Green Buildings Specialist

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

UNEP's Economy and Industry Division helps economic decision-makers change the business environment by creating platforms for dialogue and cooperation, devising innovative policy options, running pilot projects, and using market forces to bring about change. The Division has three branches: Chemicals and Health; Energy and Climate, and Resources and Markets.

Buildings and Climate Change

Buildings use a lot of energy and are therefore large contributors to climate change. The number of buildings is further increasing with the size equivalent of the city of Paris being added in floor space every five days, and that of Japan every year. Half of the buildings standing in 2060 have not yet been built. Put simply, the decisions we make about buildings today will determine our emissions legacy.

UNEP’s Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction – the GlobalABC – is driven by a vision of a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector. The Alliance brings together a wide variety of committed partners from around the world - national and local governments, inter-governmental organizations, businesses, associations, networks, and think tanks. Their shared motivation? -Raising the level of climate ambition in retrofitting existing buildings, and future-proofing investments in new buildings. In short, making buildings as “climate-friendly” as possible.

As a part of the GlobalABC Team, the UNV will work under the direction of the head of the GlobalABC Secretariat, supporting UNEP’s efforts to transform the buildings and construction sector and contribute towards the 1.5° goal of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

As a part of the GlobalABC Team, the IUNV will work under the direction of the head of the GlobalABC Secretariat, supporting UNEP’s efforts to transform the buildings and construction sector and contribute towards the 1.5° goal of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Specifically, the International UNV will undertake the following tasks: • Help establish and strengthen relationships with counterparts, officials, and technical staff in national governments, GlobalABC member/partner organizations, and international organizations involved in the Alliance. • Interact with universities, industry partners, national and local governments, and research institutions around the world in developing GlobalABC knowledge products and tools. • Be responsible for specific activities in the annual work plan and contribute to others as part of the team, working closely with consultants, partners, and sub-contractors. • Support the planning and organization of meetings and workshops, preparing background information, suggesting discussion topics, and identifying resource speakers. • Support GlobalABC outreach and communication activities.

Results/Expected Outputs • Strengthened relationships with stakeholders in the GlobalABC built and supported. • National/local building decarbonization & resilience roadmaps/strategies supported and developed. • Building material decarbonization strategies supported and developed. • Flagship products such as the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction sup-ported and developed. • Roundtables and workshops on building decarbonization and resilience supported and held. • Stakeholder consultations on building decarbonization and resilience held and supported.

• Professionalism: Ability to identify issues, formulate opinions, make conclusions and rec-ommendations; shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. • Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly in-terprets messages from others and responds appropriately; proven interpersonal skills; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing in-formation and keeping people informed; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, ar-ticulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military person-nel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse back-grounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups. • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

relevant fields; of which at least two years of work experience is in supporting the implementation of international environmental or climate change projects • Experience on sustainable buildings and construction projects is required • Experience in supporting global advocacy networks and knowledge platforms is desirable. • You are reliable and efficient; you know how to organize yourself and coordinate your work. • You are able to communicate effectively and persuade diverse audiences, and work effectively with a wide range of partners. • You know how to handle complexity and evolve in a fast-paced team environment.

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO). Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services, and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN-HABITAT and UNEP. The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location are highland cool and warm tropical climate. Inclusivity statement: United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.