Programme Officer - Energy and Environment

Caribbean region countries share similar economic and sustainable development challenges, including a small population, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, and most importantly, vulnerability to climate change.

Given the current condition of the marine environment, most coastal areas have few defences against the raging surfs of hurricanes and tropical storms, and the likely consequences would be significant coastal damage including beach erosion and infrastructure damage. Negative impacts associated to climate change on land, water resources and biodiversity have also been predicted, and ultimately, tourism and agriculture will be negatively impacted by these changes. Meanwhile, Caribbean countries emit such relatively small amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, which mean that they will suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change.

UNDP wishes to engage an experienced practitioner, who both has a strong natural resource management, research and project management background and who can quickly and effectively provide technical expertise to relevant sectors in the Caribbean.

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative and direct supervision of the Programme Manager, Energy and the Environment, the Programme Analyst’s main responsibility is to provide technical and administrative support to the Energy and the Environment programme in relation to GEF and non-GEF projects. The work will, inter alia, involve support to project partners, financial management and administrative support. The job will require the ability to provide comprehensive analysis of project risks and challenges and the capacity to propose solutions in this context.

Specifically, the Programme Analyst will be expected to deliver results in the following areas:

Partnership building, dialogue and advocacy

·         Identify possible areas of strategic collaboration and shared knowledge management

·         Support country and community level consultations to identify the scope and direction of project activities, and actively maintain stakeholder buy in and engagement

·         Maintain strategic engagement with the substantive technical issues, institutions, and processes within the countries served of relevance to the thematic area, including establishing partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGOs, the private sector, and scientific institutions etc. as they relate to advancing key elements of the programme

Programmatic planning and resource mobilisation

• Identify, synthesise and promote adoption of best practices and lessons learned, particularly innovative approaches and South-South cooperation directly linked to programmatic and project-level goals

·         Through research and analysis, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation with new and existing partners and active contribution to the overall Sub-Regional Office resource mobilisation effort

·         Identification of new project opportunities in consultation with country partners 

·         Support the preparation of project-related documents

·         Make presentations as required to local, regional or international fora on relevant topics

Project development and implementation support

• Support the Programme Manager (PM) in the conceptualisation, development and implementation of activities for projects
• Provide technical and policy guidance in the design and implementation of activities, including research and strategic situational/problem analysis
• Provide technical support in the application of field methodologies related to the implementation of project activities as relevant
• Advise and support the PM in the resolution of technical and administrative issues
• Support development of annual work plans and procurement plans for NIM and DIM projects
• In collaboration with Programme and Operations personnel, help coordinate and deliver training for project staff in corporate Project Management requirements
• Coordinate procurement processes, including development of solicitation documents, convening evaluation committees, evaluating bids and preparing submissions to local and regional procurement committees
• Support UNDP management in project governance mechanisms, as necessary, providing guidance to in-country project teams and National Project Directors on UNDP, donor and government processes and requirements

·         Support the PM in the technical supervision, coordination and contract management of consultants, ensuring efficient and effective resources utilisation

·         Support beneficiaries in liaising with national and regional partners on project issues

·         Provide technical guidance in sustainability measures/plans for project initiatives

• Support the coordination of project activities and outputs with related UNDP and UN System initiatives

·         Assist as necessary with project closure activities

Capacity building and knowledge management

·         Contribute to development and implementation of capacity building programmes at national and community levels

·         Evaluate, capture and synthesise lessons and stimulate the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of position papers, resource kits and other knowledge materials

·         Respond to queries on demonstration activities’ progress, impacts and lessons

Monitoring and reporting (in collaboration with the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst)

·         Assist inception activities including establishment and monitoring of indicators, baselines and targets

·         Support PM on missions for programmatic inspections in line with monitoring and evaluation plans to ensure activities are proceeding towards achievement of project outcomes, and outputs are of requisite quality

·         Prepare reports to the PM identifying risks, challenges and causes of potential bottlenecks to activity implementation and propose (and implement where relevant) mitigation measures, including modification to activities where appropriate

·         Conduct regular analysis of the effect of actual performance relative to the project timetable and budgets, in close collaboration with the PM

·         Support preparation of inputs to periodic narrative and financial reports, including donor and UNDP corporate reporting

Support Implementing Partners in the preparation of annual work plans, quarterly and annual progress reports as required 

·         Ability to work together with the UNDP team, state agencies, NGOs, communities and consultants     

·         Demonstrate commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values

·         Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

·         Outstanding communication and presentation skills

·         Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills

·         Outstanding time management and organisational skills

·         Sharing knowledge and experience, communicating ideas and managing information flow

·         Respond positively to feedback and differing points of view

·         Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication

·         Planning, organising and multi-tasking

·         Good partnering and networking skills

·         Analytical thinking

Risk mitigation and management