ENDC Coordinator in North Macedonia Retainer (Project Management Support Specialist)

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 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 nearly 200 countries and institutions in new ways to accelerate NDC implementation and enhance ambition over time. The Partnership’s work through 120 partners supporting almost 80 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 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).

The ENDC Coordinator (Project Management Support Specialist) will contribute to the achievement of the expected Outcomes and Outputs of the NDC process in North Macedonia. This will include supporting the Climate Change Counselor (and UNFCCC and Partnership Focal Point) of the MoEPP in coordinating the ENDC implementation through strengthening coordination and cooperation on implementation of ENDC efforts in the country, identifying needs of capacity, resource mobilization, supporting organization of meetings, overall planning, and organization of activities at national level.

The support will lead to the establishment of North Macedonia’s Climate Coordination Secretariat, which will be responsible for tracking and reporting NDC-related projects in North Macedonia; serving and driving the National Coordination Committee on Climate Action; and ensuring the country continues to fulfill its mandate by preparing, communicating, and maintaining successive NDCs that the country intends to achieve. The hiring of the ENDC Coordinator (Project Management Support Specialist) will additionally support the coordination of key government institutions and partners involved in implementation of the ENDC and LTSCA. The ENDC coordinator will be embedded in the MoEPP.

• Objective 1: Support for establishment and running of a Climate Coordination Secretariat office within the MoEPP to strengthen the ministry's institutional capacities for coordinating the implementation of ENDC and LTSCA.
• Objective 2: Support MoEPP to partner with academia to sensitize students to climate change issues and access support for knowledge exchange and the development of training curricula.

• Master’s degree in engineering (mitigation – mechanical engineering, electrical engineering,), natural sciences (mitigation/adaptation – agriculture, forestry, water resources) relevant to climate change and environment.  

• Bachelor's degree in related discipline in combination with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree

Required

• With a Master degree, five years of relevant experience in project management, event management or a similar field.

• Practical experience in climate change, adaptation/mitigation planning and implementation. 

• Demonstrated experience working in multi-ethnic environment, demanding conditions working with public sector, private and/or civil society organizations.

• Good knowledge of the UNFCCC processes and all its instruments including the Convention, Paris Agreement, and the NDC and negotiations.

• Working experience in the areas of climate change, sustainable development, economic policy, and international development

Asset

• Experience organizing and facilitating engagements, events, and stakeholder dialogues. 

• Experience with multilateral and bilateral development partners

• Ability to communicate technical concepts and complex ideas to a wide audience.

• Knowledge of sustainable financial taxonomy

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

• Language skill in Macedonian is an advantage.

Contract type: Local ICA - retainer
Contract level: LICA 10
Contract duration: 12 months with possibility of extension depending on performance and on availability of funds.

• 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.