Knowledge Coordination Specialist

Contract

This is a IPSA-10 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally internationally recruited only. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about IPSA-10 contracts.

Background

Working in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One of its key priorities for the next 10 years is to support countries accelerate ambitious action on climate change.

Climate change is the single greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, threatening water and food security, health, livelihoods, and the safety of billions of people together with drastic negative impact on global ecosystem balance. UNDP ambitious “Climate Promise” supports over 120 countries to enhance their climate ambitions under the Paris Agreement, with focus on greater emissions reduction and resilience building. The next phase of the Climate Promise will focus on NDC implementation, climate advocacy, and long-term planning to ensure inclusive climate action at the speed and scale required to keep global temperature below 1.5°C. Achieving the carbon neutrality in the second half of the century by all countries is a crucial requirement set by the Paris Agreement to avoid the irreversible global climate change. Realization of this goal involves work on global, national, and local levels, as well as participation of all relevant stakeholders – governments, business, MDBs, international organizations, NSOs. The path to carbon neutrality should be just and leaving no one behind, while empowering women, youth, indigenous people, and vulnerable groups of population. UNDP is well positioned to enable such work through cooperation on HQ, Regional and Country Offices levels, forming an interconnected system of knowledge exchange and expertise delivery enabling the cutting-edge climate policy advocacy, development, and implementation.

As the Climate Promise enters its second phase, UNDP is recruiting a Knowledge Coordination Specialist to oversee programme/portfolio reporting and support the extraction and analysis of knowledge and results. This role bridges the disconnect between basic results reporting and helps turn these targets and results into learning.

Duties and Responsibilities

Facilitate the process for portfolio reporting

• Contribute substantively to the design and roll-out of existing and new reporting standards and tools across the portfolio.
• Coordinate the quarterly reporting process for the Climate Promise portfolio and ensure quality of reports and timely publication of the results as needed.
• Support the preparation of the annual reporting process across the portfolio and communicate these findings across the portfolio through extraction of trends, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Support ad-hoc reporting processes to portfolio donors as needed.

Support knowledge sharing and learning development

• Prepare a knowledge management strategy for the Climate Strategies and Policy team.
• Lead efforts to design an internal knowledge-management system (KMS) that enhances learning on Climate Promise activities and internal support services.
• Facilitate the bridging of results reporting with the new KMS system to translate these results and achievements into knowledge.
• Lead and coordinate the process to develop Climate Promise resources (e.g., thematic briefs) for regional and country-level colleagues.
• Support the knowledge-sharing of best practices and lessons learned to strengthen the capacity of Climate Promise countries.
• Contribute to the development of knowledge products (e.g., guidance documents, thematic briefs, etc.), as required.
• Contribute to briefing notes, talking points, progress reports, and other inputs to Programme and Climate Promise materials, as required.
• Support the organization of webinars to foster south-south exchange.

Support to contract management

• Support the donor agreement contractual process as needed, especially as it relates to the EU contracts.
• Support the roll-out and training on the contracts database, support the users and advise on follow-up of related processes as needed.

Competencies

Programme and Policy - Climate Change Policies: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)

Effectiveness - Performance and data analysis and sharing lessons

Knowledge generation - Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context or responsive to a stated need.

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.

Evaluation - Ability to make and independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Partnership Management - Knowledge and understanding of EU strategies, approaches, processes, and systems.

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in environmental sciences, public administration, political science, international development, business administration or related disciplines
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible work experience in programme/project management, results reporting, portfolio management and/or contract compliance and oversight
• Demonstrated experience in project/programme results-based management and oversight, especially as it pertains to reporting and EU contractual obligations.
• Demonstrated experience in translating legal/contractual obligations to simple concepts and guidance notes to ensure adherence and strengthen visibility and reporting efforts.
• Experience in managing knowledge and communication content.
• Solid understanding of reporting and evaluation principles as they relate to global multi-donor programmes.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems and databases.
• Demonstrated experience working with UN/DP and/or other multilateral, bilateral, national or civil society actors on climate change and NDC issues.
• Experience with portfolio donors, including EU, Germany, Spain, and Sweden.
• Good knowledge of UN/UNDP systems is an advantage, as is in-depth knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures and practices.
• Fluency in oral and written English
• Fluency in Spanish and/or French will be considered an asset