African Energy Efficiency Specialist

The Energy Efficiency Specialist will play a crucial role in ensuring the successful management and implementation of projects by supporting the following: • oversee the day-to-day management and coordination of the projects, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among various partners and project stakeholders. This involves managing timelines, resources, and ensuring that all project activities align with the established goals and objectives. • provide expert technical support and policy advice to governments, assisting in the successful implementation of energy efficiency projects. Additionally, the role will extend to providing support for national and regional projects across East Africa , Southern Africa, West Africa and Southeast Asia, ensuring that regional policies and strategies are aligned with the broader objectives of the projects. • monitor the timely and high-quality development and submission of project deliverables, ensuring that all milestones are met. This will involve facilitating reporting and project evaluation by establishing a comprehensive reporting mechanism. The use of performance monitoring tools will be essential in assessing progress, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring that project outcomes meet both regional and national expectations.

Homebased - Eswatini

6 months

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) leads the United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative, which was launched in 2015 to help developing and emerging markets quickly and comprehensively transition to energy-efficient lighting, room air conditioners, household refrigerators, electric motors and transformers. A well-designed set of policies can help transform these markets by enabling them to leapfrog past outdated technologies to superior, cost-effective alternatives. The initiative is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with support from partners, including industry, international organizations and civil society. In national and regional projects around the world, U4E promotes an Integrated Policy Approach that includes minimum energy performance standards (MEPS); product labelling and communications; financial mechanisms; market monitoring, verification of product performance and enforcement of regulations (MVE); and environmentally sound management (ESM) and safe handling of products. Neighbouring countries are encouraged to align policies and collaborate whenever practicable. When working together, countries can lower administrative and compliance costs by minimizing duplicative testing, coordinating inspection of products as they cross borders, requiring the same information on product labels, and so on. U4E has a diverse and growing portfolio of activities around the world. Since June 2020, U4E has been working with the East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (EACREEE) and the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) to harmonize MEPS for domestic refrigerators and room air conditioners in the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). Through the U4E support, the SADC and EAC Regions have completed the harmonization process. Following the approval of regional harmonized MEPS for refrigerators and air conditioners, U4E continued to support implementation of the SADC harmonised MEPS in six SADC member countries and plans to extend this support to two EAC Member states in collaboration with EACREEE. U4E in collaboration with SACREEE has initiated the regional process to extend the regional harmonisation efforts to include commercial refrigerators in the SADC region. At a national level, the U4E is collaborating with the Federal Government of Nigeria on a joint project with Ghana titled “Abating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Obsolete Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Equipment in Ghana and Nigeria (AGORA)”. The U4E is also supporting the Government of The Liberia in implementing a project on “Integrating HCFC and HFC consumption and emissions assessments into the 2025 NDC update” U4E requires an Energy Efficiency Specialist to primarily oversee the implementation and coordination of activities across regional and national projects in West Africa, Southern Africa, and East Africa, where U4E is actively engaged. Additionally, the incumbent will be responsible for the following specific tasks: • Provide support to two EAC Member states in the national implementation of the approved harmonised MEPS for refrigerators and air conditioners. • Engage with SACREEE and SADCSTAN to advance the regional harmonization of commercial refrigerator standards in the SADC Region. This includes supporting the regional market assessment and coordinating with regional and national technical committees to develop harmonized MEPS for commercial refrigerators. • Provide project management and technical support towards the implementation of the AGORA project in Nigeria. • Provide technical support in the implementation of activities under the Liberia’s Project on Integrating HCFC and HFC consumption and emissions assessments into the 2025 NDC update” • Provide technical support in African Countries where U4E is active. • Provide support and address the feedback from the two countries regarding the EAC harmonized MEPS. • Actively engage in regional and technical committee meetings focused on the harmonization of MEPS for commercial refrigerator within the SADC region. • Provide technical support and guidance for policy analysis on the Nigeria AGORA and Liberia projects. This support will ensure successful implementation within existing policy and regulatory frameworks and recommend necessary improvements. • Identify new funding opportunities based on the needs identified in targeted regions and countries. • Support the drafting, submission, and negotiation of funding proposals and donor reports, offering guidance on requests for funding and working closely with target governments and potential project partners. • Develop content and assist in effective outreach of programme and project outputs, through close coordination with design and communications team. • Participate and present on the U4E ongoing project activities and accomplishments during events and meetings in the regions and countries where U4E is actively engaged. • Coordinate with the communications team to develop news stories for ongoing and upcoming project events, such as workshops and webinars, as well as regional activities within SADC, EAC, ECOWAS, and national activities.

An advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent additional experience) in energy or environmental policy, energy, environmental or international economics, or a related engineering or science field • A minimum of 7 years professional experience (may include relevant internship experience) with energy policies and international development programmes. Strong knowledge of the ECOWAS, SADC and EAC energy situation, energy (renewable energy and energy efficiency) policies, legal and regulatory frameworks. • Strong familiarity with the informational needs of senior decision makers in regional and national energy-related organisations and initiatives on air conditioner and refrigerator markets or similar. • Experience in developing outreach material to get the commitment of country officials to implement energy policies, e.g., through the evaluation of saving potentials for energy efficient products. • Excellent written and oral communications skills on technical and policy aspects of energy policies and programmes. • Experience in developing and building coalitions of support for new initiatives and experience in coordinating projects on energy-efficient lighting, appliances, and/or equipment. • Experience in coordinating regional harmonization efforts/strategies in developing countries involving a large range of stakeholders. • Excellent record in collaborating with a team, and ability to adapt to meeting varying needs as a project evolves.

• Fluency in spoken and written English.

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.