Senior Project Management Advisor - IPSA 12

Senior

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

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 carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and 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. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Based in UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, the Nature, Climate and Energy Practice hosts the Environmental Finance (EF) Unit which has the objective of helping UNDP Country Offices to assist countries to access environmental and climate finance to address the dual objectives of addressing environmental and climate priorities in the context of efforts focused on the eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion for the pursuit of sustainable development. This objective is achieved through four inter-related areas of work on:

• sustainable management of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems;
• scaling up of climate change adaptation and mitigation;
• sustainable, affordable and accessible energy services;
• sustainable management of chemicals and waste.

These areas of work are aligned with the two Signature Solutions of UNDP Strategic Plan.

UNDP is an accredited implementing entity for the following environmental vertical funds:

1. the funds managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF): the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF TF), the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF); and
2. the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

As an Implementing Agency for these funds, UNDP offers countries highly specialized technical services for eligibly assessment, programme/project formulation, due diligence, mobilization of required co-financing, project implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, performance-based payments, and knowledge management.

UNDP recognizes healthy biodiversity and ecosystem services, including soil fertility and water provisioning, as the foundation of human wellbeing and sustainable development. It sees nature-based solutions as essential solutions for tackling multiple developmental challenges, be they land degradation and desertification, climate crisis, inequality and poverty, insecurity and migration. UNDP’s Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme adopts an approach to bringing the development agenda to biodiversity discourse enabling it to engender increased public, business, and government support for biodiversity conservation and sound ecosystem management, broadening the support base necessary for achieving global biodiversity goals. UNDP, as a convener, mobilizes global, national and local level actors, governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and communities to communicate the value of biodiversity for it to be integrated in national and local development, and sector and fiscal planning processes and practices. UNDP has 300 country level terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biodiversity projects in 120 countries, including sustainable land management projects.

Importantly, the NCE Ecosystems and Biodiversity (EBD) team leads on several global projects, such as the Biodiversity Finance Initiative, Nature for Development Programme, Green Commodities Programme, linked to country level work. These global projects help connect people on the ground to the national, regional and global decision makers and influencers, as well as, fostering exchange and learning between communities, landscapes, and governments in different countries and continents.

The Senior Project Management Advisor provides support for management of global EBD portfolio and quality and timely management of global projects under the overall supervision and leadership of the Principal Technical Advisor (PTA) for Ecosystems and Biodiversity, and in close collaboration with other technical Specialists and Advisors at both global and regional levels.

Institutional Arrangement

The Senior Programme Management Advisor will:

• report to the Principal Technical Advisor Ecosystems and Biodiversity based in NY, USA;
• engage regularly with the supervisor by email and Teams on a weekly and/or as needed daily basis;
• submit to the Supervisor a monthly progress report on the status of the implementation of tasks;
• be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• be responsible for providing her/his own workstation (i.e., laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
• be expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for global consultations that span different time zones.

Travel:

• International mission travel may be required (destinations to be identified) with expected total travel duration of approximately 4-8 days per mission. Expected mission travel would be discussed upon commencement of assignment and updated quarterly;
• Any necessary mission travel must be approved in writing and in advance by the supervising PTA for EBD;
• The BSAFE course must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
• The incumbent is responsible for obtaining any visas needed in connection with travel with the necessary support from UNDP and for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director;
• S/he is required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb;

Duties and Responsibilities

Innovation, Strategic Leadership, Policy Dialogue, and Advocacy

• Contribute to a strategic understanding of, and engagement with, the substantive technical issues, institutions and processes related to the EBD team’s global projects, including establishing contact and developing partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGOs, the private sector, financial institutions, scientific institutions, etc.;
• Provide guidance to regional bureaus, country offices and governments on the global projects and other technical matters;
• Support the development of strategic UNDP policy position papers and internal briefing notes;
• Facilitate policy analysis and the development of technical tools and guidance;
• Maintain trusted relationships with country offices, government and non-governmental partners;
• Keep the Principal Technical Advisor informed of emerging issues related to the global projects.

Project Management

• Lead planning and conducting of inception, contracting and startup of global projects including establishment of indicators, benchmarks, and work plans;
• Lead management of global projects, ensuring adequate inputs and timely and quality outputs;
• Develop technical and financial Annual Work Plans, ensuring alignment with the approved project document and technical robustness of proposed AWP activities in line with the approved project result framework;
• Coordinate the recruitment and selection of project personnel, consultants and sub-contracts, including drafting terms of reference and work specifications and overseeing all contractors’ work;
• Liaise with and support UNDP Country Offices, responsible parties and consultants ensuring timely and quality progress and outputs, in accordance with UNDP’s operational requirements;
• Liaise with UNDP Country Offices and global project implementation partners in implementation, monitoring, evaluation, troubleshooting and adaptive management;
• Liaise closely with relevant projects to ensure coordination, mutual reinforcement and synergistic impact;
• Monitor financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports, submitted on a quarterly basis;
• Manage and monitor project risks, lead execution of risk mitigation and response measures, and update the status of these risks by maintaining the project risks log;
• Lead quality and timely completion of the annual Project Implementation Reports (PIRs) and support mid-term reviews (MTRs) and terminal evaluations (TEs);
• Provide guidance and support for project managers of different global projects and components.

Resource Mobilization and Portfolio Development

• Contribute proactively to strengthening donor relationships and raising resources for implementation of the UNDP Nature Strategy;
• Support programme and project identification and development, including integrated approaches and multifocal area projects;
• Support the process of preparation, design, submission, and approval of programme/project concepts and full-fledged proposals for financing.

Learning, Knowledge Management and Self Development

• Evaluate, capture, codify and synthesize lessons, and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge from the global projects;
• Peer review, comment on, and seek to improve the technical quality of EBD global projects, policies, practices, guidelines, advisory notes, publications, etc.;
• Support the preparation and delivering of training courses and events;
• Respond to queries on global project progress, impacts and lessons;
• Develop and carrying out a personal learning plan

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously:

LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility:

LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination:

LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner:

LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical

2030 Agenda: Planet

Nature, Climate and Energy

Ecosystems and biodiversity – Global projects

Business management

Customer Satisfaction/Client Management

‡ Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs.

‡ Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.

‡ Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests.

‡ Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Business management

Project management

‡ Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals

Business management

Communication

‡ Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.

‡ Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.

Business management

Resource management

‡ Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity

Business management

Monitoring

‡ Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Business management

Partnership management

Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust, and mutual understanding

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education

Master’s degree or higher in environmental sciences, environmental policy and/or in economics or business studies with a specialization in environment and development, or other closely related fields

Min. years of relevant Work experience

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience working with developing countries on biodiversity conservation and development issues;
• Minimum 5 years’ experience with conceptualizing and developing internationally financed projects and programmes at national and regional/global levels;
• Experience in direct project management and guiding project implementation and management in developing countries.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working with multilateral global or regional environmental funds;
• Demonstrable experience in working across different disciplines and connecting natural resource issues with the sustainable development agenda;
• Demonstrable experience in working on conservation finance;
• Experience in establishing and/or maintaining strategic and long-term partnerships.

Desired additional skills

• Experience with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and/or Green Climate Fund (GCF) is an advantage;
• Working experience in an international organization is an advantage as is knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures, and practices;
• Working Knowledge of Spanish or French an asset.

Required Language(s) (at working level)

Excellent knowledge of the English language, with exceptional writing, presentation, and communication skills

Professional Certificates

N/A

Apply now

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org