Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:

  • Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates)  
  • Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and personnel on regular PSA contracts 
  • Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates 

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within the full UNDP scope of UNDP’s portfolio, the organization delivers integrated solutions to the interconnected environmental and social challenges of climate change, disasters, biodiversity loss, energy transition including access and efficiency, public health, food security, and chemicals and waste pollution – while advancing development priorities on governance, prosperity, and resilience. 

UNDP supports countries to identify the right mix of policies, institutions, and financial frameworks to scale up climate and nature action, reducing chemical and waste pollution. UNDP helps translate global commitments under the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Montreal Protocol, Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm Conventions and other international accords into effective local action, harnessing new ideas to tackle the financing challenge and supporting just and sustainable transitions that leave no one behind.

Across the areas of climate, nature, chemicals and waste, and energy, developing countries are seeking UNDP’s support to translate global commitments into tangible national and local action. Governments are requesting policy and regulatory advice, institutional capacity building, financing solutions, technical knowledge transfer, data-driven analysis, and programme implementation – including targeted support for indigenous peoples, local communities, and marginalized groups. There is also growing demand for integrated policy and planning tools that link the CBD, UNFCCC, Montreal Protocol, BRS, and GFC agendas and strengthen coherence with development and sectoral policies.

The Planet Hub is a key strategist, architect, enabler, and implementer that supports the achievement of the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 of UNDP. The Planet Hub drives UNDP’s vision of a world where economies and ecosystems thrive together — where energy systems are clean and accessible, nature is protected and restored, communities are resilient to climate impacts, and pollution is minimized. 

Cooling, Circularity & Pollution Prevention is a key pillar of the Planet Hub which focuses on greening the supply chain of various industries and products to eliminate harmful chemicals, reducing plastic and waste pollution, and promoting sustainable cooling and circular economy. 

The team manages UNDP’s Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol (MLF) portfolio, provides policy and technical support on project design and implementation for UNDP’s GEF funded chemical and waste portfolio, and manages relevant bilateral projects[1] related to cooling, circularity and chemicals and waste management.

The position will be located in the Cooling, Circularity & Pollution Prevention unit in the Planet Hub of UNDP/BPPS. The position will specifically be focusing on providing technical support to the portfolio design and implementation in the Arab States region for vertical funds and other donors. The RTS will have dual reporting lines to the Regional Team Lead (RTL) on environment and energy for Arab States and the Director of the Chemicals and Waste Team.

Duties and Responsibilities

The RTS is expected to provide services in areas of Cooling, Circularity & Pollution Preventions and Climate Actions, knowledge and capacity development services to UNDP country offices in the region.  Secondary clients might include other UN agencies, governments and inter-governmental organizations, NGO’s, donors, and the like. 

Innovation, Strategic Leadership, Dialogue and Advocacy

  • Provide support to establishing and maintaining a strategic understanding of, and engagement with, the substantive technical issues, institutions, and processes within the region, including establishing contact with and developing strategic partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGOs, the private sector, scientific institutions and the like;
  • Contribute to the identification, development and implementation of new strategic programming opportunities and partnerships in the area of the sound management of chemicals and waste, resource efficiency, circular economy, plastic pollution reduction and recycling;
  • Participate in global work-planning meetings, regional strategic planning, pipeline management exercises, among else; 
  • Participate in cross-substantive area technical dialogues, common strategic visioning, mainstreaming, programming, and other types of collaboration within the regional team; 
  • Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant regional bodies and provide substantive inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives; 
  • Advocate for policy and programme advances that UNDP is supporting in various fora including relevant global and regional meetings and in the relevant stakeholder consultation process including academia and civil society; 
  • Contribute to keep the Regional Team informed of trends and issues with respect to the substantive technical area.

Programming and Management

  • Advice on the development of strategic policy and guidance to strengthen the capacity of UNDP Country Offices in chemicals and waste project design and implementation including alignment with national priorities; 
  • Assist in the development and advocacy for specific policy analysis and development tools and guidance in support of programming and finance for sound chemicals and waste management;
  • Source technical expertise and support including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts and reviewing reports;
  • Contribute to regional retreats, focal area retreats, regional strategic planning, pipeline management exercises, etc.;
  • Promoting gender equity/empowerment in programming opportunities;
  • Ensure that strategies and projects are aligned with country outcomes and UNDP corporate environment results in internal UNDP project tracking systems;
  • Ensure quality and accuracy in data and project management systems, management of risks logs, and portfolio delivery rates;
  • Monitoring expected quality standards in project implementation reviews; 
  • Supporting the RCU in incorporating lessons from evaluations in future programming in the region.
  • Project identification and pipeline development for GEF-9 focusing on the GEF’s chemical and waste focal area, as well as relevant integrated programmes. 
  • Support the oversight of implementation of GEF-8 chemical and waste projects in the region. 
  • Guide the coordination of new projects on cooling at the region level. 
  • Support the development of regional and global initiatives related to Cooling, Circularity and Pollution Prevention and mobilize resources from the public and private sector as well as financial institutions. 
  • Provide support and guidance to waste management efforts in fragile countries in the region as part of early recovery processes, including debris removal actions, in close collaboration with UNDP’s crisis experts.

Policy Advisory and Resource Mobilization 

  • Track international policy discussions and development under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, Minamata Convention and Global Framework on Chemicals, Inter-government Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, Montreal Protocol and recommend to UNDP Country Offices, and Hub Management new policy and strategic alignment options; 
  • Provide trainings to partners and stakeholders in the programme countries in Arab States on policies progress of chemical and waste related international treaties. 
  • Contribute to the crosscutting work of plastic governance in both chemicals & waste management and ocean protection through a coherent policy and programming framework;
  • Foster policy innovation in the specific thematic area to enhance programme delivery;
  • Provide timely quality information and technical advice on source of funds’ policies, priorities and activities;
  • Work with UNDP country offices and partners, draft, revise, finalize and help editing concepts and project documents for submission to donors;
  • Collaborate to the coordination of design, preparation, submission and approval of project proposals and requests for project development financing;
  • Liaise with potential (co)financing agencies and institutions;
  • Contribute to the integration of chemicals and waste management into multi-focal / cross-sector programmes, projects and initiatives both at regional and national levels.
  • Recruit technical expertise and support including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts and reviewing reports.
  • Provide policy, strategy and technical advice on waste management, pollution prevention and circular economy.

Development Impact, Quality Assurance and Risk Management 

  • Assist with the inception, contracting and start-up of projects including establishment of indicators, benchmarks and work plans;
  • Guide UNDP country offices in the supervision, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, troubleshooting and adaptive management of approved projects, including preparing and reviewing annual reports, work plans and budgets, provide technical support on major procurement process in projects, timely completion of progress implementation reports, project completion reports, mid-term reviews and terminal evaluations;
  • Maintain and update project and portfolio information and corporate information systems;
  • Develop guidance and tools for country offices to utilize in operationalizing project inception, contracting and start-up of projects including establishment of indicators, benchmarks and work plans; 
  • Maintain quality/accuracy of data and documentation in UNDP project management systems (PIM+ and Quantum);
  • Monitor the implementation of projects to ensure expected quality standards, gender marks, stakeholder consultations, compliance with safeguards requirements and other UNDP POPP requirements; 
  • Monitor the delivery of the work plans and budget utilization, and provide support to improve delivery; 
  • Provide support to UNDP Country offices and execution partners to address significant implementation challenges, identify the projects at risk and facilitate the implementation of risk mitigation measures;
  • Engage with the UNDP Country Support Team in regional hub on project progress, delivery and troubleshooting;
  • Supporting UNDP HQ, country offices and partners on the communication of the project result, innovation, experience and lessons learned. 

Facilitate Learning, Knowledge Management and Self Development 

  • Evaluate, capture, codify, synthesize lessons and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of resource kits and other knowledge materials;
  • Peer review, comment on, and seek to improve, the technical quality of projects, policies, practices, guidelines, advisory notes, publications and the like; 
  • Assist with the preparation of regional Community of Practice meetings; 
  • Prepare and deliver training courses, as needed;
  • Contribute to cross-regional exchanges of knowledge by collaborating with policy teams in HQ to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools and guidance to help influence/advance policy dialogues in thematic areas and present such material at various fora; 
  • Develop knowledge products of relevance to support UNDP’s work on sound chemicals and waste management; 
  • Develop and carrying out a personal learning plan.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The RTS will work under the supervision of the Regional Team Lead (primary reporting line) on energy and environment for Arab States and the Director of the Chemicals and Waste team.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 
  • Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 
  • Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
  • Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
  • Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
  • Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
  • Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Management        

  • Results-based Management              
    • Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
    • Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.
  • Project Management 
    • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
  • Communications       
    • Communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
    • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.

2030 Agenda: Planet

  • Chemicals and Waste Hub   
    • Sustainable Gooling

Partnership Management   

  • Relationship management   
    • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust, and mutual understanding 

Business Direction & Strategy

  • System Thinking          
    • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education  

  • Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Public/Business Administration, Environmental Protection and/or Management, Engineering, Chemistry, Economics, or other closely related field is required. Or 
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree;

Min. years of relevant Work experience  

  • Minimum of 5 years’ (with master´s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional work experience in the Arab States region on international cooperation in resource mobilization and project implementation on environment, climate and energy, particular in the area related to the waste management, circular economy, and energy efficiency. 

Required skills

  • Knowledge of the institutions of the UN system, particularly international chemical conventions and relevant institutional mandates
  • Demonstrated experience in providing policy advisory services in areas related to cooling, and/or chemicals, waste, plastics, circular economy

Desired additional skills

  • Experience working in the Arab States region
  • Extended general experience in UNDP operational procedures (i.e., NIM) at the national level. 
  • Substantive knowledge and understanding of concepts and approaches relevant to supporting results-based programme management and implementation;
  • Experience working with the GEF or Vertical funds

Required Language(s) (at working level)  

  • Fluency in English and Arabic is required. 
  • Proficiency of another UN language (in particular French) will be an advantage.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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