Intern - Grants Management Support

Background Information UNOPS, GPO,  Water, Environment, and Climate (WEC) Portfolio

Background on Green Climate Fund (GCF)

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has established the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme and Project Preparation Facility (RPSP/PPF), to assist developing countries in accessing funding from the GCF for their climate resilient and low emission transformation, and to enhance ownership of the countries’ envisaged low carbon trajectory.

In 2018, GCF selected UNOPS to provide grants management support on their behalf, to Delivery Partners that wish to obtain support from the RPSP/PPF programme. UNOPS is responsible for ensuring that the individual projects are implemented in full compliance with agreed GCF and UNOPS rules and regulations. Finally, UNOPS has a financial and programmatic reporting responsibility defined in the Project Agreement as well as reporting to the GCF-UNOPS Project Board. 

As of June 2024, UNOPS is providing Grant Management Services to approximately 270 Readiness and PPF projects globally. UNOPS has established a dedicated project team (GCF Project Team) within WEC based in Vienna and in Copenhagen.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Programme Management - Senior Associate, the Intern is expected to provide support to GCF Grants management performing a variety of administrative processes, ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. 

The intern will be an integral part of a dynamic and diverse team, playing a key supportive role in Grant Management Services. This position offers a unique opportunity to gain invaluable experience in climate financing, grants management, monitoring and reporting, as well as stakeholder engagement. 

I. Project/Grants Management Support

• Collect and verify key documents relevant to the grant set-up, including project proposals, budget, etc, ensuring accuracy and completeness with the support from supervisors.

• Support supervisors in monitoring the implementation of grants by tracking the timely start, progress, and completion of activities, highlighting any potential delays for discussion and actions, and assisting with extensions and revisions by drafting amendments.

• Assist in monitoring the performance of Delivery Partners implementing grants.

• Support in collating information of individual grant implementation progress and financial performance.

• Assist in the preparation of Quarterly Progress Reports for GCF and UNOPS Project Board.

II. General

• Support development and upkeep of records, logs, reports and other documents, are maintained as per corporate requirements.

• Attend the meetings with GCF, Delivery Partners, and other stakeholders and support by drafting of meeting minutes and/or translation.

• Perform any other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

2. Learning and Development

Our team places importance on learning and development of strong transferable skills. We want to ensure this internship provides a valuable experience to the incumbent. Whilst most of the learning is done through on-the-job experience, we also give importance to regular chats with line managers, providing constructive feedback, as well as formal online courses. 

Below are some examples of what learning and development activities may look like:

• Access to the UNOPS Learning Zone with specialized courses on project management, finance, data management and other thematic areas.

• Access to the UNOPS intranet, the Project ERP system and the Communities of Practice (COPs) in Project Management, Gender Mainstreaming, Innovation and Research, and Sustainable Infrastructure.

• A unique view at grant management with exposure to regional and national contexts in climate financing.  

• Attend the bi-weekly coordination meetings with GCF colleagues.

• The incumbent should be enrolled in a Bachelor's degree, Master’s or be enrolled in a postgraduate program or have graduated from such studies within three (3) years prior to the start date of the intern assignment.
• Area of study should preferably relate to business administration, political science, public administration, law, procurement, finance, or related areas.

• 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.