UNEP-GEF Project Specialist

Result of Service Completed CEO endorsement request package for the Argentina GEF-8 community energy project, manage the development of four projects under development and manage projects within UNEP's portfolio of medium- and full-sized GEF mitigation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration 12 months.

Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. This consultancy is in UNEP’s Economy Division, Energy and Climate Branch, Climate Change Mitigation Unit, and will be home based.

UNEP’s Economy Division works with a portfolio of Global Environment Facility (GEF) medium-size and full-size climate change mitigation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The projects, which are in different stages of development (design, implementation, closure), are executed by different partners (Ministries, NGOs, etc.) through-out the region. The Economy Division, in its role as implementing agency, provides oversight and ensures adherence to GEF guidelines.

Under the supervision of the Task Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean for GEF mitigation projects, the UNEP-GEF Project Specialist is required to develop and manage part of UNEP's portfolio of GEF mitigation projects in Latin American and the Caribbean. Thematic areas of these projects include those related to net-zero nature-positive accelerator, energy communities, climate transparency, electric mobility, energy efficiency and sustainable cities.

3.2 Specific tasks and responsibilities The consultant will undertake the following duties:

Project development (Argentina GEF-8 energy communities project) - Lead the preparation of the CEO endorsement document and its attachments. - Be responsible for the design of all substantive elements of the CEO endorsement document and its annexes, including sections such as the log-frame, budget, indicators, baseline scenario, alternative scenario, stakeholders, risks, consistency with national priorities, institutional arrangements, gender action plan, knowledge management, theory of change (ToC), and monitoring and evaluation. - Prepare an outline of the strategy and methodology to develop such elements, including a provisional timetable. - Organize and undertake a stakeholder consultation workshop (first country mission) to consult with the relevant national counterparts, discuss the baseline situation, map the gaps and barriers, collect relevant country data, agree upon a project intervention logic (log frame and Annex A results framework) aligned with the approved project identification form (PIF) and discuss initial institutional arrangements for execution. The discussion on potential co-finance contributions to the project should be initiated during this mission. - Prepare a mission report including main findings on scope and stakeholder consultations (following first country mission). - In consultation with the government, establish project and program specific indicators in Annex A. - Align substantive elements of the project with national strategic and planning documents. - Inform UNEP on the status of work and highlight, in a timely manner, risks related to the quality of the information received and the fulfillment of the project's development schedule. - Prepare a first draft of the CEO Endorsement Package, including relevant annexes (annexes to be included in the first draft will be discussed and agreed upon with the Task Manager) - Prepare and organize in close coordination with the national counterparts a stakeholder validation workshop (second country mission) to validate the developed CEO Endorsement Document (log frames, results framework, budget, workplan, gender action plan, etc.) with key country counterparts. - Prepare a mission report and validation workshop report summarizing the findings, recommendations and decisions taken during the workshop, and the participants list. - Lead the discussion of co-finance contributions, validate the amount and nature of contributions, identify to which project Component(s) the contribution is allocated, complete the co-finance budget template (Annex I-2 of the CEO Endorsement Document) and provide any inputs required to obtain signed co-finance commitment letters. - Prepare a final stakeholder consultation report. The GEF requires that a report is prepared and submitted on stakeholder holder consultations undertaken during the PPG. - Prepare a presentation for internal discussion to UNEP management describing national circumstances and context, baseline, barriers, proposed intervention and indicators - Prepare a final and complete version of the CEO Endorsement Document and annexes for UNEP internal review and submission to GEF Secretariat. - Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the UNEP Project Review Committee (PRC) and draft the responses to the Committee's reviews. - Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the GEF secretariat and draft responses to Secretariat reviews.

Project management of projects under development - Provide technical input to projects under development; - Revise project implementation plans and ensure development steps are followed; - Revise the project development timeline and provide inputs to ensure project development occurs on time; - Provide inputs to stakeholder consultation processes in the development of the projects; - Develop a GEF-8 project development coordination tool and share with the Task Manager; - Prepare the UNEP safeguards identification form; - Prepare the checklist for UNEP’s quality committee; - Upload GEF-8 endorsement document packages to the GEF portal.

Project management of projects under execution - Prepare reports to the Task Manager on the progress and risk situation of projects in the LAC portfolio, and submit to the Task Manager strategy documents to effectively mitigate identified project risks; - Prepare and send half-yearly report templates to Executing Agencies for projects in the LAC portfolio, hold meetings with these agencies and send guidance emails to ensure correct and timely completion of the reports, and review such reports to ensure their timely completion; - Prepare and send project implementation review report templates to Executing Agencies for projects in the LAC portfolio, hold meetings with these agencies and send guidance emails to ensure correct and timely completion of the reports, and review such reports to ensure their timely completion; - Prepare mid-term review (MTR) terms of reference and review mid-term review reports for projects, sending a summary of the MTR to the Task Manager when the review is completed. Prepare an MTR implementation plan to facilitate Executing Agency implementation of MTR recommendations; - Provide inputs for facilitating the technical and financial closure of projects; - Travel to undertake the previous tasks in country, as required and decided by the Task Manager.

Project documentation - Develop draft legal agreements for new projects and project extensions; - Prepare documents for UNEP project internalization and revision processes, and provide inputs to ensure completed UNEP clearance and approval processes; - Prepare project supervision plans and risk logs for projects and periodically update them. Request the Executing Agencies to update their procurement plans and review such plans, providing inputs to finalize them; - Prepare project revision documents for technical and financial revisions for projects, ensuring that project revision documentation is complete for UNEP approval; - Review expenditure reports together with the finance team to ensure (a) correct amounts have been charged; (b) expenditures are aligned with project deliverables and thus acceptable; (c) expenditure is not exceeding the budget line allocations and overall budget. Send feedback emails to Executing Agencies in order for the agency to complete the document correctly - Review cash advance requests in collaboration with the finance team. Provide guidance to Executing Agencies in order for them to complete the document correctly.

Portfolio management - Prepare a report identifying measures to enhance the effectiveness of portfolio management tools; - Develop and implement measures to visualize and graphically represent portfolio data for facilitating decision-making; - Develop and implement measures to enhance the effectiveness of the portfolio filing system; - Prepare databases for the uploading of information to the Integrated Planning, Management and Reporting (IPMR) solution system and upload information to the system; - Undertake research to identify ways to enhance the effectiveness of portfolio management and operations; - Develop flowcharts for the development, review and approval of technical and financial documents.

Qualifications/special skills - Advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: project management, engineering, law, business administration, environment, economics, development, finance, or a related discipline is required; - A first level degree with additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree; - Minimum of five (5) years of experience in managing projects related to climate change, environment or development is required; - Experience in working with national governments of Latin America and the Caribbean is required; - Experience in reviewing project documents, progress reports, workplans, and financial documents (budgets and expenditure reports) is a desirable; - Experience working with GEF, GCF, CDM or UNEP projects is a desirable; - Experience in working for multilateral or bilateral funding entities in the field of climate change, environment or development is a desirable;

Languages - English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English and Spanish is required.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.