Programme Management Specialist

UNDP’s 2018-2021 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. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP’s Climate Hub Team promotes and scales up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

The Climate Hub Team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on climate change. This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning. UNDP's Nature, Climate and Energy Hubs span 137 countries, with a portfolio directly benefiting 86 million people. Our support to Governments focusses on enabling an inclusive, resilient, green recovery by: building competency to accelerate access to sustainable energy and climate and nature-positive policies and finance; scaling capacity to ensure No One is Left Behind; catalyzing SDG and Paris-aligned investments (public and private); delivering client-focused solutions that respond to countries' immediate, mid- and long-term recovery and socio-economic development priorities; and leveraging our on-the-ground presence and networks to unlock bottom-up solutions that deliver lasting impacts at country level.

In addition to UNDP’s bilateral partnerships on nature, climate and energy, UNDP is an accredited multilateral implementing agency of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Multilateral Fund (MLF), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which includes the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF Trust Fund); the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF); the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF); and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). As part of UNDP’s partnership with these vertical funds, UNDP provides countries specialized integrated

technical services for eligibility assessment, programme formulation, capacity development, policy advice, technical assistance, training and technology transfer, mobilization of co-financing, implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, performance-based payments and knowledge management services. 

Climate Strategies and Policy Team: Urgently addressing the climate crisis requires integrated solutions that place climate action at the heart of the 2030 Agenda and sustainable development.  UNDP’s Climate Strategies and Policy Team helps countries take this ambitious step by translating global and regional policy processes into national decision-making and action on the ground.  The team focuses specifically on Nationally Determined Contributions, Readiness, Long-Term Strategies/Net Zero, UNFCCC process, Transparency, and National Communications. A strong focus is on strengthening and accelerating the design and implementation of commitments under the UNFCCC process and the Paris Agreement. For example, through UNDP’s Climate Promise and NDC Support Programme, UNDP provides assistance to over 100 countries on their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), linking NDCs with the 2030 Agenda and strengthening national systems to identify bold climate targets and achieve them. 

Climate Change Mitigation Programme: In order to avoid an irreversible climate crisis, we need to halve global emissions by 2030, and have carbon-neutral economies by 2050. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions – or climate change mitigation - is essential to fulfilling commitments to the Paris Agreement and limiting global mean temperature increase to 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels. All sectors, including energy, transportation, industry, forests, and land-use/agriculture must make a meaningful contribution towards achieving carbon neutrality. UNDP, as the largest implementer of climate change support within the UN system, plays a critical role by supporting countries in their emission reduction plans. With a commitment to providing long-term development support, our mitigation portfolio currently comprises of over 280 projects and programmes in over 110 countries. Together with our partners, UNDP supports countries to take ambitious climate action, advance Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and use a wide range of strategies and approaches across energy, forestry and land-use/agriculture sectors.

Climate and Forests Programme: Forests support the livelihoods of over 1 billion people and host the largest share of the world’s biodiversity. UNDP provides expertise in stakeholder engagement, social and environmental safeguards, governance, institutional coordination, strategic planning, implementation of policies and measures to address drivers of deforestation, access to innovative finance and accessing results-based payments. UNDP also facilitates the necessary partnerships to address the complex elements of the REDD+ process

1. Provide project management services to UNDP’s Climate & Forests Programme, facilitating planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and quality assurance for the portfolio of initiatives, partnerships and funding sources

• Oversee project activities, including guidance to project specialists and consultants in order to achieve timely, coherent and qualitative project results in line with the Climate & Forests Programme’s Strategic Framework;
• Prepare project revisions and extensions (as needed), project/executive board preparation, results monitoring & reporting, risk management and quality assurance, as relevant to the Climate & Forests Global Project and UN-REDD partnership.
• As requested, draft, review and provide input to reports and briefings on topics technically relevant to UNDP’s Climate & Forests Programme.
• Contribute to the consolidated progress updates and annual/final reports as outlined in the programming cycle and legal agreements.

• Participate in the Management Group of the UN-REDD partnership
• Represent UNDP’s Climate & Forests Programme in the development, implementation and evaluation of UN-REDD Programme and its associated initiatives;
• Maintain strong relationships with the UN-REDD implementing partners and other relevant partners and donors to ensure effective joint planning, budgeting, implementation, delivery and reporting.
• Monitor and report UNDP’s deliverables under the UN-REDD partnership; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed and propose corrective actions; liaise with relevant parties; identify and track follow-up actions.
• Represent UNDP on the UN-REDD Knowledge Management and Communications Working Group in order to document and share best practices and lessons learned and amplify achievements resulting from technical assistance delivered via the partnership.
• Contribute to, review, and provide feedback on the narrative and financial programme reports compiled by UN-REDD Programme Secretariat.
• Prepare and monitor the implementation of work plans and coordinate support for planned meetings and workshops in collaboration with UN-REDD Programme counterparts. 
• Provide substantive support to consultative and other meetings and events to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documentation and presentations. 
• Maintain regular communication on relevant project issues with UNDP and partner agency counterparts, consultants and experts and ensuring quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs; 
• Support the creation, inception, management and evaluation of strategic partnerships of the UNDP Climate & Forests Programme.

• Provide strategic direction and maintain a pipeline of knowledge products for UNDP’s Climate and Forest Programme, in line with the Programme’s Strategic Framework and the UN-REDD Programme’s work plan, to synthesize lessons and stimulate the uptake of best practices and knowledge
• Promote knowledge development and sharing on new approaches, thinking and techniques on REDD+ with internal and external audiences
• Ensure that knowledge products and communications pieces are aligned with UNDP and UN-REDD editorial style, branding guidelines and quality assurance process.
• Provide strategic guidance and oversight to communicate UNDP Climate & Forests results and activities clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public, through the production articles, opinion pieces, multimedia, and social media content to communicate the broader picture of support to countries, for dissemination via UNDP web platforms and social media. 
• Oversee the maintenance of a user-friendly and continuously updated external web and social media presence.

• Ensure effective implementation, particularly through the supervision of Programme Associate, of UNDP policies and procedures in project/programme management with regard to initiation of a project, presentation of the project to PAC, entering project/updating information into the ERP system, finalization of contribution agreements; determination of required revisions; coordination of the mandatory and budget re-phasing exercises, closure of projects through review, etc.
• Effective control of financial delivery and spending, alerting management on overspending, cost-sharing deficits, outstanding financial advances identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions. 
• Participation and follow up on evaluation and audit exercises, as needed.
• Contribute in a timely manner to IWP and ROAR exercises.

• Foster functional relationships within the team and across UNDP practices.
• Represent UNDP Climate & Forests as required and promote a strong collaborative, transparent, and sharing environment amongst team members.
• Ensure that the project activities are well-coordinated within the Climate & Forests portfolio and across related UNDP practices;
• Facilitate or participate in workshops, webinars, and meetings on behalf of UNDP Climate & Forests as necessary.

Cross-Functional & Technical 

Business Management - Project Management:   

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Partnership management - Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding:

• Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms.

Business Development - Knowledge Facilitation:

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.

Business Management - Communication:

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

2030 Agenda: Planet - Nature, Climate and Energy:

• Climate and Forest: Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.

2030 Agenda: Planet - Nature, Climate and Energy:

• Climate Change Policies: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).