Portfolio Analyst (Environment and Resilience) at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Position Purpose:

• In this context and under the overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative and direct supervision by the Team Leader Environment and Resilience, the Porfolio Analyst, Environment and Resilience analyzes political, social and economic trends and leads formulation, management and evaluation of programme activities within his/her portfolio, provides policy advice services. He/she contributes to policy dialogue with the government counterparts providing policy advisory inputs as well as supporting the identification of top-notch national and international environment practitioners to further this dialogue. 
• The Portfolio Analyst supports the programme team’s efforts in the strategic planning and the identification of new programme opportunities within these thematic areas while ensuring consistency with UNSDCF/CPD priorities and creative responses to emerging challenges and opportunities.The incumbent will contribute to the promotion and observation of the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy in all programmes and projects under her/his management.
• The Porfolio Analyst leads programme support staff, in matrix supervision with other Porfolio Analyst and coordinates activities of the projects’ staff as they relate to her/his portfolio. She/he works in close collaboration with UNDP´s programme staff, the operations team, programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and trust funds as well as civil society ensuring successful UNDP programme implementation. 
   

Duties and Responsibilities
Ensures implementation of programme strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Support formulation, design and implementation of Natural Resource Management (NRM) , Disaster Risk reduction, Climate Change mitigation projects to build capacity of Kenyans under the auspices of the Country Programme Document (CPD);
• Support NRM sector specific plans and strategies that aim to protect the environment and to use natural resources for poverty reduction and sustainable economic development;
• Support and backstop the country office Global Environment Facility (GEF) portfolio through ensuring that projects meet prescribed requirements and approval processes including Project Implementation Plans and Project Execution Plans;
• Contribute to development of GEF national and regional projects for funding to address global environmental issues as well as those derived from the implementation of the Blue Economy within the mandates of national policies and obligations of various international environment conventions;
• Support management of projects through preparation of requests for procurement and payments, budget revisions under Quantum, and following up CDRs and GDRs;
• Ensure the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, with particular attention to the rural women, poor grassroots communities, and the use of broad participatory approaches in design implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects;
• Explore possible options for resource mobilization and for partnerships within the UN system (under UNSDCF) and with other relevant donors and institutions in order to encourage co-funding combined programming, avoid duplication and to strengthen impact actives of the programme;
• Backstop and evaluate progress made by ongoing projects through regular visits to project sites and discussions with project personnel, target beneficiaries, implementing authorities, cooperating agencies and donors;
• Undertake monitoring and evaluation through undertaking field visits preparation of APRs, convening TPR and Project Steering meetings and propose necessary actions to enhance impact of UNDP support and to determine new approaches for ongoing and future projects;
• Participate in consultative meetings within the UN system under UNSDCF and with partners and clients;
• Brief country office colleagues, experts and visiting missions and maintain contacts and liaison between stakeholders and national authorities;
• Maintain networking at national and global levels with professional colleagues in UNDP energy and environment community of practice and knowledge network environment and natural resources sector to enrich the programme;
• Thorough analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country and preparation of substantive inputs to CCA, UNSDCF, CPD, and other documents;
• Identification of areas for support and interventions within the thematic areas under her/his purview;
• CO business processes mapping and preparation of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management.
• Ensures effective management of the CO programme within ERU focusing on quality control from formulation to implementation of the country programme achieving the following results:
• Effective application of RBM tools, establishment of management targets (BSC) and monitoring achievement of results;
• Design and formulation of CO programme within the area of Natural Resource Management, translating UNDP’s priorities into local interventions. Coordination of programme implementation with the executing agencies. Introduction of performance indicators/ success criteria, cost recovery, targets and milestones;
• Initiation of a project, presentation of the project to PAC, entering project into Atlas, finalization of contribution agreement; determination of required revisions; coordination of the mandatory and budget re-phasing exercises, closure of projects through review, POs and vouchers approval, participates in recruitment processes for projects;
• Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the projects, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions. Participation in audit of NIM projects;
• Follow up on audit recommendations. All exceptions are timely reported;
• Aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs and outcomes. Preparation of donor reports.

Ensures creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy in cooperation with the Management Support and Partnerships and Resources Management Team focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Development of partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFI’s, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society in the specific thematic areas based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities;
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.

Ensures provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to programme country policy goals;
• Support to development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on programme issues.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process.
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making. 

Technical and Cross-functional Competncies:
Business Management:

• Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making.
• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
• Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
• 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.

2030 Agenda: Planet 

• Nature, Climate and Energy: Climate change Policies: including international climate change regime and application. 
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery: Crisis and environment. 

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.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master's degree in Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, Natural Resource Management, Environment, Climate, Resilience or a related field;
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) with additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the Master's degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (Master’s degree) or 4 years (Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience working with environment, DRR, climate change and resilience programmes in the context of a multigovernmental organization;
• Relevant experience at the national and/or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development portfolios and projects in a related thematic area;
• Experience in programme management and multilateral development stakeholders;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages;
• Experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP financials.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English is required.
• Fluency in the national language of the duty station (Kiswahili) is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.