Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO)

The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) is part of the UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on:

• Infrastructure
• Procurement
• Project Management (full service, back on track)
• HR and Transactional Services
• Grants Management
• Technical and Advisory Services
• Project Information

Water & Energy Cluster Background:

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio under the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office has built strong partnerships and has effectively been managing a portfolio of 490 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support.

WEC effectively operationalizes partners’ agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The NDC Partnership:

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries and institutions collaborating to drive transformational climate action through sustainable development. In 2015, the world endorsed the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Nations signal their commitments to the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – each country’s strategy to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience against the negative effects of a changing climate. The Partnership advances the goals of the Paris Agreement by bringing together nearly 200 countries and institutions in new ways to accelerate NDC implementation and enhance ambition over time. The Partnership’s work through 120 partners supporting almost 80 countries produces many examples of impact, lessons learned and ideas for the future. The Partnership is governed by a Steering Committee, co-chaired by two country representatives. The Partnership’s work is facilitated by a Support Unit (SU) based at World Resources Institute in Washington DC and the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. UNOPS supports the NDC Partnership and its Support Unit through the Water and Energy Cluster (WEC).

Job Specific:

While the Partnership’s model of collective action catalyzes immediate support, there are instances when countries’ requests for climate action go unanswered. The need for a flexible and fast mechanism to deploy support is evident. To meet this need, the NDC Partnership launched the Partnership Action Fund (PAF) at COP26. The PAF supports developing Country Members in fast-tracking the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by bridging gaps in support. These resources are deployed to supplement existing support or respond to unsupported requests after these requests have been circulated and members have had the chance to respond with their own resources and programs. By pooling funds and making them more readily available, the PAF ensures countries have better access to technical and financial resources and the widest possible range of Partnership members can respond rapidly to the needs of developing Country Members. As of July 2023, 54 member countries and one regional organization have requested support through PAF.

The Program Manager will oversee and be responsible for managing PAF’s operations, its continued improvement based on lessons learned to date and PAF’s alignment with the NDC Partnership mission, strategic vision, and programmatic needs stemming from the 2022 – 2025 Work Program. In his/her role, the Program Manager will ensure both smooth and harmonized implementation of PAF Recruitment (Window 1) and Grant (Window 2) mechanisms, and regular engagement of stakeholders engaged in PAF processes across PAF’s institutional hosts (UNOPS and the World Resources Institute), NDC Partnership institutional members eligible for PAF funding, and NDC Partnership Support Unit staff. The position will report to the Deputy Director of Country Engagement,

In his/her role, the Program Manager will supervise the overall implementation of PAF, ensuring that planned activities stay on track and relevant stakeholders are meaningfully informed and engaged, anticipating potential risks and delays and taking measures to address them. We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in project management and grant management in UN agencies, where possible, focused on development cooperation and environmental management, as well as demonstrated experience in engaging with both internal and external stakeholders in a successful manner. Experience in coordinating and managing teams is required.

Summary of functions:

Team oversight and capacity development around PAF

1. Supervise and coordinate PAF’s core team on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that team dynamics facilitate delivery of PAF’s objectives.
2. Manage and update PAF’s operating manual, accountability matrix and other strategic documents to reflect changes in team structure, roles, and responsibilities and reporting lines as PAF evolves and adjusts to needs.
3. Identify human resource capacity gaps and needs, and flag these to the Deputy Director of Country Engagement.
4. The incumbent will lead weekly PAF team meetings and oversee reporting on progress, guide the team on objectives for the following week, discuss key issues, and identify key milestones and areas for collaboration.
5. Work with the Country Engagement Team (Director and Deputy Director, Regional Managers, Country Engagement Specialists, and consultants) to build the Support Unit’s staff ownership and capacity to lead and participate in recruitment processes, evaluation committees and other PAF-related activities in which an active role from staff is expected.

Programming and Project Management

1. Establish and maintain a regular communication / feedback cycle with the Deputy Director of Country Engagement to ensure alignment in strategic direction, seek guidance on critical decisions and efficiency in deploying PAF resources.
2. Develop and implement a project management framework for PAF, including impact and result indicators and means of verification aligned with the NDC Partnership’s Work Program.
3. In alignment with the Support Unit’s annual work-planning and quarterly tracking practice, anticipate and report any budgetary and human resource needs for the operation of PAF, and communicate it the Country Engagement Deputy Director, for consideration of the Management Team.
4. Ensure a prudent spenddown of PAF resources, maintaining an updated overview of commitments, expenditures and forecast; and anticipate any amendments, extensions, or replenishment needs.

Coordination with Institutional Hosts and Implementing Partners

1. Lead engagement and ensure regular coordination with PAF institutional hosts (UNOPS and World Resources Institute), being the voice of the NDC Partnership Support Unit and an ambassador of the NDC Partnership’s guiding principles on all issues related with PAF.
2. Work with hosts to identify how emerging guidance could impact PAF, proposing solutions ahead of time.
3. Maintain an ongoing dialogue with UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office and other divisions, as needed, focused on streamlining PAF processes where bottlenecks have been identified. These will stem from the 2023 Stop & Reflect survey and improvement plan, but the incumbent is expected to propose additional recommendations and solutions.
4. In close coordination with the Support Unit’s Deputy Director and Operations Deputy Director, provide input to the Support Unit’s Standard Operating Procedures to reflect any changes or updates to PAF structure, operations and related interaction between the Support Unit and hosts.
5. Oversee and manage the engagement with implementing partners participating in the Calls for Proposals (Window 2) to ensure partners are informed and meaningfully participate in PAF, questions and/or concerns are addressed, and engagement is coordinated with the Support Unit’s Management Team.

PAF Continued Improvement

1. Lead the implementation of PAF’s improvement plan (Stop & Reflect) 2023-2024 in close coordination with PAF’s institutional hosts and the Support Unit’s Management Team, and develop similar improvement plans thereon, collecting feedback from PAF key stakeholders.
2. Propose instruments and mechanisms for the fund to be fit for purpose, and ensure the efficient deployment of support for the Thematic Call on LT-LEDS development, NDC update and alignment, and the recruitment of embedded advisors and in-country facilitators.

Oversight of PAF Window 1

1. Supervise the smooth implementation of PAF Window 1 processes and tools (Window 1 planner, workflow), and implement solutions when these are needed.
2. Review PAF Window1 requests (TORs), particularly those related to embedded advisory support (facilitators support to be addressed by the Global Facilitator Network coordinator).
3. Raise delays, challenges, and bottlenecks in workflow when these arise with Institutional Hosts and Support Unit staff, and work to solve them in close coordination with them.
4. Provide periodic reports to the Country Engagement Director and Deputy Director on request approval needs, progress, pipeline, and funding needs, flagging any issues that require management decisions or strategic direction.

Oversight of PAF Window 2

1. Oversee the launch and implementation of Window 2 Call for Proposals (CFP), from screening of country requests to determine their eligibility to be included together with the Country Engagement Director and Deputy, to grant preparation and finalization.

• Guide the Country Engagement team in preparing requests for Calls for Proposals (CFP), reviewing and ensuring the quality and relevance of prioritized requests.
• Review draft CFP guidance documents, engaging the Director and Deputy Director when substantive changes need to be introduced.
• Lead information sessions implementing partners prior to the launch of every CFP.
• Guide proposal screening:
  • Clear proposal on technical screening teams for approval of the Country Engagement Deputy Director.
  • Review and approve requests for clarification to send to partners.
• Oversee Evaluation Committees (ECs):
  • Work with the Operations / Finance specialists and PAF Coordinator of Operations to propose efficient funding options for all CFP requests, for approval of the Country Engagement Deputy Director.
  • Clear proposed ECs and assign PAF Core Team roles in supporting / accompanying ECs, for approval of the Country Engagement Deputy Director.
  • Join ECs as a voting member as needed.
  • Lead information sessions for EC members prior to the launch of every CFP.
  • Periodically report EC-related delays and bottlenecks to the Deputy Director of Country Engagement.
  • Review and approve Evaluation Summary Reports for all ECs.
• Oversight of Scopes of Work (SOW)
  • Periodically report SOW-related bottlenecks and delays to the Deputy Director of Country Engagement.
  • Provide guidance to Support Unit staff and partners at the SOW preparation stage and budget finalization.
  • Sign off Scopes of Work and budgets once these are finalized, consulting the Deputy Director of Country Engagement where changes / deviations from the original budget or scope of work took place.
  • Raising bottlenecks or delays in grant processing to the relevant host or Support Unit staff, proposing solutions and solving issues.

1. Oversight of grant implementation and closure.
   • Gain a deep understanding of project closure requirements and timeframes, and plan for any technical, human, and budgetary needs this implies for PAF.
   • Allocate capacities and roles for project closure, working with the Deputy Director of Country Engagement when these involve CE staff.
   • Work with partners to understand and troubleshoot concerns and reasons for delay in the reporting and payment schedule, ensuring communication with the relevant Country Engagement staff and recipient government as needed.
   • Anticipate needs for grant amendment or changes needed in the overall grant setup to ensure efficiency and reduced transaction costs for partners.

Reporting

1. Oversee the implementation of PAF Monitoring and Reporting Framework (e.g., PAF’s processes and procedures to collect information and track grant and contract implementation, engaging partners, governments and Support Unit staff in a systematic way) flagging and helping address project implementation issues where relevant.
2. Lead the preparation of periodic reports to the NDC Partnership’s Support Unit Management Team, the NDC Partnership’s Steering Committee and PAF Advisory Group, and to external partners as needed, on the fund’s status, challenges, and needs.
3. Lead the organization and preparation of PAF Advisory Group (AG) meetings, proposing an agenda in coordination with the Management Team, and ensuring that reports and materials needed are prepared and sent in a timely manner for review, and that agenda items, expected outputs and Support Unit (SU) roles for the call are clearly delineated.
4. Provide strategic guidance for the preparation of written inputs, communication, and dissemination materials (summaries, briefs, talking points, slide decks, etc.) on PAF, as well as for outreach and information sessions.
5. Provide strategic guidance to best to reflect relevant support in the NDC Partnership’s knowledge management system (Knook)

Others

1. The incumbent will define his/her own performance indicators responding to the priorities identified with his / her supervisor.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in natural sciences, economics, engineering, environmental management, climate, political science, administration, finance, international relations, international development, or a related field;
• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline in combination with additional 7 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

Required

• At least five (5) years of relevant, full-time professional experience in project management, preferably in the field of development cooperation.
• At least three (3) years of experience in grant management.
• Progressive experience with international organizations, preferably in UNOPS or another UN agency, is required.

Assets

• Knowledge or previous experiences in the field of environmental management and climate policy.
• Knowledge of international climate policy.
• Experience in stakeholder management is highly desirable.
• Experience in building and leading successful teams is an advantage.

Language Requirements

• Proficiency in English is required.
• Fluency in Spanish and/or French is an asset.

Contract type: ICA
Contract level: ICSC-10, IICA-2
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.