Senior Governance Expert, Energy - IPSA 12
Contract
This is a IPSA-12 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally internationally recruited only. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education. More about IPSA-12 contracts.
Background
Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.
The following documents shall be required from the applicants:
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.
A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
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.
Office/Unit/Project Description
Energy is one of UNDP’s six signature solutions – alongside poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, and gender equality - to support countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no one behind and resilience. As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the first objective of UNDP is increasing energy access for those furthest behind. By speeding up investment in distributed renewable energy solutions, especially for those hardest to reach and in crisis contexts, it aims to increase access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people. The Africa Minigrids Programme, for example, is improving the financial viability of renewable energy mini-grids in 18 countries, encouraging private investment, lower tariffs and expanded service. Second, UNDP will work to accelerate the transition to renewable energy through systems changes that support inclusive, green economies, particularly in countries with low levels of renewable energy generation or poor energy-efficiency improvement rates. This work will capitalize on technological gains, clean energy innovations and new business models in the energy sector.
The newly established UNDP Sustainable Energy Hub (hereafter, the ‘Sustainable Energy Hub’), governed by the Global Policy Network Board, coordinated closely with UNDP’s Climate Promise, Finance Sector Hub and UNDP’s Digital Offer will be the arrowhead of UNDP’s new Strategic Plan objectives. The Sustainable Energy Hub will build on UNDP’s existing Energy Portfolio, covering over 100 countries to harness clean energy and support the energy transition as well as on UNDP’s Climate Promise, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub and UNDP’s Digital offer. The Sustainable Energy Hub will develop and operationalize, policies, programmes and partnerships to support UNDP Energy Compact, a commitment to help increasing access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people; and accelerating and supporting the transition to renewable energy. Recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will work to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated. Governance issues will be at the core of the work of the Energy Hub.
Institutional Arrangement
The Governance Expert will report to the Head of Governance, BPPS (Primary Supervisor). The expert will also work closely with the Director of the Sustainable Energy Hub. As the forthcoming Governance Global Programme is rolled out, the reporting line may change.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work
This Expert Position has two elements. The first part is to identify and make an assessment of the priority governance support areas of relevance to countries that UNDP will support to close the energy access gap and/or effect a just energy transition and design a framework to effectively take these forward in terms of technical support to client countries; as well as policy development, research and partnerships. A central element of this framework will be identification of the issues that serve as barriers for the green transformation of the energy sector. Key governance support areas within UNDP’s energy offer are likely to include: political economy analysis (PEA) - including mapping and seeking to address key institutional or policy factors which enable (or prohibit) the deployment of clean energy technologies or business models in UNDP programming countries; managing governance related risks; integration of governance principles in line with UNDP Social and Environmental Standards in programming; institutional reform approaches; access to information and the information ecosystem; stakeholder engagement; local and area-based governance; economic governance issues including corruption and fiscal constraints. This work will also contribute to a broader workstream on the mainstreaming of the principles of effective governance across UNDP signature solutions in all settings.
The second purpose of this Expert Position is to provide ongoing support to Country Offices as a lead energy governance expert in the support provided by UNDP’s Sustainable Energy Hub and to contribute to the implementation of the framework in terms of policy development, research and partnerships. The Expert will also be expected to provide ongoing support to the standard operating procedures of the Sustainable Energy Hub, e.g., providing governance-related inputs to the various requests from UNDP country offices to provide policy or technical support to emerging energy access and transition challenges in countries.
The Expert will also work to identify and codify lessons from this experience to the broader mainstreaming work of integrating core governance principles into energy sector reforms..
The following tasks will be undertaken by the energy governance expert:
- Produce an assessment and mapping of priority governance support (thematic) areas for UNDP to focus on in its energy offer to achieve the objective of its Strategic Plan.
- Elaborate a framework for taking forward these support areas that is pragmatic and takes into account UNDP’s comparative advantages and its organizational/delivery set-up including HQ, regional hubs and COs levels.
- Support the Sustainable Energy Hub in responding to demand from COs for governance related support linked to energy access and energy transition efforts in developing countries.
- Consolidate, adapt or develop new tools that will support the integration of governance in energy access and energy transition related programs/projects design and Implementation of relevant policy and technical support to countries.
- Codify and aggregate lessons from the mainstreaming of governance into energy access and energy transition and contribute to the development of the broader workstream on mainstreaming governance.
- Identify/strengthen partnerships on energy governance associated with programming efforts at the country level.
- Working closely with the Sustainable Energy Hub, drawing in staff from Governance, the Nature, Climate and NCE, Gender and Finance, among others, support the development of at least 3-4 thought pieces on the intersection of energy and governance as directions for thought leadership pieces.
- Based on the lessons from supporting COs on governance issues related energy access and energy transition, provide substantive inputs to the forthcoming workstream on the mainstreaming of the principles of effective governance across UNDP signature solutions in all settings.
Competencies
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area
Name
Definition
Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions
Conflict Analysis and conflict sensitivity
Governance
Inclusion and Participation
Governance
Public Administration & Local Governance
Nature, Climate and Energy
Energy efficiency concepts, renewable energy, access to energy; technologies and practical application
Nature, Climate and Energy
Environmental Governance
Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA
Required skills
- Minimum 5 years of experience in energy policy and programming, or a related area with a substantial energy governance component.
- Demonstrated strategic thinking and strong understanding of global developments in democratic governance as well as energy policy (political economy analysis; Development Planning; Public Financial Management).
- Sound understanding of the UN system and of UNDP’s mandate and role in all country contexts including crisis contexts.
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
- Experience in providing operational and project/programme management support for projects/programmes
Required Language(s)
- Excellent command of written and spoken English. French or Spanish fluency in addition is an advantage.
Professional Certificates
- N/A
Required Skills and Experience
Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA
Min. Education requirements
- Master’s Degree in Environment, Climate Change, social sciences, public administration, management, international relations or any other relevant field.
Min. years of relevant work experience
- Experience (10 years minimum) in governance field including country-level program design.