Programme Specialist (Climate Change-Environment), P3, Mogadishu, Somalia, 364 days

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 74,649 USD and 97,747 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Protection

Climate change threatens children’s survival, development, nutrition, education and health which are children’s rights and shrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The impacts of climate change are only just beginning and will likely continue to worsen over the lifetime of today’s children and future generations. The decisions made now will have greatest impact on children. Children will also feel these effects longer than adults, making them vital in today’s decisions about climate change responses. Climate change, energy access and the environment are also equity issues and addressing them is therefore vital for building a more sustainable future for children. Unaddressed, climate change will harm the poorest and most vulnerable children first, hardest and longest. Action on climate change is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and requires integrated action across social, economic and environmental spheres.

This role allows UNICEF to scale up its activities and support the strengthening of low-carbon programmes. The Climate and Environment officer will report to the Resilience Specialist and work closely with resilience section focal points. The Officer will be located in Mogadishu, Somalia.

How can you make a difference?

The main purpose of this assignment is to reinforce capacities of the UNICEF and its partners in strengthening its climate change sensitive, environmentally friendly programme while scaling up low-carbon humanitarian response, resilience building and development. The assignment is designed to align with UNICEF’s global strategy on climate energy and environment as well as the integrating it to resilient and sustainable solutions and systems to vulnerable communities, households, and children.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

1. Programme Coordination of Climate, Environment and Energy activities

• Provide technical support to sections and COs regarding climate, energy and environment.
• Ensure that UNICEF engagement in the area of climate, energy and environment (CEE) is well coordinated within and outside UNICEF, and that UNICEF progressively integrates climate change action into office programs.
• Liaise with other stakeholders active in climate change and environmental sustainability for coordination, lessons learned and good practices and ensure linkages/ knowledge exchange with regional and global stakeholders.
• Participate in relevant United Nations and development partners’ climate change and environment working groups to ensure linkages/ knowledge exchange with regional and global stakeholders.
• Integrate CEE in Resilience task force CO coordination and coordinate with emergency section.
• Develop a mapping of actors and programmes of climate change and environment in Somalia.

• Plan for use of technical experts from the Regional Office and HQ, through remote support and on-site visits.

  2. Climate Finance, partnerships and resource mobilization and provide linkages to regional and global

• Strengthen and establish climate and environment-focused partnerships with civil society organisations (CSOs), governments, the United Nations, and development partners.

• Systematically pursue climate finance (global climate funds, bilateral, private sector) by establishing partnerships with relevant focal points, potential partners and mapping opportunities for UNICEF.
• Provide linkages to UNICEF’s global “Climate, Energy and Environment programmes and regional work and pilot their implementation at the country level.
• Develop concept notes and proposals for fundraising for climate change adaptation and mitigation proposals as well as inputs to proposals from other sections as needed.
• Follow-up, backstopping and coordination of implementation of approved environment-focused proposals.

• Explore climate financing architecture and opportunities for UNICEF and Government to qualify and apply for climate finance from IFI and other climate financing institutions.

  3. Technical and operational support for programme implementation

• Substantively lead UNICEF efforts at sectoral integration of environment and climate change in emergency and resilience programme.

• Support expansion of green energy use and applications in UNICEF programmes and operations through market assessments, development, and knowledge sharing.
• Identify actions and best practices for protecting children from climate change and environmental risk and provide necessary technical assistance and capacity development to staff and partners for their adoption.
• Identify objectives, actions, and best practices for reducing UNICEF environmental and carbon footprint in to efficiently implement its programmes.

• Examples of sector support for design of programmes, and risk informed programming the incumbent may undertake:

• WASH: coordinate concept and proposal development jointly with internal and external stakeholders for accessing climate finance. Potential entry points include household and institutional climate adaptation, environment, and climate awareness through WASH in Schools programmes, innovation in water and wastewater treatment and management, climate resilient water safety planning and water scarcity.

• YOUTH: support the section in conducting climate and environment focused youth participation and youth activism to support climate initiatives.
• EDUCATION: support the section in the development of environment and climate action curriculum support, and in awareness raising around environmental impacts on children and the youth.
• HEALTH: support engagement regarding the climate resilient health systems, and support work regarding the added burden of disease due to climate change.

• SOCIAL POLICY: support the section in incorporation of national climate and environment vulnerability assessments and social safety systems.

  4. Networking and partnership building

• Support sector resilient focal points in technical relationships with relevant ministries and government counterparts in order to support national priorities and promote UNICEF's portfolio of action on climate change.

• Support communication, evidence dissemination and awareness raising on the impact of climate change on children's rights in Somalia, in order to facilitate programme implementation and build the capacity of stakeholders.
• Prepare materials for climate change programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnerships and support fund-raising.

• Participate in inter-agency discussions, ensuring that UNICEF’s position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNDAF development planning and agenda setting.

  5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Maintain overall knowledge on the policy, institutions and programmatic activities

• Disseminate regional and global relevant climate change and environmental research and innovations (technical and systems) to advocate for their adoptions by programmes and operations.
• Prepare learning/knowledge products, covering innovative approaches and good practices, in climate action to support overall programme development.
• Draft policy papers, briefs and other strategic materials for use by management, donors, UNICEF regional offices and headquarters
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: environment, climate science, social and economic development, public health, public administration international cooperation or another relevant technical field is required. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of [five years] of relevant professional experience in resilience, development and emergency, programmes.
• Experience in WASH, Climate change and environmental programmes is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in applying results-based management required.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Total of at least 12 months deployment in a humanitarian situation with the UN, Government, and/or INGO is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others and (Nurtures, leads and manages people).

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.