Project Associate, Just Transition and Low Carbon Development

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting Montenegro to fulfill its international reporting obligations on environment/climate change and its efforts to move towards a more environmentally friendly and climate-neutral society. This is in line with Montenegro's commitments to the Paris Agreement and the European strategic long-term vision. UNDP is implementing initiatives aiming to reduce the country's carbon footprint in tourism and transportation, protect nature, promote sustainable resource use, and encourage green growth.

UNDP's efforts focus on supporting Montenegro's national stakeholders and partners in "greening" key economic sectors through integrated strategies, policies, and financing frameworks. This includes identifying ways to improve the business environment, create new opportunities in green sectors, and drive competitiveness through digitalization. UNDP also has specific projects dedicated to coal phase-out, just transition, and climate neutrality, which align with the Just Transition process.

In the implementation of its actions, UNDP places special emphasis on gender equality principles. This includes empowering women to participate in designing Montenegro's climate mitigation and adaptation responses and in the implementation of respective policies. UNDP recognizes that there are still gender gaps in responding to climate change and evolving green labour market opportunities, and it is working to identify these gaps and address them to ensure an inclusive and gender-responsive just transition, that leaves no one behind.

The transition to a climate-neutral society is an urgent challenge and an opportunity to build a better future for all. UNDP Montenegro recognizes the social, economic, and environmental benefits of this process, but also acknowledges that it must be socially acceptable, especially in regions that heavily rely on high-carbon industries like the coal region of Pljevlja. To support climate neutrality and coal phase-out in Pljevlja, UNDP Montenegro is implementing several projects, such as the Just Transition Roadmap for Montenegro, Strengthening Capacities for Increasing Energy Efficiency and Reducing Air Pollution in Pljevlja Municipality, and Urban Transformation of Pljevlja – City Experiment Fund. These projects aim to ensure that the transition is socially acceptable, and its benefits are equally distributed across society.

In addition, UNDP has launched a Co-creation Hub in Pljevlja as part of the City Experiment Fund 2020/2021. The Co-creation Hub is a place for communication and cooperation with citizens, the private and public sector, and the media community on just transition frameworks. It is designed to be an environment where citizens, including young people and women, can study innovative technologies in different fields, acquire knowledge and skills, and serve as a scientific-experimental laboratory to carry out research in various fields. The Hub also serves as a resource center to promote innovative technologies and sustainable solutions and as a platform to empower women and girls to contribute to just transition.

Within this  context, the project will engage Project Associate to provide support to the respective Programme Manager on all administrative, budgetary, technical and programmatic aspects of the projects related amongst others to just transition, inclusive green economic development, based on sustainable development principles.

Under the direct supervision of the respective Programme Manager, the incumbent will provide support to implementation/delivery of all aspects of the project annual work plan focusing on the following tasks: 

• Support the Project Manager in day-to-day management and oversight of project activities.
• Support the M&E Analyst in matters related to M&E and knowledge resources management.
• Assist in the preparation of progress reports.
• Ensure all project documentation (progress reports, consulting and other technical reports, minutes of meetings, etc.) are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies in an efficient and readily accessible filing system, for when required by the Project Board, Technical Advisory Committee, UNDP, project consultants and other PMU staff.
• Provide Green ad Inclusive Portfolio related administrative and logistical assistance.
• Support the implementation of innovative approaches in the implementation of the current Portfolio and in the design of new initiatives by applying innovative methodologies, methods, and tools such as sensemaking, portfolio design/management, system thinking etc.
• Support the Project Manager and Portfolio Team Leader to conduct gender analysis and mainstream gender perspectives in project development, implementation, and monitoring within the Inclusive and Green Growth Portfolio.
• Provide support to the Project Manager on all administrative, budgetary, technical and programmatic aspects of projects.
• Develop various work plans for the components of the assigned projects and be responsible for their implementation.
• Provide support to the Project Manager on all programmatic aspects including by contributing to strategic inputs and ensuring gender mainstreaming and gender responsive just transition, green growth and  low carbon development.
• Provide technical inputs and advise on preparation/implementation of project documents/activities, including definition of information requirements, data gathering and analysis, gender dimensions and other.
• Support the Project Manager in the preparation of various regular reports such as narrative/programmatic progress reports, updates, etc. 
• Support the Project Manager and Portfolio Team Leader to collect sex-dissagregated data, conduct gender analysis and mainstream gender perspectives in project development, implementation, and monitoring within the Inclusive and Green Growth Portfolio.
• Support the Project Manager and Portfolio Team Leader in coordination and information exchange  with Gender Hub to ensure synergies within the country office portfolio.
• Provide support to implementation of procurement related activities in line with UN/UNDP rules, regulations and policies.
• Support the coordination and implementation of timely recruitment and deployment of experts to support implementation of projects.
• Support the Project Manager in the formulation and update of project risks, issues, monitoring, evaluation as well as targets and results and provision of regular updates in Quantum.
• Support the Project Manager in development and implementation of projects’ communication and visibility plans to effectively promote the portfolio and its achievements to relevant stakeholders, including the media, government, private sector, academia, and the general public, using diverse and innovative communication channels and tools.
• Support knowledge building and knowledge sharing through participation in the trainings for the operations/project staff and sound contribution to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Contribute to the preparation of all necessary project documents/plans.
• Implementation of action plans and assigned tasks including the field visits to monitor progress on a regular basis, including regular reporting to Project Manager. 
• Assist in identifying relevant sources of expertise for project/activity implementation.
• Timely raise and inform Project Manager on any issue that may arise during the project implementation and advice on potential adjustments of actions and procedure in light of changing requirements and needs.
• Maintain day to day communication with Operations Unit regarding the Projects administration matters; procurement, human resources and finance metters.
• Draft routine correspondence, facsimile, memoranda and reports from oral instructions, previous correspondence or other available information sources, in accordance with the standard office procedures, and ensure appropriate follow-up; write minutes from the meetings/interviews.
• If needed, as backup, provide logistical support to the project (organization of project events, meetings and study tours); provide translation/interpretation services, as needed.
• Liaise with all project stakeholders and partners, with special focus on Municipality of Pljevlja, Creative Hub in Pljevlja and National Council for Sustainable Development.
• In cooperation with the Communications Unit, assist in promotion of the project visibility.

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Associate will be responsible for daily support to respective Programme Manager. The incumbent will be based in UNDP Country Office in Podgorica.

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross Functional & Technical competencies:

• Business Management -Communications            
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication to tailor messages and chose communication methods depending on the audience.
  • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels. 
• Business Management-Project Management     
  • Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. 
• Business Management-Client Management        
  • Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy and look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. 
  • Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
• Business Management-Digital Awareness and Literacy  
  • Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.
• Administration and Operations-Event Management       
  • Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.
• Business Direction and strategy Effective- Decision Making         
  • Ability to take decision in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.
• Gender- Gender Mainstreaming              
  • Ability to recognize gender perspectives in their work and policy fields and concentrate on them towards the goal of gender equality.