The post is located in the UN Environment Office in Pretoria, South Africa. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Head, UN Environment Office in Pretoria and the overall guidance of the Deputy Director, Africa Office. The focus of this post is to plan, organize, coordinate, manage and/or provide substantive input and backstopping to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project “Increasing Resilience and reducing vulnerabilities of Local communities to the effects of Climate Change: Promoting Ecosystem Based Adaptation(EBA) in South Africa”.
Responsibilities
- Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of project “Increasing Resilience and reducing vulnerabilities of Local communities to the effects of Climate Change: Promoting Ecosystem Based Adaptation(EBA) in South Africa”; monitor and analyze project development and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaise with relevant parties; identify and track follow-up actions.
- Plan and facilitate workshops and other interactive sessions and assist in developing action plans for the project.
- Research, analyze and present information gathered on EBA from diverse sources.
- Assist in EBA policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies.
- Undertakes survey initiatives including designing data collection tools; review, analyze and interpret responses, identify problems/issues and prepare conclusions.
- Prepare various written outputs, including draft EBA background papers, analysis, lessons learned reports, sections of reports and case studies, inputs to publications, etc.
- Provide substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc.
- Undertake outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on EBA and related assigned topics/activities.
- Participates in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summary reports, etc.
- Attend policy-making and expert group meetings to monitor, analyze and advise on events and discussions, representing UN Environment at international fora as required.
- Contribute to fund-raising in relation to climate change related projects and programmes by preparing the materials and participating in donor meetings and fund-raising missions; build support for cost-sharing contributions from the Governments and identify other local funding sources for UN Environment projects and activities, etc.
- Coordinate activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related reports (proposals, work programme, programme budget, etc.).
- Performs other duties as required.
Competencies
- Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
- Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
Education
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environment, business administration, management, economics or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in areas relevant to UN Environment’s mandates, such as climate change, ecosystems and biodiversity, resource efficiency, sustainable livelihoods, or related area is required. Experience with issues specifically related to climate change adaptation and sustainable livelihoods is required. Experience in managing climate change and sustainable livelihoods projects and programmes at the policy and field level is highly desirable. Experience with the United Nations or similar international organization is highly desirable. Experience of working with major institutional donors is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is an added advantage. Knowledge of other United Nations official languages is an asset.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
Candidates for the National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located. This position is open for recruitment for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by Him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
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