National Advisor on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management

Volunteering Crisis & Emergency Response

Overview

Support the implementation of climate initiatives and provide technical guidance

You have:

• Progressively responsible positions in the implementation and monitoring of development projects in the area of climate change is an advantage
• In-depth knowledge of addressing climate change, good governance, local public financial management, including decentralization processes and instruments
• Experience in providing technical advice to public sector bodies in aspects of planning, management and execution of civil, agricultural, water and sanitation construction projects
• Experience in developing materials and methodologies and organizing training
• Familiarization with the Mozambican rural context regarding planning and management of public works

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries (LDCs). With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded. UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies, which connects individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyse participation in the local economy, and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; (2) local development finance, which capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and (3) investment finance, which provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization. By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to SDG 1 on eradicating poverty with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets. In Mozambique, the LOCAL development initiative (and MERCIM+) will be implemented in 7 provinces and it currently supporting around 30 local governments and municipalities with capital grants to finance community-based adaptation through infrastructure development. Central, Sofala province, and northern provinces, i.e. Nampula, Zambezia, and Cabo Delgado, the MERCIM+ will be implemented, which builds on the LOCAL technical approach.

Under the daily supervision of Programme Manager at the Provincial Service of Economy and Finance in Sofala province, and in close coordination with the National Advisor at the Ministry of Economy and Finance the Climate Change Officer will contribute to the daily implementation of the LOCAL initiative, the DELPAZ programme and the MERCIM+ interventions, including overall gender-sensitive planning, oversight and monitoring of project implementation and substantive and financial reporting.

The Climate Change Officer will provide regulatory and technical advice to the national counterparts, local councils in mainstreaming climate change and environmental sustainability into public planning and budgeting systems at sub-national level.

Programme management (40%) • Support the Programme Manager in the overall supervision of the day-to-day implementation of selected development activities of the LOCAL-MERCIM+ initiative • Builds effective and efficient partnerships at the operational level with national counterparts and local governments. • Contribute to the preparation and timely submission of comprehensive technical reports in line with contractual agreements including semi-annual reporting;

• Ensuring the timely and effective management of the activities as scheduled.

Technical advice to government counterparts and key stakeholders (40%) • Provide technical advice on climate change issues and environmental sustainability to government counterparts at national and sub-national levels; • Provide technical advice and capacity building support (“learning by doing”) for the piloting and establishment of a national local information system for local climate risk assessments (including projections and mapping) addressing hazards, vulnerabilities and exposure of local councils in relation to climate change including desk review, data collection, preliminary design of the system, analytical writing, piloting, consultation and validation and gradual deployment of the local climate information system; • Provide technical advice and capacity building support (“learning by doing”) for the integration of environment and climate change issues in the local government development and investment plans. • Provide technical advice and capacity building support for the adequate integration of environment and climate considerations (e.g. specifications) in the investments delivered in the context of the LOCAL initiative; • Contribute to the technical dialogue and provision of technical advisory services to national and local government counterparts in relation to climate change information and assessments, climate mainstreaming and climate finance.

Knowledge management and communication (10%) • Identify key knowledge constraints and organize learning, knowledge exchange, training, workshops, etc. to build the awareness and capacities on relevant themes (i.e. climate change, local climate risk assessments, environmental sustainability, mainstreaming, in support of women and youth employment, etc.); • Contribute to the implementation of the Communication and Visibility Plan of the Programme, in collaboration with Project team, partners and technical consultants; • Identify, collect and disseminate best practices and lesson learned from the Programme in areas of specialty; • Manage the process of convening national and regional stakeholders to share lessons learned on selected themes.

Networking and partnership building (10%) • Maintain close working relationships with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Land and Environment and other key stakeholders at various levels in order to support the quality of the execution of the PBCRGS and its key results areas; • Organize consultative meetings, seminars and workshops to drive analytical and policy work of the Programme; • Serve as the UNCDF focal point in working groups and steering committees on the issue of environment and climate change and related sectors and provide inputs for conducive policy and regulatory environment; • Develop strategies to mobilize additional resources based on programme requirements and new opportunities.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

 Professionalism - deep knowledge and understanding of the main concepts related to climate change and environmental sustainability;  Innovation and commitment to continuous learning - generates trust, creating an environment of creativity and innovation; adopts new approaches and promotes innovative thinking; demonstrates openness to change and the ability to manage complexities and solve problems; excellent analytical skills;  Integrity - leads to fair and transparent decision-making; demonstrate UN and UNCDF values and ethical standards in daily activities and behaviours, acting without regard for personal gain; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; defend decisions that are in the interest of the organization; take immediate action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;  Teamwork and respect for diversity – skills in being part of teams, working with other stakeholders to achieve common goals; proven intercultural communication, capable of functioning effectively in an international and multicultural environment; builds and promotes teams and partnerships; demonstrates cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability; treats all people fairly, without favouritism;  Plan and organize - remains calm, controlled and good-humoured even under pressure; effective organizational and problem-solving skills and the ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines and to deal with multiple simultaneous projects/activities;  Communication - creates and promotes open communication; proven interpersonal skills; excellent spoken and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;  Genuine commitment to the principles of voluntary involvement - which include solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-sufficiency; and commitment to the UNCDF mission and vision, as well as the UN Core Values.  Follow a results-based approach - that is, always seek to resolve any problems as far as possible, with dialogue, transparency, communication based on respect and consideration for all stakeholders.

progressively responsible positions in the implementation and monitoring of development projects in the area of climate change is an advantage;

In-depth knowledge of addressing climate change, good governance, local public financial management, including decentralization processes and instruments;

Experience in providing technical advice to public sector bodies in aspects of planning, management and execution of civil, agricultural, water and sanitation construction projects;

Experience in developing materials and methodologies and organizing training; Skills in the area of preparing written reports; Familiarization with the Mozambican rural context regarding planning and management of public works;

Initial contract is issued upon arrival for the period indicated above. The contract can be extended depending on continuation of mandate, availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectancy of renewal of the assignment.

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Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org