Senior Economic Advisor (Technical Specialist Environmental) - Armenia (Retainer Homebased)

WEC Background: 

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. 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 Government of Armenia, specifically the Ministry of Economy, is planning to engage partners to identify and prioritize project needs emanating from the objectives of the Green and Sustainable Economic Development agenda.

The Ministry of Economy has developed Armenia’s Green and Sustainable Economic Development Strategy and its Roadmap, whose main directions are clearly defined in the Government's 2021-2026 Action Plan. The Government defines the transformation of the economy in accordance with the reality of low-carbon energy and the provision of the prerequisites for the long-term preservation of natural resources in the economic cycle as important preconditions for sustainable development.  

The Government is taking action to increase the share of renewable energy to 50 percent of the total energy mix by 2030. Another key target is to increase the share of electric vehicles to 10 percent in the overall fleet. Measures will be taken to prioritize public and private investment and activate the implementation process. The transition towards a green economy will also create a number of new opportunities for businesses and job-seekers and make Armenian products and services more resilient and competitive in international markets. This is a virtuous path, but it requires concerted efforts, including the introduction of targeted policies, the availability of financial products for green growth and incentive schemes, and the mobilization of appropriate labor market skills.

Through the Special Economic Advisor supported by the NDC Partnership, the Ministry of Economy will receive the support for 1 year (in line with the remaining time-period of the Government Programme for 2021-2026) in unlocking resources to support the implementation of a policy aimed at promoting the goals of the green and sustainable economic development agenda. More specifically, the Economic Advisor will support the Ministry of Economy in developing a subset of projects to access international and domestic sources of public and private finance and structuring finance for investment in these projects. The embedded Advisor will also conduct capacity-building activities for the Ministry of Economy and line ministries to ensure lasting capacity in-country through knowledge transfer.

About the NDC Partnership

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries and institutions working to mobilize support and achieve ambitious climate goals while enhancing sustainable development. Through our Partnership, members leverage their resources and expertise to provide countries with the tools they need to implement their NDCs and combat climate change to build a better future. Hosted by WRI, UNOPS and the UNFCCC Secretariat, the NDC Partnership has members in all regions of the world, with staff in Washington, DC, and Bonn, Germany. UNOPS supports the NDC Partnership and its Support Unit through the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC).

A Senior Economic Advisor embedded in the Ministry of Economy will implement the following tasks:

• Advise the Ministry of Economy in identifying, mapping and prioritizing a subset of investment projects in a programmatic approach aimed at promoting Green and Sustainable Economic Development Agenda and addressing relevant gaps in the NDC Partner Coordination Support Plan. Preliminary identified priority sectors are climate-smart agriculture, management of agrifood system, e-mobility (including transport infrastructure), renewable energy and industry, management of natural resources, addressing capacity building, policy and institutional framework development;

• Work plan agreed with the government and a short inception report summarizing the status of the government’s ongoing and planned measures for the implementation of the Green and Sustainable Economic Development Agenda and addressing relevant gaps in the NDC Partner Coordination Support Plan

• Develop and package concept notes (the number of notes will be defined at the mapping phase), including support in navigating the range of financing sources, engaging stakeholders to fulfill funding proposal requirements, and assessing financial instruments to structure investments;

• Perform financial, economic, and regulatory analysis throughout project concept and design stages in collaboration with the country teams and government counterparts, including designing and recommending suitable financial structures;

• Based on developed concept notes, conduct (pre)feasibility assessments of 2 green investment projects/programs, engaging all relevant stakeholders (selection of 2 projects for (pre) feasibility assessment will be coordinated by the leadership of the Ministry of Economy in liaison with the government counterparts);

• Coordinate between line ministries and implementing/development partners to accelerate projects through the investment pipeline;

• Where possible, pursue opportunities to finance projects through domestic resources as a means of enhancing country ownership;

• Develop a concept note for Armenia to establish institutional and technical measures for the implementation of carbon accounting in the private sector;

• Upon request from the Ministry of Economy, draft guidelines for the private sector to understand climate obligations deriving from the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM);

• Provide feedback and recommendations on governmental strategies and concept papers regarding green economy, renewable energy, agrifood systems, climate-smart agriculture, climate change, and related sectors;

• Upon request of the Ministry of Economy, participate in conferences, workshops, meetings, official events, and negotiation processes;  

• Design and deliver mentorship programme for the Ministry of Economy, and line ministries and other in-country stakeholders (2 groups of mentees) to ensure knowledge transfer to local staff;

• Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by the Ministry of Economy and the NDC Partnership Support Unit.

The Senior Economic Advisor will work under the guidance of the Ministry of Economy and in close collaboration with other relevant government agencies in the country. However, the advisor will formally report to the Partnership Development Specialist of the NDC Partnership Support Unit. 

• Master Degree preferably in environmental economics, environmental management, development economics and/or finance, or related fields is required.

• Bachelor's degree in related discipline in combination with an additional 2 years (7 total) of relevant work experience is required.

Required

• 5 years of experience in national or international public, or private sector institutions with a special focus on coordination and articulation of different actors, preparation and implementation of multi-stakeholder work plans, resource mobilization, preparation of proposals for climate actions, crisis response and recovery, project management, monitoring and evaluation

• Experience and knowledge of green and sustainable economic strategies and policies.

Assets

• In-depth knowledge of the national plans, strategies and policies related to climate change in the country

• 3 years of international experience (link to qualifications relevant to financing mechanisms, dealing with bilateral and multilateral financing institutions) is an asset

• Experience and relevant skills in the use of the Office suite (e.g. MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint), virtual communication tools (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype) and other tools and packages for project management purposes

Fluency in written and spoken English and Armenian is required. 

Contract type: Local ICA retainer
Contract level: LICA 10 / ICS 10
Contract duration: 1 year, max 220 working days, with possibility of extension. 


For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx 

• 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.