NDC Partnership - Coordination Officer, Partnership Action Fund (Project Management Support Senior Officer)

Contract

This is a IICA-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Individual Contractor Agreements. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's an external contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education. More about IICA-1 contracts.

Background Information - Job-specific

Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO)

The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) is part of the UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on:

• Infrastructure
• Procurement
• Project Management (full service, back on track)
• HR and Transactional Services
• Grants Management
• Technical and Advisory Services
• Project Information

Water & Energy Cluster Background:

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio under the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office has built strong partnerships and has effectively been managing a portfolio of 490 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support.

WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The NDC Partnership:

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries and institutions collaborating to drive transformational climate action through sustainable development. In 2015, the world endorsed the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Nations signal their commitments to the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - each country’s strategy to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience against the negative effects of a changing climate. The Partnership advances the goals of the Paris Agreement by bringing together nearly 200 countries and institutions in new ways to accelerate NDC implementation and enhance ambition over time. The Partnership’s work through 120 partners supporting almost 80 countries produces many examples of impact, lessons learned and ideas for the future. The Partnership is governed by a Steering Committee, co-chaired by two country representatives. The Partnership’s work is facilitated by a Support Unit (SU) based at World Resources Institute in Washington DC and the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. UNOPS supports the NDC Partnership and its Support Unit through the Water and Energy Cluster (WEC).

Job Specific: While the Partnership’s model of collective action catalyzes immediate support, there are instances when countries’ requests for climate action go unanswered. The need for a flexible and fast mechanism to deploy support is evident. To meet this need, the NDC Partnership launched the Partnership Action Fund (PAF) at COP26. The PAF supports developing Country Members in fast-tracking the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by bridging gaps in support. These resources are deployed to supplement existing support or respond to unsupported requests after these requests have been circulated and members have had the chance to respond with their own resources and programs. By pooling funds and making them more readily available, the PAF ensures countries have better access to technical and financial resources and the widest possible range of Partnership members can respond rapidly to the needs of developing Country Members. As of July 2023, 54 member countries and one regional organization have requested support through PAF.

The Officer will, under the supervision of the PAF Program Manager, be responsible for communication and information flow across the board, timely completion of PAF’s cycles / processes and development of input for internal and external reporting. In their role, the Coordinator of Operations will connect the dots and operationalize procedures in place for smooth and harmonized workflow of recruitments (under funding window 1) and grants (under funding window 2) mechanisms; and support the PAF Program Manager in the preparation of inputs needed to interact with PAF’s institutional hosts (UNOPS and the World Resources Institute), NDC Partnership members eligible for PAF funding, development partners, and NDC Partnership Support Unit staff.

In their role, the Officer will interact with Support Unit staff (particularly, but not limited to, the Country Engagement team), and PAF-engaged Implementing Partners (IPs) on a day-to-day basis, ensuring organized information flow, responsiveness and flagging any potential risks and delays to the PAF Program Manager.

Functional Responsibilities

Summary of functions:

Coordination of PAF Window 1

• Regularly update the PAF Window 1 guidance note to reflect any process or requirement changes, ensuring the latest version is accessible and readily available to staff and hosts.
• Centralize process questions, general queries and other clarification requests and provide timely responses and guidance, liaising with others in the team and relevant hosts’ personnel as needed.
• Ensure that the PAF Window 1 planner is up to date, engaging the Country Engagement team when information is missing or needs to be revised / clarified.
• Conduct a preliminary review of PAF Window1 requests, checking for completeness of requirements and that information is accurately reflected in the Window 1 planner.
• Collect information on the status of each request (e.g., advertisement stage, interview stage, written test stage, etc.), identifying delays, challenges and bottlenecks when they arise.
• Provide regular, consolidated reports to the PAF Program Manager on request processing status, flagging any delays or challenges that demand action / troubleshoot.
• Support the Program Manager in presenting consolidated information for approval and decision-making on all requests (for instance, on available / remaining PAF funds, funds allocated to a given country, and estimated contract value), liaising with the hosts operations / financial officers as needed.
• Liaise with hosts’ fund / operations managers to ensure final contract value and duration are accurately included in PAF project management tools, formal reports, and reflected in the Support Unit’s knowledge management system (kNook).

Coordination of PAF Window 2

• Engage the Country Engagement team in preparing requests for Calls for Proposals (CFP), providing guidance on templates, process, timelines, and eligibility.
• Manage the CFP data collection templates, ensuring latest changes are reflected and requests for clarification are addressed by relevant staff.
• Consolidate draft CFP guidance documents, working closely with both hosts to ensure requirements are accurately reflected in the invitation to submit proposals and in other annexes / documents as needed.
• Pre-populate the proposal submission templates with information on all requests included in CFPs.
• Organize information sessions implementing partners prior to the launch of every CFP, leading the consolidation of materials (slides, talking points, etc.) and logistics (attendance, recording, follow – up emails to attendees).
• Manage the collection of queries from partners during the proposal preparation stage, liaising with the Country Engagement staff to provide responses in a timely manner.
• Support outreach to NDC Partnership members, coordinating organizational assessments that enable their eligibility for PAF funding, centralizing the collection of relevant documents and answering clarifying questions.

• Coordinate proposal screening:

  • Prior to proposal reception, assemble proposed technical screening teams for clearance of Program Manager and approval of the Country Engagement Deputy Director.
  • Upon reception, conduct a preliminary screening of proposals, checking for completeness of requirements.
  • Collect all requests for clarification for Program Manager approval and share back with the relevant partners within the established timeframes.
  • Serve as a contact point to receive and compile all clarifications / updated proposals provided by partners in response to the Support Unit’s questions.
  • All above activities should be systematized through templates and documented processes.

• Coordinate Evaluation Committees (ECs):

  • Upon proposal reception, work with the Program Manager to confirm the host / funding source for all CFP requests, for approval of the Country Engagement Deputy Director.
  • Assemble proposed ECs and assigned roles (from EC members and accompanying PAF Core Team staff), considering host requirements and country-specific knowledge, for Program Manager clearance and approval of the Country Engagement Deputy Director.
  • Join ECs as a voting member as needed.
  • Work with the Program Manager to confirm available capacity / staff that will undertake Reasonableness of Costs analyses when these are needed.
  • Work with the Program Manager to confirm note-taking and follow-up roles for each EC.
  • Organize information sessions for EC members prior to the launch of every CFP, leading the consolidation of materials (slides, talking points, etc.) and logistics (attendance, recording, follow – up emails to attendees).
  • Distribute proposal packages to Evaluation Committee members and information on requirements, deadlines, and other important aspects to consider.
  • Work with the Country Engagement team to ensure Evaluation Committee meetings are scheduled within the CFP’s established timeframes.
  • Track the status of each EC (partner selected, awaiting clarifications, etc.), identifying delays and bottlenecks and flagging these to the Program Manager.
  • Compile Evaluation Summary Reports for all ECs and lead the preparation of Evaluation Summary Reports for the ECs for which this task was allocated.
  • Inform partners of EC decisions and clarify next steps and their timelines.

• Coordinate the preparation of Scopes of Work (SOW)

  • Pre-populate SOW document and circulate to selected partners and relevant Country Engagement staff along with timeframes and clear instructions for finalization.
  • Take notes and answer operations questions during coordination calls with Partnership’s selected implementing partners and member countries for SOW finalization.
  • Track the status of each SOW, identifying delays and bottlenecks and flagging these to the Program Manager.
  • Facilitate coordination for troubleshoot (coordination calls, drafting emails, etc.).
  • Answer questions from partners at the SOW preparation stage and budget finalization.
  • Upon completion of SOW, compile grant preparation packages for submission to the relevant host’s operations dependency.

• Serve as a focal point for grant preparation and finalization.

  • Submit grant preparation packages to the relevant host, ensuring information is clear and complete.
  • Conduct coordination calls with partners to understand their setup, challenges, and specific conditions to consider in grant setup.
  • Upon grant award, work with the Program Manager to define milestones, installments, reporting dates and other key conditions to be included in the grant minutes.
  • Liaise with the relevant staff / dependencies from hosts’ offices and with partners to clear grant agreement texts.
  • Engage relevant dependencies / staff from hosts’ offices and partners to troubleshoot as needed.
  • Track the status of processing of each grant, flagging any bottlenecks or delays to the Program Manager and informing the relevant Country Engagement staff when grants are signed, and project implementation can start.
  • Include regular updates in the PAF grant tracker and PAF Master List.
  • Work with the Project Management Support Officer to ensure grant agreements are correctly included in the PAF Library or other relevant folders.

• Following up grant implementation and closure.

  • Track payment schedules, working in close coordination with the Project Management Support Officer and operations staff to understand any concerns and reasons for delay, and flagging these to the Program Manager when relevant.
  • Collect / centralize concerns or requests from partners during grant implementation, providing advice and solutions and escalating to the Program Manager as needed.
  • Work closely with the Project Management Support Officer and the Country Engagement team to anticipate any need for the amendment of grants.
  • Support project closure as needed, working with the Project Management Support Officer and PAF Operations staff to ensure documents needed are in place.

Cross-cutting coordination

• Serve as a key point of contact with UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) and other dependencies as needed, and with WRI’s Grants and Contracts, to request grant preparation and Window 1 recruitments.
• Coordinate – and lead, when relevant -- the delivery of capacity-building / training activities to Support Unit staff on key issues / themes relevant to PAF such as project costing, reasonableness of cost assessments, good practice for evaluation committees and recruitment.
• Provide outlines and content drafts per request of the Program Manager in preparation of the development of PAF progress reports.
• Lead the dissemination of regular and ad-hoc reporting on PAF performance, to ensure funders have access to accurate and relevant information.
• Engage in regular and ad-hoc coordination activities with the Knowledge and Learning team to ensure process / workflow efficiency and alignment to accurately reflect responses to requests for support in the Support Unit’s knowledge management tools.
• Work closely with PAF’s Project Management Support Officer to flag success stories, learning and impact from partners’ deliverables, and be informed of progress around programmatic monitoring, and evaluation of implementing partners.
• The incumbent will participate in PAF weekly team meeting calls to report on progress relevant to the team, highlight milestones and identify areas of collaboration.
• The incumbent will define his/her own performance indicators responding to the priorities identified with his / her supervisor.
• Other duties may be assigned as the evolving nature of the PAF management.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education - A relevant university degree (bachelor’s degree / first level) in Project Management, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, International Development, Political Science, Communications, International Relations or another relevant discipline is required. - Advanced degree (master’s level or above) is desired and can substitute the 2 years of experience. - PRINCE2 or PMP or similar project management certification at the foundation level will be considered an advantage.

Experience- A minimum of 4 years of relevant and progressive professional experience (or more, depending on the academic credentials) in the field of supporting project implementation and delivery activities, is required. - A minimum of 1 year experience in the field of procurement is required. - Experience with project planning, operations management, monitoring and reporting is preferable. - Progressive experience with international organizations, preferably in UNOPS or another UN agency, is required.

Language Requirements - Proficiency in English is required. - Fluency in French or Spanish is an asset.

Competencies

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: ICA Contract level: ICSC-9, IICA-1 Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.