to support policy and programming services to UNDP Country Offices. 

The Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk will have dual reporting lines, respectively to the Regional Hubs for Bangkok, Dakar, Istanbul, or Panama and to Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding & Responsive Institutions/ Climate Security Team (CPPRI/CS). 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Programme Specialist – Climate and Security Risk for Africa/ Asia and the Pacific/ Europe and Central Asia/ Latin America and the Caribbean will be responsible for the following duties:

• Policy and programming
• Partnerships
• Resources and funds mobilization
• Communications and advocacy

Policy and programming

• Plays a leading role in the implementation of the UNDP’s offer on climate, environment, peace, and security with other teams in the GPN.
• Ensures alignment of the climate security offer with the prevention offer, the Climate Promise, and UNDP’s other corporate offers, including on fragility, governance, stabilization, human mobility, and risk-informed development.
• Provides oversight to climate security regional programmes/ initiatives, project management and operations.
• Through provision of authoritative, substantive guidance supports the implementation, acceleration and scaling up of the Climate Security Mechanism field initiatives in the region.
• Guides Country Offices in mainstreaming climate security and environmental peacebuilding approaches into national and local policy, strategy and planning processes, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), peace processes, UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs) and Common Country Assessments (CCAs).
• Monitors overall implementation based on programmatic indicators, as well as on corporate reporting and evaluation requirements.
• Provides inputs to analysis and assessments of climate-related security risks, analytical reports, and papers, including to the General Assembly, Security Council, the Peacebuilding Commission, etc. in the region, making use of the UN Climate Security Mechanism Toolbox, as appropriate.

Partnerships

• Develops and maintains partnerships, and provides support on climate, environment, peace and security with Member States, international and regional organizations, Special Political Missions and Peacekeeping Operations, the research community and civil society in support of UNDP’s climate security initiatives in the region.
• Maintains close contact with relevant UN focal points working on climate security in the region.
• Participates in conferences, seminars and academic fora related to his/her assigned area of expertise.
• Drafts notes, background papers, talking points, speeches, and other correspondence for senior UN officials.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Resources and funds mobilization 

• Analyzes trends and identifies opportunities for resource mobilization in the region, conduct donor mapping and contributes to resource mobilization strategies and ensures alignment with corporate and regional goals.
• Supports the preparation and submission of concept notes and project proposals on climate security and advises on regional and country pipelines.
• Ensures compliance with partner’s requirements, including monitoring, narrative and financial reporting, and evaluation.
• Prepares presentations, updates, and project briefs for as per donor’s requirements.

Communications and advocacy

• Leads UNDP’s climate-security communications and advocacy efforts in the region.
• Guides and coordinates cross-regional exchange of knowledge by collaborating with policy teams in the Regional Hub to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools and guidance to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material at various fora.
• Supports UNDP knowledge generation, lessons, innovations, policy developments, programmatic offers, and practice experiences on climate security in the region.
• Drafts notes, background papers, talking points, speeches, and other correspondence for senior UN officials.
• Provides up-to-date information to senior officials regarding substantive political matters and country or regional issues with a focus on climate-related security risks.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Competencies

Core:
Achieve Results:

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously:

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility: 

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination:               

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical:
2030 Agenda: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions    

• Conflict Analysis and conflict sensitivity.

2030 Agenda Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions     

• Community engagement for prevention, response, and social cohesion.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Strategic Policy Engagement             

• Horizon-scanning and future of development.

Business Management: Portfolio Management  

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organizations 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 optimising return on investment.

Partnership Management: Strategic Engagement              

• Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives.

 Partnership Management: Resource Mobilization            

• Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities and establish a plan to meet funding requirements.

Business Direction and 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in Political Science, Conflict Studies, Political Economy, Climate, Environment, or other related Social Sciences. OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, 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 7years of progressively responsible experience in the areas of climate security, climate change, environment, conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding; candidates in possession of only a first level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) require a minimum of 9 years relevant work experience.
• Experience working with the UN/UNDP and/or other international institutions on climate security, climate change, environment, conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding is required.
• Experience of climate change, environment, conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean is desired.
• Experience in conflict and political analysis, and strategy development required.
• Programme design and management, and results monitoring experience within United Nations system in climate security, climate change, conflict prevention, peacebuilding will be considered an asset.
• Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience, and track record of engagement with senior officials in the UN, government and external partners is desired.

Language:

• Fluent written and spoken English is required.
• Fluent written and spoken Spanish is required.
• Knowledge of other UN languages is a plus.