Regional Technical Specialist for Africa (SCALA)

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

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work is carried out through a network of advisors and specialists located at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, to ensure that local knowledge and context specific expertise is linked to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP provides its policy advisory and programme support functions through the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains, in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan and works closely with the Crisis Bureau (CB) that has the responsibility to guide and implement UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response and recovery.

UNDP’s Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) Team as part of the Global Policy Network, supports countries to promote and scale up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas. The NCE Team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; supports country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implements the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on environment, climate change, and energy.

In this context, UNDP, is responding to the urgent need for action to harness the land use and agriculture sectors’ potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation, aligned to countries’ national climate pledges. UNDP launched the Support Programme on Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and Agriculture through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) (SCALA). This German Ministry of Environment (BMU)-funded Programme will be implemented between 2020 and 2025 and is designed to assist countries to translate their NDCs and/or NAPs into actionable and transformative climate solutions in land use and agriculture with multi-stakeholder engagement. This Programme is a joint effort of UNDP and FAO and a follow up of the BMU-funded Integrating agriculture into NAPs Programme (NAP-Ag). It works across 12 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle-East. A key outcome of the programme is to increase private sector engagement and investment to support the achievement of NDCs and NAPs.

Within this overall context, UNDP is recruiting of a Regional Technical Specialist to support Egypt, Ethiopia and Uganda, and other countries in the region as required, and provide global technical advisory services on rural development and other issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

Under the overall supervision of the UNDP Technical Specialist on NAP (in charge of SCALA programme coordination), the technical will be responsible for providing technical assistance to African countries and Egypt under the SCALA programme.

The incumbent will:

• Provide technical assistance to Country Offices on programme implementation;
• Liaise with the partner agency, FAO, on programmatic and operational matters pertaining to Egypt and African countries;
• Liaise with government agencies, private sector actors and other external partners as needed to support delivery of Programme activities in Egypt, Ethiopia and Uganda;
• Propose regional exchange, technical assistance and resource mobilization activities in Africa and the Middle East;
• Lead the preparation of reports and knowledge products related to Africa and the Middle East;
• Ensure quality control and timely delivery of all deliverables in Africa and the Middle East;
• Ensure synergies with other strategic climate and development processes in Africa and the Middle East, including the NDC support and other IKI programmes;
• Act as a focal point on rural development for UNDP under the SCALA Programme and, as such, conduct research on latest policy and academic development on climate change and agriculture and rural development, draft analytical pieces and policy briefs, prepare guidance material, conduct trainings and provide technical reviews;
• Support coordination of delivery of thematic and sectoral technical assistance with the UNDP regional hubs, UN sister agencies, international partnerships, and other stakeholders;
• In select countries, act as country coordinator to provide backstopping support to UNDP country offices on implementation and minoring of Climate Promise activities and targeted technical assistance and advisory services to countries (governments) on NDC revision and implementation, as needed
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning by developing knowledge products (e.g., technical guidance, tools) and communications pieces (e.g., articles on successes and lessons learned) focused on the Africa and the Middle East;
• Contribute to webinars and events to strengthen capacity of and share experiences among Climate Promise countries while making clear connections and synergies with sister programmes such as SCALA.
• Provide technical input for briefings and speeches for high-level UNDP officials.

Competencies

Corporate

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Professionalism

• Capable of working in a high- pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
• Exercises the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Teamwork

• Works well in a team;
• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education

• Master’s Degree in agriculture economics, rural development or closely related field.
• A bachelor degree with an additional 2 years of relevant and additional experience could be considered.

Min. years of relevant Work experience

At least 5 (five) years of experience in climate change, agriculture and development project management and implementation, and policy support.

Required skills

Skills

• Sound understanding of sustainable human development, rural development, climate change adaptation and mitigation , vulnerability and impacts of climate change and other related sustainable human development issues demonstrated through work experience
• Demonstrated experience in implementing development projects in Africa;
• Demonstrated experience in researching and drafting technical briefs and in knowledge management, including organizing events/webinars, drafting reports and developing knowledge products.

Desired additional skills and competencies

• Experience in supporting developing countries’ and especially African countries governments in a technical advisory role, project development role or other related functions;
• Knowledge and experience of UNDP and/or UN agency and/or other development organizations is an asset; especially work experience on a multi-agency project/programme;
• Sound understanding of UNFCCC processes, climate negotiations and the Paris Agreement, and especially NAP and NDCs, is an asset.

Required Language(s) (at working level)

Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English

Proficiency in French would be an asset

Institutional Arrangement

• The incumbent will work from home;
• The incumbent will report to and be directly supervised by Technical Specialist on National Adaptation Plans/SCALA Global Coordinator;
• The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

Travel:

Potential travel to one or more of the 12 programme countries might be expected should the COVID 19 situation allow.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.