Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Energy is one of UNDP’s six signature solutions – alongside poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, and gender equality - to support countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no one behind and resilience.

As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the first objective of UNDP is increasing energy access for those furthest behind. By speeding up investment in distributed renewable energy solutions, especially for those hardest to reach and in crisis contexts, it aims to increase access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people. The Africa Minigrids Programme, for example, is improving the financial viability of renewable energy mini-grids in 18 countries, encouraging private investment, lower tariffs and expanded service.

Second, UNDP will work to accelerate the transition to renewable energy through systems changes that support inclusive, green economies, particularly in countries with low levels of renewable energy generation or poor energy-efficiency improvement rates. This work will capitalize on technological gains, clean energy innovations and new business models in the energy sector.

The newly established UNDP Sustainable Energy Hub (hereafter, the ‘Sustainable Energy Hub’) will be the arrowhead of UNDP’s new Strategic Plan objectives. The Sustainable Energy Hub will build on UNDP’s existing Energy Portfolio, covering over 100 countries to harness clean energy and support the energy transition as well as on UNDP’s Climate Promise, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub and UNDP’s Digital offer. 

The Sustainable Energy Hub will develop and operationalize, policies, programmes and partnerships to support UNDP Energy Compact, a commitment to help increasing access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people; and accelerating and supporting the transition to renewable energy.

Recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will work to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated.

The Programme Manager of the Sustainable Energy Hub will report to the Director of the Sustainable Energy Hub and to the Director and Executive Coordinator, Nature, Climate and Energy. S/he will work collaboratively with a number of key staff across Bureaus and Units.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The NCE Team require the support of the Programme Manager to deliver on the activities described below. The scope of work over the course of the period will vary depending on the specific assignment and region.  

A. Operationalization of the Energy Hub

  • Coordinate the development and operationalization of the Sustainable Energy Hub, by contributing to and organizing management meetings, supervising Sustainable Energy Hub team members, and support the Director fo the Sustainable Energy Hub with the management of the Work Plan and annual budget for the Sustainable Energy Hub;
  • Provide strategic inputs in the development of the Sustainable Energy Hub’s Global Strategy, in line with UNDP’s new Strategic Offer, and working closely with relevant BPPS and regional teams.
  • Provide advice to technical and policy teams on the activities, outreach and implementation of the Sustainable Energy Hub;
  • Support the organization and reporting for, as appropriate, regular meetings with donors, partners, and other key stakeholders;
  • Facilitate collaboration and support the coordination within the broader BPPS and Global Policy Network and Regional Bureaux to ensure programmatic integration and delivery of integrated results on energy for sustainable development;
  • Overseeing the operational management of the Sustainable Energy Hub, in collaboration with operational support teams, including procurement and a roster of experts (consultants);
  • Support the engagement with funding partners to contribute to the achievement of results associated with UNDP’s Energy Promise;
  • Maintaining strong relationships with existing partners and provide support to the engagement with new partners.
  • Prepare and deliver regular presentations on the Sustainable Energy Hub (key activities and progress) to  senior management, technical teams, and external audiences (e.g., public webinars, engagements with countries, and partner events, etc.)

B. Technical Services to Country Offices and Member Countries

  • Oversee the coordination of the Services to be deployed by the Sustainable Energy Hub;
  • Support the assessment, management and monitoring of country requests, including providing technical inputs and contribute to the Task Teams to be established in response to the requests;
  • Support the internal coordination within UNDP to ensure integrated offers of services and leverage the Global Policy Network (e.g., coordination with UNDP Climate Promise and the Finance Sector Hub);
  • Contribute, and coordinate as requested, substantive inputs for energy programming outputs (e.g. work-plans, project documents, inception missions, workshops, technical working papers, methodologies);
  • Provides substantive inputs for HQ policy briefs/position papers prepared in collaboration with other practices that address links between energy and development concerns;
  • Prepare and provide technical inputs to strategic documents, briefing notes and speeches;
  • Support the quality assurance of the Sustainable Energy Hub services;
  • Support the coordination of  UNDP’s work to assist countries, regional bureaus, and regional hubs in designing energy policies and projects to close the energy access gap and foster low carbon growth in the context of their sustainable development efforts.

Competencies

Corporate

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Technical

  • Ability to strengthen and maintain the capabilities of individuals, societies, organizations and governments to set and achieve development objectives overtime (Capacity Development);
  • Knowledge of development planning processes and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations (Development Planning);
  • Ability to productively share UNDP Knowledge and activities (Advocacy);
  • Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply strategic and/or practical situations (Sustainable Development).

Communications

  • Able to communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

Professionalism

  • Capable of working in a high- pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
  • Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
  • Exercises the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Teamwork

  • Works well in a team;
  • Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
  • Focuses on results for the client;
  • Welcomes constructive feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education
  • Master’s degree (or equivalent) in energy, economics, business administration, social sciences, engineering or related disciplines;

Min. years of relevant Work experience

  • At least 7 years of relevant professional work experience providing operational and project/programme management support in sustainable energy and climate change in different development contexts.

Required  skills 
  • Experience in providing operational and project/programme management support for projects/programmes related to sustainable energy and climate change;
  • Experience with technical review of sustainable energy and/or climate finance projects.
  • Demonstrated presentation, research and writing skills.

Desired additional skills and competencies
  • Experience at a professional level in a large international or governmental organization, experience working with multilateral organizations and/or the UN system preferred;
  • Experience supervising teams, and coordinating multiple workstreams and activities (e.g., program work plans, stakeholder engagements, coordination of partners etc.)
  • A PhD in a related discipline would be an asset;
  • Experience with climate finance and climate funds;
  • Experience working with developing country contexts preferred;
  • Knowledge of other UN languages is highly desirable.

Required Language(s) (at working level)
  • Excellent command of written and spoken English 

Professional Certificates

N/A

Institutional Arrangement

  • The Programme Manager will work from home;
  • The Programme Manager will work in collaboration with the BPPS/NCE Energy team;
  • The Programme Manager will report to, and be directly supervised by the Director of the Energy Hub and to the Director and Executive Coordinator, Nature, Climate and Energy;
  • The Programme Manager will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
  • The Programme Manager will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, assignment specific software, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection;

Given the global scope of the work to be undertaken during this assignment, the Programme Manager is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability taking into consideration different time zones.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

  1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
  2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
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