Job Openings at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Specific tasks and responsibilities

• For the development of each CEO endorsement request packages:
• Lead the preparation of the CEO endorsement document and its attachments.
• Coordinate the development and implementation of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
• Be responsible for the design of all substantive elements of the CEO endorsement document and its annexes, including the log-frame, budget, indicators, baseline scenario, alternative scenario, stakeholders, risks, consistency with national priorities, institutional arrangements, gender action plan, knowledge management, theory of change (ToC), and monitoring and evaluation.
• Prepare an outline of the strategy and methodology to develop such elements, including a provisional timetable.
• Ensure that the substantive elements are aligned with national strategy and planning documents though the consultation of national expert.
• Ensure that the latest templates from GEF and UNEP are used in the preparation of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes.
• Inform UNEP on the status of work and highlight, in a timely manner, risks related to the quality of the information received and the fulfillment of the project’s development schedule.
• Support the national team in organizing and undertaking the stakeholder consultation workshop (in-person) to consult with the relevant national counterparts, discuss the baseline situation, map the gaps and barriers, collect relevant country data, agree upon a project intervention logic (log frame and results framework) and discuss initial institutional arrangements for execution.
• Undertake a gender analysis, ensure project deliverables are gender sensitive and prepare a gender action plan.
• Prepare a presentation for internal discussion to UNEP management describing national circumstances and context, baseline, barriers, proposed intervention, and indicators.
• Support the national consultant in organizing and undertaking the stakeholder validation workshop (virtual or in-person) to validate the CEO Endorsement document with national stakeholders.
• Prepare a final overall stakeholder consultation report. The GEF requires that a report is prepared and submitted on stakeholder consultations undertaken during the PPG.
• Prepare a final and complete version of the CEO Endorsement Document and annexes for UNEP internal review and submission to GEF Sec.
• Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the UNEP Project Review Committee (PRC) and draft the responses to the Committee’s reviews.
• Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the GEF secretariat and draft responses to Secretariat reviews. Performance indicators: - Submission of the four (4) deliverables in accordance with deadlines noted
• Reports are considered high-quality, as determined by UNEP based on comparison with other terminal review reports and CEO endorsement packages approved by the GEF.

Qualifications/special skills

• Academic: An advanced university degree in economics, environmental sciences, management, or a related discipline is required;
• A first level degree with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in drafting project proposals in the field of climate change, environment or development is required;
• Experience working with GEF or UNEP projects is desirable;
• Experience in working for multilateral or bilateral funding entities in the field of climate change, environment or development is desirable;
• Experience working on projects in Africa is desirable.

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Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee relevant projects and activities under the Healthy and Productive Ecosystems sub Programme of the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy and Programme of Work. Develop, design and advocate concepts of the programme; Enhance inter-linkages among stakeholders on biodiversity and ecosystem services related matters. Develop policy advisory services for various decision makers.
• Develop and oversee biodiversity and ecosystem services projects responding to priority areas of UNEP and its Member States;
• Provide leadership and guidance to the conceptualization, formulation and completion of special initiatives on biodiversity and ecosystem services, including efforts to increase land and seascape connectivity, address threats driving biodiversity loss, advance legal and sustainable use, policy coherence and integration with climate and pollution approaches, and advancing whole of society approaches for strengthening nature dimensions of sustainable development.
• Enhance collaboration and partnership between stakeholders in the delivery of UNEP's programme of work, including with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the biodiversity-related Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Promote integrated nature strategies and analyze and resolve challenges in the implementation of these strategies;
• Oversee the management of administrative, budget and personnel operations of the Branch. Oversee and contribute to the preparation of reports for presentation to inter-governmental bodies such as the Committee of Permanent Representatives, the United Nations Environment Assembly, the UN General Assembly and other policy-making organs;
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need
• Perform other related duties as may be assigned.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Sciences, Biodiversity Conservation, Ecosystems Management or related area is required.
• A first- level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible work experience in project/programme management in the context of biodiversity and ecosystems management or related area is required
• Five (5) years of relevant experience at the international level with at least three (3) years in a supervisory capacity is required. Demonstrated experience in managing performance of diverse teams and staff with specialist expertise is required.
• At least five (5) years of relevant work experience in ecosystems policy development, regional programme /project coordination and resource mobilization is desirable. Experience mobilizing resources in an international environment is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.