Technical Specialist - Environment (Retainer)

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been supporting Nepal by implementing projects since 2007. It was established as a country office for Nepal in 2015 and operates under the South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The UNOPS Nepal Office has implemented Projects in all seven provinces of Nepal with key government partners; the Nepal Police (Ministry of Home Affairs), the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Finance and Provincial/local Governments. Supporting Nepal’s development plan and the 2030 Agenda, the Nepal Office is implementing projects in post-earthquake reconstruction, security and justice, field monitoring and coordination, and in recent times– immediate health support to respond to the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) crisis. Within the reconstruction portfolio, the Nepal Office provided socio-technical assistance to individual households, developed innovative approaches for retrofitting earthquake-damaged homes, and delivered services to the most vulnerable households, ensuring nobody is left behind.

In Nepal, environmental and climate change issues have become increasingly alarming as reflected in flooding, landslides, forest fires, deforestation, unregulated carbon emissions, unmanaged solid waste and wastewater disposal, encroachment of river basins, uncontrolled mining of rivers and quarries, haphazard urbanization, environmentally unfriendly infrastructure construction such as roads etc. There is a requirement for assessing the existing environment and climate change policy framework including the creation of new ones, capacity building, and addressing environmental and climate resilience concerns with the development of infrastructures in all tiers of government; federal, provincial and local.   

UNOPS wants to strengthen its environment and climate change portfolio through potential partnerships with the like minded organizations and the government with a qualified specialist who is able to assist the federal, provincial and local governments in Nepal in achieving the SDGs along with the country’s national and international obligations in areas of environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation as spelled out in its Nationally Determined Contributions II (NDC). 

The Incumbent will lead UNOPS Nepal activities related to climate change, environment, DRR and other related fields and provide necessary technical guidance and support to the Project Managers during project implementation and support the  Country Manager and project managers to develop and implement projects.

Under the direct supervision of the Country Manager, the Specialist will among others:

• Provide technical advice to the country office in the field of environment and climate change-related interventions which may include issues specific to pollution, DRR, emissions reduction, flood adaptation, solid waste management, energy conservation, and environmental and social management plans.

• Provide technical advice to the country team on the development of key guidance documents, templates, and other tools and instruments as required, to enhance the ability of the country team to plan and implement environment and climate change projects. 

• Work closely with the UNOPS Nepal partnerships development team to collaborate with other UN agencies, government/s, research institutes, private sector, and other related organizations involved in the areas of environment and climate change to promote a substantive and strategic policy engagement of UNOPS on environment and climate change. 

• Provide inputs to strengthen project proposals related to environment and climate change with a focus on potential risks and mitigation measures. 

• Research and analyze national policies on solid waste management, climate change and environment, DRR, urbanization, flood adaptation, and the like.  

• Contribution to Liaise with the government and other like-minded organizations.

• Provide technical advice and contribute to the development of strategic directions and quality assurance frameworks for the country office about environment and sustainability.

• Support coordination and discussions with relevant stakeholders, as technical contributors for the development of new and innovative solutions related to environment and climate change. 

• Conduct research, assessments, and feasibility studies in the field of climate change and DRR.

• In coordination with the partnerships development team explore opportunities locally and internationally for new engagement opportunities.  

• Review technical reports and guide improvements.

• Capacitate the country team to develop and maintain an institution for continuous skills dialogue and support to implementation with relevant government and like-minded partners.

• Participate in QC/QA missions and provide technical analysis and advice.

• provide inputs for communications and knowledge management activities under the country office.

• Provide technical backstopping on environment and climate change-related opportunities to prepare concept notes and project proposals for UNOPS Nepal. 

Education:

• A Master’s Degree preferably in climate sciences, environmental sciences, earth sciences, or natural resources is required.

• A Bachelor’s Degree with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master's Degree.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience on issues related to environmental management, climate risk, vulnerability reduction, and capacity development is required.

• Proven experience and knowledge of Nepal’s institutional framework and policies of environmental management and climate change are desirable.

• Broad experience working with a variety of institutions; including the UN, government/public institutions, private sector, and or research/academia are highly desired.

• Experience in policy analysis, and development work in the area of environment, climate change, and related issues is desirable.

• Familiarity with and contributions to high-level policy dialogues and advisory functions involving high-level government counterparts and other stakeholders is highly desirable.

• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the global debate on environment, and climate change and experience in multilateral environmental debates and dialogues and processes are desirable.

• Experience and demonstrated knowledge of institutional donor procedures and requirements are desirable.

• Experience in successfully working and achieving tangible results in challenging and complex environments and/or demonstrating the challenges associated with working in developing countries is desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English and Nepali is required. 

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: LICA Specialist-10
Contract duration: Retainer - 12 months

• 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.

• This vacancy announcement is open only to nationals of Nepal.

• This position is stationed in Kathmandu, Nepal, which is a family duty station.

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.