Environment and Climate Change Advisor

UNOPS South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) is recruiting for this position


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.

Asia Region 

The Asia Region office has overall responsibility for the effective management and performance oversight of multi-country and country offices throughout the region. 

UNOPS has operational presence in 17 countries in the Asia Region: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, with the Office of the Regional Director for Asia Region located in Bangkok.

South Asia Multi County Office:

The South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) oversees the development and implementation of projects in 7 countries in South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAMCO offers expertise in infrastructure, procurement, human resource management, and fund management. All the project offices have local technical experts and strong partnerships with the governments in each country.

This senior  position is within the South Asia Multi Country Office (SAMCO). The Senior Environment and Climate Change Expert will be engaged on retainer contract, providing expert services as required  by respective country offices under SAMCO. The specific tasks for each assignment will  vary reflecting the diverse needs of the country offices Under the guidance and oversight of the Head of Programmes, SAMCO and direct supervision of the designated Supervisor within the requesting office, the expert  will be  called upon for specific assignment/projects to fulfill the following key tasks:

Technical Expertise

• Provide strategic and expert advice in addressing decarbonisation and low carbon infrastructure needs in SAMCO countries to ensure compliance with the SDGs, Biodiversity and the Paris Agreement targets.
• Lead the development of strategies, regulatory framework, guidelines, and enabling environment to promote climate mitigation and decarbonisation actions in infrastructure sectors.
• Conduct detailed assessments and provide technical reviews of environmental and climate mitigation plans and policies for infrastructure projects.
• Oversee the integration of  climate mitigation actions in technical project proposals and documents of infrastructure projects.
• Lead the development of climate risk assessments and adaptation plans for infrastructure projects.
• Provide high level technical Environment and climate mitigation related advice to project teams and partners at any life cycle stages of infrastructure project development in compliance with UNFCCC climate mitigation guidelines.
• Represent SAMCO/Country Offices in events and meetings with stakeholders and partners, providing expert climate mitigation inputs and support.
• Promote advanced data collection methodologies and conceptualize innovative technological tools and mechanisms oriented to enhance climate change mitigation standards of the SAMCO/country offices project portfolio.
• Lead and Support country offices to develop and implement projects on Climate Change and Nature Based Solutions.
• Work collaboratively (when requested) with other SAMCO experts in the area of climate change mitigation and others, to achieve comprehensive infrastructure solutions aligned with the SDGs and with Paris Agreement targets.

Capacity Development and Training

• Design, develop and / or implement climate mitigation training programmes and capacity building initiatives for both internal and external participants.
• Develop and implement mentoring programs to build the capacity of country staff and local experts in climate mitigation.
• Develop and deliver training tools and techniques to mainstream climate mitigation in SAMCO/Country Offices infrastructure and project management services.
• Facilitate cross-country knowledge exchange programs to share best practices and lessons learned in climate mitigation.

Practice Contribution and Knowledge Sharing

• Ensure climate mitigation best practice guidance is disseminated and communicated throughout the relevant programmes and country offices and departments.
• Strengthen UNOPS knowledge management by capturing case studies and best practice examples of climate mitigation in infrastructure projects/programmes throughout SAMCO/Country Offices
• Provide substantive contribution to SAMCO/Country Offices Climate Change practice focusing on continuous improvement of climate mitigation and decarbonisation; support the development of policy, guidance and tools.
• Create and strengthen technical support mechanisms for the dissemination of best practices to governments and other clients in the area of climate change mitigation.

Business Development

• Support SAMCO country offices in identifying and accessing  climate funds and to develop proposals for funding from international climate funds and donor agencies.
• Share institutional and industry knowledge of climate mitigation options in infrastructure development with clients.
• Provide expert climate mitigation support to enable the delivery of low-carbon Infrastructure projects and provide support to SAMCO project teams and partners in line with the climate aspirations in the UNOPS corporate strategy.
• Provide climate mitigation technical support to further SAMCO/Country offices position as a climate change thought leader and value add partner to governments and other clients.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Oversee monitoring and evaluation frameworks for climate mitigation projects.
• Conduct periodic reviews and audits of climate mitigation efforts to ensure compliance with international standards and targets.

Education:

• A Master’s Degree or equivalent in energy planning/economics, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Climate Change, Sustainable Development, International Development or a related field from an accredited university.
• Applicants with a Bachelor’s Degree with additional two (2) years of relevant working experience may also be considered in lieu of the Master’s Degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 seven  years experience of climate mitigation in the infrastructure sectors preferably in one or more of the following sectors: energy, climate change, environment and urban planning and development is required.
• Extensive experience in the mainstreaming of climate mitigation measures in infrastructure projects is required.
• Familiarity with the environmental and climate change context of Asia Region is desirable.
• Experience in resource efficient design and delivery of green infrastructure is desirable.
• Experience in mainstreaming climate mitigation actions in infrastructure  projects is desirable.
• Experience in advising the structuring and compliance of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in developing countries is desirable.
• International experience in developing countries is desirable.
• Previous assignments with the UN system or other International Organization will be an added advantage.

Language:

• Proficiency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
Contract level: Local ICA Specialist, LICA - 11
Contract duration: Retainer ICA – One year, with possibility of extension subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.


For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

• 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.