Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Coordinator for the G5 Sahel Countries - IPSA-11

Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

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.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

 

Office/Unit/Project Description 

Working in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries/territories achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical links between environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and broader efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. Climate change could drive an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. One of its key priorities for the next 10 years is to support countries/territories accelerate ambitious action on climate change.

Climate change is the single greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, threatening water and food security, health, livelihoods, and the safety of billions of people together with drastic negative impact on global ecosystem balance. UNDP’s ambitious “Climate Promise” supports over 120 countries/territories to enhance their climate ambitions under the Paris Agreement, with focus on greater emissions reduction and resilience building. The second phase of the Climate Promise, launched in 2021 at COP26 in Glasgow, focuses on NDC implementation, climate advocacy, and long-term planning to ensure inclusive climate action at the speed and scale required to keep global temperature below 1.5°C.

The Climate Promise provides direct financial and technical support to countries on NDC implementation in the context of national development priorities.As the Climate Promise enters its second phase, UNDP is recruiting a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Coordinator for the G5 Sahel Countries to coordinate activities and follow and advise on strategic opportunities in the region.

 

Institutional Arrangement

The NDC Coordinator for the G5 Sahel Countries will report directly to the Global Climate Change Technical Specialist. S/he will be part of the larger Climate Strategies and Policy Team (CSPT) and the NCE team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

• Provide strategic guidance on NDC implementation efforts in the 5 countries, identifying common needs that can be addressed at the sub-regional (G5 Sahel) level: this includes issues of capacity, technology transfer, resource mobilization for which a regional-level activity will be more resource efficient while achieving greater impact. 
• Support countries in identifying complementarity between the NDC priorities and other UNDP projects; leveraging UNDP Nature, Climate and Energy portfolio to achieve NDC targets. UNDP intervention in the countries encompasses governance, gender, inclusive growth, energy, biodiversity, forestry, security, etc. The NDCs constitute an umbrella to channel the entire UNDP work on climate and environment towards the countries’ climate ambition. The incumbent will be expected to identify complementarities across the UNDP climate portfolio.
• Serve as Country Coordinator for the 5 countries under the next phase of the Climate Promise. The role of the incumbent includes 1) developing multi-year workplans; 2) overseeing the implementation of the workplans; 3) providing technical input to deliverables and ensuring quality of the deliverables; 4) facilitating disbursement and management of project funds; 5) facilitating the reporting of project activities; 6) providing technical advice to UNDP Country Office and Government on NDC. 
• Ensure communication and knowledge sharing among the 5 countries and between them and other regional coalitions. This will include organizing webinars on relevant thematic areas in the region; facilitating peer to peer exchanges virtually or in person; bringing knowledge and experiences from other regions/countries to the G5 Sahel; supporting G5 countries in showcasing their experience on regional and international platforms.
• Elevate the climate agenda and the NDC within the work programme of the G5 Sahel Secretariat by identifying opportunities for capacity development for the Secretariat and supporting member governments in advocating for a better integration of climate change in the coalition’s work programme.
• Build partnerships with other development partners in the region, especially with other UN organizations, Alliance Sahel members, and institutional members of the NDC Partnership and collaborate with other UNDP regional hubs (Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Pretoria). This will include strengthening UNDP participation in inter-agency (UNCT) work, donor coordination groups, keeping abreast of donors’ activities and priorities in the region and contributing to the NDC Partnership country engagement process. The position will also assist countries in their resource mobilization strategy for NDC implementation, including engagement with the private sector.
• Produce communication pieces and knowledge products on NDC implementation in the region working closely with the Africa Climate Promise Communications Specialist. This will include articles, blogs, case studies, guidance notes, etc. The goal would be to showcase achievements in the region, educate the public on the realities of the region and draw lessons from the region that can enhance best practices within UNDP.

Competencies

Core
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 Thematic Area Name Definition Agenda 2030: Planet   Nature, Climate and Energy   Climate Change Policies: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Agenda 2030: Planet   Nature, Climate and Energy   Climate Change Policies: including international climate change regime and application Business Management Monitoring Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results Business Development UNDP Representation Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities, advocate for UNDP, its values, mission and work with various constituencies Business Direction and Strategy Strategic Thinking Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education	Advanced University Degree (Master’s of equivalent) in Economics, Management, Finance, Engineering, Environmental Studies, or relevant discipline. Bachelor’s degree with additional 2 years work experience accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.
Min. years of relevant Work experience	At least 7 years of relevant experience in climate change or environmental programmes at the international level with a Master’s degree and 9 years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s degree.
Required skills	Knowledge of climate change policy landscape (including the international climate regime), climate technologies and ability to apply this to strategic situations at the global, regional and national levels Experience working on climate mitigation, adaptation, finance, and particularly at the policy level, in the African region Strong technical knowledge of UNFCCC processes and NDC design and implementation at the national level Experience coordinating and overseeing implementation of large initiatives Demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner and with minimal supervision
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section	Substantive experience coordinating with national governments and stakeholders on climate change initiatives in the Sahel Region Knowledge of UNDP structures, processes and procedures, particularly related to climate change will be considered is desired Experience supporting gender-responsive approaches to climate action will be considered an asset Relevant relationships and networks in the area of climate change in the Sahel region is desired Experience with the work of multilateral, bilateral and civil society partners with active work in G5 Sahel countries is desired Demonstrated ability to develop knowledge products and outreach pieces related to climate change policy and project implementation (i.e. – articles, case studies, guidance notes, etc.)
Required Language(s) (at working level)	Fluency in English and French
Professional Certificates	N/A

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Agenda 2030: Planet

 

Nature, Climate and Energy

 

Climate Change Policies: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)

Agenda 2030: Planet

 

Nature, Climate and Energy

 

Climate Change Policies: including international climate change regime and application

Business Management

Monitoring

Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Business Development

UNDP Representation

Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities, advocate for UNDP, its values, mission and work with various constituencies

Business Direction and Strategy

Strategic Thinking

Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions

Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP