Energy Economist

Contract

This is a IPSA-11 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally internationally recruited only. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about IPSA-11 contracts.

Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Office/Unit/Project Description

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 Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

UNDP’s 2018-2021 Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical links between environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and broader efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP’s Nature, Climate Change, and Energy (NCE) Team promotes and scales up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

The NCE Team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on environment, climate change, and energy. This multi-billion dollar portfolio encompasses: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services including forests; Sustainable Land Management and Desertification including food and commodity systems; Water and Ocean Governance including SIDS; Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation; Renewable and Modern Energy; Extractive Industries; Chemicals and Waste Management; Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy and SCP approaches. This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning.

In addition to UNDP’s bilateral partnerships on natural capital, environment and climate, UNDP is an accredited multilateral implementing agency of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Multilateral Fund (MLF), the Adaptation Fund (AF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which includes the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF Trust Fund), the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF), the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). As part of UNDP’s partnership with these vertical funds, UNDP provides countries specialized integrated technical services for eligibility assessment, programme formulation, capacity development, policy advice, technical assistance, training and technology transfer, mobilization of co-financing, implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, performance-based payments and knowledge management services.

One of six signature solutions under UNDP’s current Strategic Plan is to “Close the energy gap”. Access to clean and affordable energy is an essential enabler for the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

In the Decade for Action UNDP seeks to scale-up its current energy offer to work with partners on three areas:

• Close the gap on energy access so that marginalized people and communities gain access to sustainable, clean, energy and the dignity and opportunities it brings.
• Drive innovation in energy value chains to speed up investments in energy access in off-grid and crisis-affected contexts.
• Accelerate the energy transition through system-changes that support a green recovery and bring together the best ideas from the worlds of government, business, and finance.

UNDP is seeking the services of an Energy Economist to support the NCE team in developing forward-looking analysis, research and digital data tools related to sustainable energy.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Energy Economist will work in collaboration with the BPPS NCE Energy and SDG-Integration teams;
• The Energy Economist will report to, and be directly supervised by, the Head of Energy;
• The Energy Economist will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The Energy Economist will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, assignment specific software, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection;
• Given the global scope of the work to be undertaken during this assignment, the Energy Economist is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability taking into consideration different time zones.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The scope of work over the course of the period will vary depending on the specific assignment and region. The geographic scope is global, and the Energy Economist can be called upon to service requests for assistance in any of UNDP’s 5 regions.

Strategic Policy Advice, Research and Data Analysis

• Develop and define strategic approaches for UNDP’s work on sustainable energy and climate change mitigation, drawing on UNDP’s existing work in this area as well as an analysis of the global/regional policy context;
• Coordinate and conduct high-quality and relevant sustainable energy related economics research;
• Compilation, analysis and interpretation of economic and statistical data related to energy access and energy transition;
• Support the development of energy planning and policy tools to accelerate the SDG7;
• Identify needs for and tools for macro analysis of fossil fuel subsidy removal and support the development of additional tools that can help country offices understand welfare impact of removing fossil fuel subsidies;
• Develop relevant analysis on issues related to sustainable energy, in close collaboration with BPPS strategic positioning team, on emerging issues of global significance and contribute to new research, including through working with the Global Policy Centers.

Project Development and Delivery Support

• Support the development of economic cost-benefits analysis for sustainable energy projects or programmes;
• Support the evaluation of economic impacts of energy projects and portfolio.

Knowledge Management

• Provides substantive inputs for HQ policy briefs/position papers prepared in collaboration with other practices that address links between energy and development concerns;
• Coordinate team contributions and support to corporate KM activities, whether at the global, cross-regional or region-specific level to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area in collaboration with policy teams at HQ and in Regional Hubs; and
• Support the development and implementation of substantive trainings and briefings on emerging sustainable energy issues and methodologies.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Technical Competencies

• Ability to strengthen and maintain the capabilities of individuals, societies, organizations and governments to set and achieve development objectives overtime (Capacity Development);
• Knowledge of development planning processes and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations (Development Planning);
• Ability to productively share UNDP Knowledge and activities (Advocacy);
• Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply strategic and/or practical situations (Sustainable Development).

Communications

• Able to communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

Professionalism

• Capable of working in a high- pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
• Exercises the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Teamwork

• Works well in a team;
• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Economics, Statistics, economics of energy, climate change or environment or any related fields.

Min. years of relevant Work experience

• At least seven (7) years of relevant professional work experience in topics related to energy economics with a proven track record of research and publications.

Required skills and experience

• Experience in leading sustainable energy economics research, economic analysis and modelling;
• Experience in providing policy advisory services to governments related to sustainable energy and energy planning;
• Experience with advanced programmes for statistical analysis of data, and the development of data tools;
• Experience with the design and/or implementation of development projects to promote sustainable energy investment.

Desired additional skills and experience

• Previous experience working with an international or governmental organization, and/or the UN system;
• Experience working with developing country contexts preferred.

Required Language(s) (at working level)

• Excellent command of written and spoken English;
• Knowledge of other UN languages is highly desirable.