UNDP’s work on Energy and the Sustainable Energy Hub 

UNDP has been a leading advocate and the largest UN implementing agency for the energy transition at global, regional and national levels for several decades. UNDP’s Energy Programme supports policy makers with high quality data to make informed decisions on selecting and designing cost‐effective public instruments to promote private investment in clean energy, contributing to SDG 7 and in line with UNDP’s ‘signature solution’ on energy. UNDP has a successful track record in using policy instruments to de‐risk and catalyze investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy access projects, including a series of sustainable energy initiatives specifically adapted to the needs (and resilient recovery) of fragile and crisis‐impacted countries.

Under the new Strategic Plan (2022‐2025), energy is one of UNDP’s six signature solutions – alongside poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, and gender equality ‐ to support countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no one behind and resilience. Scaled‐up programming efforts on energy access and the energy transition will be coordinated under the newly established Sustainable Energy Hub (SEH), which represents parts of the organization’s systematic and programmatic approach to respond to the energy and climate change agendas. As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2022‐2025, the first objective of UNDP is increasing energy access for those furthest behind. By speeding up investment in distributed renewable energy solutions, especially for those hardest to reach and in crisis contexts, it aims to increase access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people by the year 2025. The Africa Minigrids Programme, for example, is improving the financial viability of renewable energy mini‐grids in 18 countries, encouraging private investment, lower tariffs and expanded service.

Second, UNDP will work to accelerate the clean energy transition and access through systems changes that support inclusive, green and resource‐efficient economies. This work will capitalize on technological gains, clean energy innovations and new business models in the energy sector.

Through the Sustainable Energy Hub, UNDP will harness networks, experience and innovation to scale‐up energy programming efforts and shape policy, building on the existing portfolio of energy projects, covering over 100 countries to harness clean energy and support the energy access and transition as well as on UNDP’s Climate Promise, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub and UNDP’s Digital offer. UNDP will also work with Governments in programme countries as they recover and build forward better from COVID19 and with investors to unlock and harness public and private finance to power progress towards multiple SDGs.

Finally, recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will strive to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated.

Develop and define strategic approaches for UNDP’s work on sustainable energy and climate change mitigation, drawing on UNDP’s existing work under the Sustainable Energy Hub as well as an analysis of the global/regional policy context.

• FacilitateUNDP’s work to assist countries at the regional level in designing energy and climate policies to support energy access priorities, promote the energy transition and foster low carbon growth in the context of their sustainable development efforts, aligned with the service offer under the Sustainable Energy Hub.
• Provide expert advice and support in establishing strategic partnerships and developing new partnerships with UN agencies, donors, NGOs, private sector and other.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of new strategic programming and partnerships in areas of energy access and the energy transition to achieve results set within UNDP’s Strategic Plan, Energy Offer, SIDS Offer, and the work plans of Sustainable Energy Hub.
• Collaborate with global, regional, national and sub‐national staff to promote UNDP’s de‐risking approach and implementation of the corporate sustainable energy strategy.
• Provide support to Country Office teams according to their needs, and in their application of energy subsidy reform, risk management tools across country typologies by answering questions, providing guidance and sharing relevant documents and lessons learned.
• Provide guidance and input on energy policies in UNDP’s Climate Promise initiative.
• Provide guidance to country offices in developing and implementing strategic energy policy frameworks, as well as policy‐related interventions in energy programmes and projects.
• Work collaboratively with the mitigation, adaptation and climate and disaster risk management policy staff to identify policy issues regarding the implementation of energy‐related SDGs and the nationally determined contributions (as they relate to energy).
• Apply multi‐disciplinary approaches, including setting up, coordinating, and engaging with other relevant technical teams, to meet policy and programming needs in line with corporate guidance and standards.

(2) Policy Positioning and Representation

• Under the guidance of the Director of Sustainable Energy Hub, mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities, and other relevant bodies at the regional level, and provide inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives.
• Prepare briefing notes and speeches. Advocate the importance of the thematic area in various fora at the regional level, including academia and civil society, with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms.
• Facilitate the Director of Sustainable Energy Hub in engagement in UN interagency coordination in relevant policy areas by organizing and participating in regional meetings.
• Provide regional support to UNDP’s Sustainable Energy Hub, where needed.

(3) Research and Knowledge Management

•  Provides substantive inputs for HQ policy briefs/position papers prepared in collaboration with other practices that address links between energy and development concerns.
• Coordinate and conduct analysis of data, case evidence and research findings to distill relevant lessons from regional projects and programmes to inform policy formulation and guidance and other products.
• Develop relevant analysis on issues related to energy, including on emerging issues of significance to the region, and contribute to new research, technical paper or reports.
• Collect and compile information on the energy profiles of countries in the region, including key indicators and policies, and identify areas of strategic significance for programming and policy work.
• Facilitatethe development of sustainable energy policies and tools, including for crisis contexts (where relevant, as these efforts may vary by region).
• Coordinate team contributions and support to corporate Knowledge Management activities, at region‐specific level to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area in collaboration with policy teams at HQ and in Regional Hubs.
• Contribute regional energy insights and programming priorities to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned in the specific thematic area and verify that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools.
• Contribute, and coordinate as requested, substantive inputs for energy programming outputs (e.g. work‐plans, project documents, inception missions, workshops, technical working papers, methodologies).

The Global Energy Specialist will be located at the UNDP Headquarters: in New York, USA.

• Business Direction & Strategy  –  System Thinking:
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• Business Development  –  Knowledge Generation:
  • Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
• Business Development  –  Integration within the UN:
  • Ability to identity, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations.
• 2030 Agenda: Planet  –  Nature, Climate and Energy:
• Energy: Energy access
• 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.
• Business  Management  –  Partnerships Management:
  • Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

• Experience in providing policy advisory services to governments related to sustainable energy and energy planning is required;
• Experience working with developing country settings is required;
• Experience with the design and/or implementation of development policy to promote energy investment is required.
• Experience working for multilateral organizations including the UN, academic institutions, and private sector is required.

•  Experience working with a wide set of energy stakeholders, such as the private and financial sector, government, and civil society is preferred;
• Field experience in energy and climate-related projects in developing countries contexts is preferred.
• Experience working in developing country settings is an advantage;
• Experience working in multiple countries is an asset

• Excellent command of written and spoken English is required;
• Knowledge of Spanish of one of the other UN language is highly desirable.