Programme Management Senior Officer

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

The East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), headquartered in Bangkok, supports UNOPS operations across 24 countries in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and the Pacific. Established in January 2023, EAPMCO provides strategic direction, operational support, and quality assurance to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of projects across its portfolio. EAPMCO implements initiatives in priority areas such as energy transition, climate change, and sustainable development, drawing on UNOPS' core expertise in human resources, procurement, infrastructure, fund management, and programme management.

The Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP), a programme of UNOPS, brings together governments and philanthropies to work with partner countries in the region. We support the transition towards modern energy systems that can simultaneously ensure economic growth, energy security, and environmental sustainability. Enabling the transition toward greener energy systems will greatly contribute to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement objectives. 

ETP focuses on Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, which are the countries in the region with the highest energy demand, a substantial pipeline for fossil fuel-based projects, and a significant and cost-effective potential for renewable energy and energy efficiency. ETP provides high-level technical advisory support, holistic support to Governments on financing and technical needs, capacity and skill development, and facilitation of dialogues in all related areas. 

ETP has programme teams in each of the focus countries as well as a regional team based in Bangkok. The incumbent will be positioned within the Vietnam country team based in Hanoi and will perform duties in line with organizational needs and structures.

Reporting directly to the Senior Programme Manager, and under the general guidance from the ETP Director, the incumbent will be responsible for the effective, transparent, and efficient support of ETP's Programme in Vietnam, in accordance with UNOPS rules and regulations and aligned with ETP’s strategy.

1. Programme Implementation

• Provide effective technical, financial and operational coordination of ETP's programme in Viet Nam in collaboration with national and provincial authorities, stakeholders and development partners active in the energy transition, ensuring timely, partner-oriented delivery and supporting the resolution of issues arising during implementation;

• Support formulation and implementation of ETP's Viet Nam country work plan and its periodic review and updates, ensuring alignment with ETP's regional work plan and striving toward the set delivery and resource mobilization targets;

• Monitor and analyse political, economic and energy-sector developments in Viet Nam, including energy and climate policy (e.g. power development planning, electricity market reform, renewable energy and energy efficiency frameworks, carbon pricing); report regularly on national energy transition priorities and their implications for ETP, and, in coordination with the ETP Secretariat, provide guidance on programme direction, activities, challenges and opportunities;

• Identify and foster programme, project and policy linkages and coordination between ETP's programme, aligned programmes under ETP, and broader energy-sector programmes planned or underway in the country, including those of the Government, donors and development partners;

• Under the supervision of the ETP Secretariat, coordinate planning for project grants and support implementation of ETP's grant allocations; maintain the financial integrity of the programme by ensuring adherence to ETP's Standard Operating Procedures and UNOPS rules and regulations, and ensure timely and effective use of ETP resources;

• Support oversight of ongoing ETP grant projects, arrange periodic project monitoring field visits, and provide technical and operational support and guidance to ETP grantees as required;

• Support quality control measures in the implementation of a portfolio of project activities and concepts, and support monitoring and evaluation of programme and project progress and results in coordination with the ETP team;

• Support organization of periodic stakeholder workshops and project development sessions among partners in energy transition, the private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), local communities, potential applicants and other stakeholders to inform them about ETP and its initiatives;

• Keep the ETP Secretariat informed of emerging risks and issues in a timely manner;

• Report periodically to ETP, in particular the Fund Director and Programme Manager, on programme implementation status, including support for annual monitoring reporting, financial reporting and audit, and updating the relevant UNOPS and ETP databases, in accordance with ETP's Results-based Management Framework and UNOPS reporting requirements;

• Perform and coordinate administrative tasks (e.g. procurement, travel) in adherence to ETP's operational manual and UNOPS procurement rules and regulations, as required for programme implementation.

2. Coordination Functions

• In coordination with the ETP Secretariat, provide guidance and suggestions for ETP's programme, its activities and objectives, challenges and opportunities based on local knowledge and developments in Viet Nam's energy sector;

• Promote and maintain effective teamwork within the ETP team and with other UNOPS colleagues;

• Support implementation of ETP's annual work plan, striving toward the set delivery and resource mobilization targets;

• Support drafting of ETP's annual administrative and operational programme and budget proposals and reports;

• Support programmatic and administrative reporting on ETP's activities in accordance with its monitoring and reporting requirements under its Results-based Management Framework and UNOPS reporting requirements;

• Support setting annual performance targets and objectives for the ETP team, assessing performance and providing feedback.

3. Resource Mobilization and Partnerships

• Establish and maintain close working relationships with government counterparts, development partners and private-sector stakeholders, and facilitate the visibility of ETP;

• Analyse the interests and priorities of key bilateral and multilateral donors, development finance institutions and other development partners, and develop, update and implement the resource mobilization and partnership strategy to mobilize resources from and develop partnerships with the Government, donors, the private sector and other partners, to best leverage ETP resources and develop programme-level partnerships;

• Liaise with the ETP Secretariat on emerging opportunities, due diligence processes and funding negotiations;

• Support ETP in its resource mobilization activities, including securing co-financing as required and project-level partnerships, and assist in identifying opportunities and resources for sustaining and scaling up projects.

4. Knowledge Management

• Document programme/project stories, lessons learned and best practices in ETP programme/project development, implementation and oversight;

• Identify country, regional and global knowledge relevant to ETP, develop and distil best practices, and facilitate their dissemination and incorporation within ETP's programmes and to counterparts and partners;

• Support capacity building and networking of grantees, beneficiaries and stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange, and promote uptake through knowledge platforms, knowledge fairs, etc.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Electrical/Power Engineering, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Renewable Energy, Environmental Economics, or a closely related field with 4 years of relevant experience; OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the above mentioned fields with 2 years of relevant experience is required.

Required:

• Relevant experience is work in programme or project management within the energy sector or related areas, such as power sector planning and policy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity markets, or energy transition finance.

• Demonstrated experience working with or for large international organizations, bilateral and/or multilateral donors and development partners (e.g. UN agencies, multilateral development banks, bilateral development agencies) is required;

• Proficiency in standard computer software (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases and internet) or Google Suite is required.

Desired:

• Proven experience working directly with Vietnamese government ministries and agencies, in particular the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), and other relevant ministries and agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) is an asset;

• Experience working with the energy private sector (e.g. project developers, independent power producers, utilities, investors, or industry associations) is an asset;

• Working knowledge of Viet Nam's energy and climate policy framework (e.g. the Power Development Plan, JETP, direct power purchase agreements, the domestic carbon market) is highly desirable;

• Experience in grant management, resource mobilization, or management of donor-funded technical assistance is an asset.

Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.

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