Climate Programme Officer

The UNEP-CCC (UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre) was established in early 2022. UNEP-CCC is programmatically guided by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and operationally supported by UNOPS. UNEP-CCC was established to ensure the preservation and continuation of the experience and capacity established through a 30-year working relationship between UNEP, DTU (Danish Technical University), and the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), known as the UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP). 

UNEP-CCC is a leading international advisory institution on energy, climate and sustainable development. Its work focuses on assisting developing countries and emerging economies to transition towards more low-carbon development paths and supports the integration of climate resilience in national development. UNEP-CCC is actively engaged in implementing UN Environment’s Climate Change Strategy and Energy Programme by delivering technical assistance and analytical work to emerging markets and developing countries in context of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

Within the UNEP-CCC, the ID (Institutional Development) section provides the institutional development expertise required to engage in policy, planning, transparency, market development, and climate policy integration into regular development processes to promote partner country's low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathways. The section assists partner countries in maximising the effectiveness of climate change and sustainable development policies at national and sub-national level through four types of activities: integration of climate change concerns in regular development processes; analysis of institutional strengths and weaknesses and development of concepts to support institutional change processes; establishing new institutions or strengthening weak institutions at both the national and subnational levels; formulating recommendation aimed to strengthen regulatory environments. 

ID section is involved in several projects that support the Centre strategy in the areas of policy planning and transparency. ID seeks to recruit a Climate Programme Officer. The successful candidate will primarily be part of the team implementing projects related to the NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution ) Action and ETF (Enhanced transparency framework), such as the CBIT-GSP (Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency and  - the Global Support Programme).The NDC Action is funded by the IKI (International Climate Initiative) and implemented by UNEP and UNEP-CCC to assist 10 partner countries globally in translating their NDCs into actionable strategies and plans ready for financing. CBIT-GSP is a GEF (Global Environmental Facility) funded project, implemented by UNEP and executed by UNEP-CCC. The successful candidate would also be part of the various projects in UNEP-CCC, developing and implementing other NDC, LTS (Long-Term Strategy), energy, and transparency projects. The candidate will strengthen the visibility of the section’s institutional development work in international fora and contribute to analytical work and publications.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Section and/or project manager, specific areas of work for the Climate Programme Officer will include:

• Provide assistance to the project team to support developing countries through the projects led by and involved with the ID section 

• Provide assistance and project management support for specific implementation phases of the projects managed by the senior staff of the ID section including but not limited to the NDC Action

• Help to ensure the quality and schedule of deliverables from project partners such as local consultants and suppliers.

• Under the guidance of senior PMs, manage and support the implementation of various activities of the ID section. 

• Perform data collection and analysis, as relevant to the operational needs of projects they are involved with

• Support the preparation of contracts, processing payment requests, and liaison with the communications with the admin team of UNEP-CCC relevant to project implementation.

• Organize webinars, virtual conferences, and regular communications with project partners, taking care of the logistics and liaising with the relevant UNOPS team for travel, procurement, and other needs for these events.

• Understand section's strategy and long-term vision and provides support and contributes to its implementation as per the guidance of the Head of Section and other PMs (project managers) in the team.

The process will be based on performance evaluation including the following:

• Successful completion of project management tasks that will be assigned to the staff, including timely submission of corresponding deliverables

• Successful and timely maintenance of the project website and online knowledge-sharing platform

• Level of contribution to the strategic discussions and common tasks as part of the ID section

a. Education 

The candidate should possess a master's degree or equivalent work experience in Engineering, Economics, Social Sciences, or Natural Sciences with a thesis related to climate change with project management skills and ability to comply with tightly managed internal processes. A first level university degree (bachelor or equivalent) with two (2) additional years of professional experience will be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree.

b. Experience     

Required

• At least two years experience working in the field of climate change and sustainable development. 

• Experience in planning and  organizing workshops and conferences on climate change or energy with an international audience, particularly on-line events.

• Strong Knowledge of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) processes and the international climate governance related to the  Paris Agreement, in particular NDC and LTS.

• Knowledge in data generation, processing, and analysis in the context of countries reporting obligations to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

• Experience in project management and coordination.

Desired

• Experience in institutional analysis and arrangement will be a strong asset. 

• Sensible multicultural awareness and ability to work in an interdisciplinary and international environment.

• Knowledge of carbon market

• IT (Information Technology) and programming skills (e.g. excel, python, R, etc.)

• Experience working with emerging and developing countries.

c. Languages

The working language at UNEP-CCC is English. Therefore, fluency in English is required, with an emphasis on both speaking and writing skills. Fluency in either Spanish and/or French is highly desired. Additional fluency in any other UN language is an asset.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement 
Contract level: IICA 1 / ICS 9
Contract duration: One year (12 months) initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

 ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.