Senior Integrated Energy Systems Expert

The consultant will support the following activities: 1. Programme leadership and strategic development Lead the technical design, development and initial implementation of UNEP’s Global Demand Flexibility Accelerator, including programme strategy, work planning, results framework, risk management, partner roles and technical priorities. 2. Country programme leadership Lead UNEP’s technical and policy engagement with governments and power-sector institutions in priority countries, initially Brazil and the Philippines, to develop nationally owned demand-side flexibility programmes and roadmaps. 3. National roadmap development Lead the development of a common UNEP methodology for national demand-side flexibility roadmaps and oversee its application in priority countries, covering flexibility potential, power-system value, institutional responsibilities and policy, regulatory, market and financing pathways. 4. Senior government and stakeholder engagement Represent UNEP in technical and strategic discussions with ministries, regulators, planning agencies, system operators, utilities, standards institutions and other national stakeholders; support establishment of government ownership, governance arrangements and institutional partnerships for country activities. 5. International standards and interoperability Lead UNEP engagement with relevant international and national standards organisations, including ISO, IEC and national standards and conformity-assessment bodies, to identify and advance practical standards pathways for demand-side flexibility, appliances, buildings and interoperable energy systems. 6. Market and regulatory frameworks Provide senior technical guidance on the development of enabling market arrangements for demand-side flexibility, including aggregation, utility and system-operator procurement, measurement and verification, contractual arrangements, consumer safeguards and participation of flexible buildings, cooling, EVs and distributed energy resources. 7. Technical oversight and quality assurance Provide technical oversight and quality assurance for analytical work undertaken by consultants, implementing partners and technical organisations, including power-system analysis, country diagnostics, market and regulatory studies, standards assessments and implementation studies. 8. Strategic partnerships Lead technical coordination with IRENA and other international and technical partners and ensure effective integration of demand flexibility activities across UNEP platforms including the Cool Coalition, GlobalABC, United for Efficiency and relevant sustainable mobility activities. 9. Resource mobilisation and donor engagement Lead or substantially contribute to the development of funding proposals, donor engagement and resource-mobilisation strategies for demand-side flexibility and integrated energy systems, including development of programme concepts, budgets, results frameworks and implementation partnerships. 10. Global thought leadership and representation Lead or coordinate major UNEP knowledge products on demand-side flexibility and represent UNEP in international technical and policy forums, workshops and standards processes, translating country experience into global guidance and disseminating international good practice to country partners.

Paris

9 months

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) supports developing countries in accelerating the transition towards low-carbon, resilient and affordable energy systems. Through its work on buildings, cooling, energy efficiency, decentralised energy and clean-energy finance, UNEP works with governments and industry to translate global energy-transition objectives into practical policy, regulatory and investment solutions. Electricity demand is growing rapidly in emerging and developing economies, driven by urbanisation, cooling, industrial development and the electrification of transport and other end uses. At the same time, increasing shares of variable renewable energy are creating a growing need for power-system flexibility. Demand-side flexibility. the ability of consumers and distributed energy resources to shift, reduce or automate electricity demand in response to system conditions, can reduce peak demand, improve renewable-energy integration, strengthen reliability and resilience, and reduce the need for costly generation and network investment. Against this background, UNEP is developing and delivering a Global Demand Flexibility Accelerator, combining global technical and standards work with country-level technical assistance. The programme will support governments in developing nationally owned demand-side flexibility roadmaps, strengthening policy, regulatory and market frameworks, advancing interoperability and standards, and identifying practical pathways for implementation. Initial country activities will focus on Brazil and the Philippines, alongside engagement with international organisations, standards bodies, utilities, system operators, industry and other technical partners. The Integrated Energy Systems Consultant will provide senior technical and programmatic leadership for UNEP’s work on demand-side flexibility and integrated energy systems, including the development and delivery of the Global Demand Flexibility Accelerator. The Consultant will lead programme design and technical coordination, government and partner engagement, development of national demand-side flexibility roadmaps, international standards and market-enabling work, resource mobilisation, and quality assurance of technical outputs. The assignment will require engagement with senior government officials, regulators, system operators, international organisations, standards bodies, technical partners and donors, as well as coordination across relevant UNEP programmes and regional teams.

An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent additional experience) in environmental science, international relations, political science, public policy, economics or engineering A minimum of 10 progressively responsible professional experience in the energy sector is required, including demonstrated experience leading international programmes, providing technical and policy advice to governments, and coordinating multi-country initiatives and partnerships in areas such as power-system flexibility, energy efficiency, integrated energy systems or clean-energy transitions. Thorough familiarity with project management best practices. Qualifying years of experience are calculated following the receipt of the first level university degree recognized by the United Nations.

Fluency in written and oral English is a requirement for this position

Not available.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.