Project Management Specialist

Creation and management of partnerships with 24 Generation Restoration cities, as well as other relevant institutions in the context of financing nature for sustainable cities and regions.

• Maintenance and facilitation of Generation Restoration’s governance and coordination structures, including regular internal meeting, donor meetings, strategic meetings, etc.
• Support project management, coordination, and donor reporting activities of the overall Generation Restoration project.
• Smooth delivery of outreach, advocacy, high-level and technical events for Generation Restoration, including at ICLEI World Congress, Biodiversity COP16, Climate COP30.
• Strategic support to the coordination on nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration in cities between the Climate Change Division and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.
• Liaison between Mitigation Branch and Adaptation and Resilience Branch for increased communication and collaboration on new and existing projects and initiatives on urban nature.

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP is seeking the services of a consultant to support UNEP’s project management and programme development efforts on sustainable cities, urban ecosystem restoration, green transition within the Cities Unit. The Cities Unit is part of UNEP’s Climate Change Division’s Mitigation Branch, with substantial collaboration with the Adaptation and Resilience Branch, as well as the Ecosystems Division. The Cities Unit acts as a hub for UNEP’s work on sustainable urban development. The Unit coordinates a new UNEP project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The objective of Generation Restoration (2023-2025) is to implement a package of measures to address selected political, technical, financial challenges to promote restoration at scale, particularly in urban areas, within the framework of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the UNEA resolution on nature-based solutions and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It includes a Cities Component which is implemented by the Cities Unit. The consultant (level B) will support the overall management and coordination of the Generation Restoration project, the implementation of the project’s Cities Component, including the organisation of internal coordination meetings, donor and governance meetings, experts engagement and consultations, workplan development, budget monitoring and reporting efforts, contracting processes, as well as the needed coordination on urban nature restoration with the Adaptation and Resilience Branch, the Ecosystems Division, and the UN Decade Secretariat, as well as key external partners on this topic. The consultant will work as part of the UNEP’s Cities Unit under the supervision of Sharon Gil, Programme Management Officer/Cities Lead.

Qualifications/special skills

• Master’s Degree in International Relations, Social Sciences, Environmental Policy or related field.
• 4 years demonstrated experience in project management, advocacy, communications and/or climate and nature planning.
• Comprehensive understanding of urban development and ecosystem degradation related issues, and sustainable solutions for their mitigation; strong analytical and communications skills
• Ability to work effectively, precisely and autonomously in a fast-paced environment with multiple competing tasks across teams
• Track record of working harmoniously in international teams, openness and flexibility, and ability to integrate feedback
• Track record of effective writing skills and event planning abilities; knowledge of analytical tools and methods for undertaking substantive research on scientific and policy-related issues

Languages

• Fluency in English and working knowledge of French and German are required for this position.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/232972?language=en