Tiered Approach
In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:
- Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
- Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
- Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
- Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.
Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the leading UN organization advancing sustainable development globally and in Ethiopia. As a key integrator within the UN system, UNDP plays a central role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP operates at global, regional, and country levels, combining international expertise with local knowledge to deliver practical solutions and impactful advocacy.
Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) have the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS's staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP's Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP's development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.
As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2026-2029, four strategic objectives – prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience and healthy planet – define the organization’s strategic direction, powered by three accelerators: digital and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation; gender equality; and sustainable finance.
The central purpose of the Rome Centre is to ensure the effective implementation and further development of the strategic partnership between UNDP and the government of Italy across the objectives of sustainable development and in doing so advancing the broader partnership between UNDP and G7 and G20 countries.
The Rome Centre focuses on the critical policy areas of youth engagement in climate action, energy for development and climate finance.
At the core of UNDP’s work is the Global Policy Network (GPN), which mobilises world-class technical expertise to support six signature solutions: energy, poverty alleviation, democratic governance, resilience, environmental sustainability, and gender equality.
The UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition (the “UNDP Rome Centre”) is the key platform for the strategic engagement between UNDP and the Italian Government. It focuses on the critical areas of climate finance, youth engagement in climate action, and energy development. These objectives are pursued through the effective implementation of its three main programs: PISTA (Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance), Energy for Growth Initiative, and Youth for Climate.
The "Energy for Growth in Africa" initiative is a key part of this broader strategy, launched in collaboration with the G7 to build on the Italy-UNDP Energy Partnerships initiative. This programme identifies clean energy projects in Africa that face difficulties securing financing and provides support through de-risking instruments, making them more attractive to international investors. By pooling and vetting these projects, the initiative reduces perceived investor risk through scale effects and leverages concessional catalytic capital to maximize private sector investment.
The initiative is tasked to operate in 10 African countries – Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tanzania, Rwanda, Tunisia and Zambia – with plans for further expansion. It focuses on markets with limited access to commercial finance and coordinates with G7 and other multilateral efforts to integrate complementary actions, streamline funding, and enhance the delivery of de-risking instruments and financial resources to projects in the "Energy for Growth" pipeline.
The Specialist will take a leading role in the coordination of focal points in Francophone countries and will also provide technical backstopping to the Focal points for the Energy for Growth Initiative program at the UNDP Rome Center.
Scope of work
Under the supervision of the Energy for Growth Initiative Coordinator, the Energy Specialist will provide central coordination support for the Energy For growth programme and will also provide technical backstopping to the Energy for Growth focal points in the Francophone country offices. The Energy Specialist will provide expert input on growing project pipelines, technical assistance, and facilitating investor facilitation for bankable projects in conjunction with the focal points. In addition to this core technical advisory role, the Specialist will contribute to the coordination and technical alignment of activities among participating UNDP Country Offices.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Coordination of country focal points
- Coordinate the programme coordination and management of the focal points, this includes providing strategic programmatic support and technical backstopping to the Energy for Growth Initiative.
- Engage with funding partners to contribute to the achievement of the Energy for growth initiative result areas, this includes donor management and reporting requirements
- Facilitate programme management of the energy for growth programme in the respective countries;
- Coordinate as necessary with relevant UNDP regional offices and maintain relationships with country office management;
- Prepare and deliver regular presentations on the Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition (key activities and progress) to senior management, technical teams, and external audiences (e.g., public webinars, engagements with countries, and partner events, etc.)
2. Technical Backstopping to Focal points for Energy for Growth Countries
- Oversee the coordination of the Energy for Growth Programme and support programme delivery in Francophone Africa countries.
- Provide support and coordination for energy programming outputs (e.g. work-plans, project documents, inception missions, reports, country engagement strategies, workshops, technical working papers, methodologies);
- Oversee the assessment, management and monitoring of country requests, including providing technical input and contribute to the task teams to be established in response to the requests;
- Prepare and provide technical inputs to strategic documents, briefing notes and speeches;
- Support the quality assurance of the Energy for Growth output and deliverables.
3. Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic areas:
- Facilitate knowledge sharing and technical coordination between initiative countries, contributing to peer learning, replication of successful models, and alignment with UNDP’s global energy strategy.
- Develop and contribute to technical documents, including policy briefs, concept notes, and design guidelines, to guide energy access and energy transition programming and provide technical backstopping to Energy for Growth focal points.
- Undertake visits to target countries and project sites as appropriate.
- Participate in conferences and events as required under the Rome Centre project implementation.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
4. Institutional Arrangement:
The Energy Specialist will report to the Energy for Growth Initiative Coordinator, in alignment with the UNDP Rome Centre global strategy and will work closely with the focal points in country offices
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 - Partnerships Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
Business Management - Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity. Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management
Business Management - Operations Management: Ability to effectively plan, organize and oversee different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an integrated way, in order to convert the organisation’s assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms
Business Direction and Strategy - Systems 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
Business Direction and Strategy - Business acumen: Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome Ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization.
Partnership management - Resource mobilization: Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements
Communications - Advocacy strategy and implementation : Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Renewable Energy, Climate Change, International Development, Finance, Energy Policy, Engineering, or other related fields 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 will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional work experience providing policy advice and programme support in the general area of sustainable development, climate change and green growth in different development contexts.
- Experience in developing a pipeline of bankable projects, energy investment facilities, and resource mobilization for clean energy investments is required
- Proven experience of substantive understanding of energy policies, regulations, and incentives at local and national levels, notably in Africa is required
- Experience with project management cycle is required
- Experience working across multiple offices and geographies and in coordination with a pool of colleagues based in a different location is required
- Experience in providing project/programme management support for projects/programmes related to sustainable energy and climate change, prior work experience with UNDP is desirable.
- Experience in elaborating investment plans in the field of energy, particularly in the field of energy access and transition with a focus on energy financing mechanism is desirable.
- Experience in developing energy investment facilities, resource mobilization and risk management for clean energy investments within UNDP or other international organisation is desirable.
- Experience in fostering partnerships between public and private entities to leverage resources and finance energy projects is desirable.
- Experience with development policy financing for clean energy projects is desirable.
- Experience in active engagement with multiple public and private stakeholders in Africa in the energy sector is desirable.
- Demonstrated experience in a technical advisory role rolling out projects in multiple countries is desirable.
- Demonstrated ability to develop knowledge products and outreach material related to energy technology, energy policy and project implementation is desirable.
Languages:
- Fluency in written and oral English and French is required.
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.
Use of AI by candidates
Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection
Scam alert
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