Project Management Support - Senior Officer

Water & Energy Cluster Background: 

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. WEC is based in Vienna and has offices globally. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support. 

WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The NDC Partnership: 

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries and institutions collaborating to drive transformational climate action through sustainable development. In 2015, the world endorsed the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Nations signal their commitments to the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - each country’s strategy to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience against the negative effects of a changing climate. The Partnership advances the goals of the Paris Agreement by bringing together over 220 countries and institutions in new ways to accelerate NDC implementation and enhance ambition over time. The Partnership’s work through 120 partners supporting more than 90 countries produces many examples of impact, lessons learned and ideas for the future. The Partnership is governed by a Steering Committee, co-chaired by two country representatives. The Partnership’s work is facilitated by a Support Unit (SU) based at World Resources Institute in Washington DC and the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. 

UNOPS supports the NDC Partnership and its Support Unit through the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) under UNOPS Global Portfolios (GPO) and reporting through the Geneva Office (GVA).  

Role specific:

Under the overall guidance of the NDC Partnership Senior Programme Manager and the direct supervision of the Programme Management Specialist, the Project Management Support - Senior Officer will provide efficient and effective delivery of programme management and HR operational support to the personnel of the NDC Partnership, including In-country Facilitators and Embedded Advisors, ensuring alignment with the NDC Partnerships strategic needs. 

The key responsibilities include overall programme management support, with specific focus on facilitating seamless HR processes, the development of HR recruitment plans, onboarding initiatives, addressing matters related to local administration and preparing Terms of Reference (TOR) for new roles within the NDC Partnership programme. This role also supports the day-to-day management and support of the In-country Facilitator and Embedded Advisors in terms of their reporting, monitoring of deliverables, certificate of payment and training. 

Summary of Key Functions  

1. Programme Management Support.

2. Outreach for Inclusive and Effective Recruitment.

3. Preparation of Terms of Reference (TOR);

4. Collaboration and Coordination.

• Advanced University degree in Human Resources management, Business Administration, social or behavioral sciences.
• Or a First University degree in Human Resources management or related fields combined with 4 years of relevant experience.

• At least two years of professional project/programme/portfolio management support in areas such as HR processes including administration, contract management, reporting, recruitment, outreach and/or onboarding within an international, public or corporate organization, is required. 

• Experience in multicultural settings is preferable.  

• UN system experience, especially with UNOPS, is desirable.

• Experience in managing transactional projects is an asset.

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: IICA-1 (ICS-9)
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.