Background Information – UNOPS Water, Environment and Climate (WEC)

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over USD 500 million (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.

Climate Action Transparency (ICAT)

The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) was established in 2015 at the COP that adopted the Paris Agreement to support implementation of the Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework. The Initiative works with over 50 developing countries ranging from large countries, like Nigeria, to small islands, such as Antigua & Barbuda.

ICAT provides countries with tailored support and practical tools and methodologies to build robust transparency frameworks needed for effective climate action in sync with national development priorities. The projects ICAT supports relate to: building or enhancing transparency frameworks for mitigation; building a monitoring and evaluation approach for adaptation; building or enhancing frameworks to track progress in implementing nationally determined contributions; assessing the impacts of climate policies; estimating or enhancing projections of greenhouse gases; integrating and/or aggregating climate actions at the subnational level and by non-State actors; building a tracking system for just transition processes; establishing or enhancing a climate data system; and putting in place a framework to track climate finance.

To support these areas, ICAT offers a suite of practical, open-source tools and methodologies to provide effective support to the transparency efforts of countries around the world.

ICAT is an unincorporated multi-stakeholder partnership steered by the Donor Steering Committee (DSC), conformed by its donors, Austria; Canada; Germany; Italy; the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF); and ClimateWorks Foundation (CWF), and includes the UNFCCC Secretariat as the dedicated UN body with a climate change policy mandate, and UNOPS as an ex-officio member. The Initiative is managed by UNOPS on behalf of the DSC. Within UNOPS, the ICAT Secretariat manages ICAT day-to-day activities, coordinating and guiding the work of the implementing partners.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Officer, the Programme Support Officer will perform the following responsibilities:

Country and regional engagement

• Support the ICAT Director and the Senior Programme Officer in coordinating ICAT’s country and regional work including drafting work plans for country support and the regional hubs and liaising with country and regional focal points;
• In collaboration with Implementing Partners, provide support to the coordination and implementation of ICAT’s country work plans.
• Track ICAT progress on country work and its regional engagement on a continuous basis, in accordance with work plan objectives and giving special attention to ICAT’s impact indicators, to keep ICAT management informed and ensure that information ICAT publishes (including on its website) is up-to-date;
• Maintain regular contact with ICAT implementing Partners and country and regional focal points for updates on ICAT country and regional work and collection of country and regional background documents;
• Support implementation of the capacity building activities and peer-to-peer exchanges conducted to build long-term capacity of ICAT beneficiary countries;
• Ensure that files with all legal documents, relevant correspondence, reports documenting results of country and regional activities and files related to workshops are complete, securely stored and kept up-to-date, and that relevant documents are uploaded on the ICAT web pages;

• Draft official letters and taking notes during meetings and visits.

Research Activities

• Ensure the collection and analysis of all relevant background information for ICAT’s country and regional engagement, in particular information on potential ICAT partner countries and regions in which ICAT plans its engagement;
• Conduct background research on transparency-related developments and activities of relevance to ICAT country and regional support;
  • Prepare high quality summaries and reports, including, but not limited to input to, project reports, annual reports, situation reports, briefing notes, and other UN reports. Prepare written summaries of meetings/visits. Provide input into Donor Steering Committee (DSC) documents and lead preparation of regular progress reports;
  • Keeping abreast of relevant policy developments, in particular discussions and negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and decisions adopted in that context, and of research activities of other organizations/initiatives relevant for ICAT country/regional work plan implementation.

Knowledge building and sharing

• Organize, prepare and participate in ICAT Country and Toolbox Group meetings including drafting the agenda, maintaining documentation of decisions and actions, coordinating inputs from Implementing Partners;

• Organize, prepare the and participate in the Advisory Committee meetings including drafting the agenda, maintaining documentation of meeting reports and actions;

• Support the organisation of ICAT events, including meetings of the Donor Steering Committee, and Initiative Coordination Team, and other ICAT stakeholder events, such as COP side events;

• Develop and maintain knowledge sharing tools to capture on an ongoing basis progress on country work and regional engagement, linking all relevant stakeholders;

• Support collaboration with partners such as CBIT, PATPA, NDC Partnership, MRV Group of Friends;

• Liaise with other relevant UN agencies, including the UNFCCC secretariat, UNEP, UNDP, and UNU to obtain up to date information on ongoing activities;

• Any other duties as requested and tasked by the Senior Programme Officer.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) preferably in Climate Change, Project Management, International Relations or other relevant discipline is a requirement.
• First level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) with an additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced university degree.

Experience

• Minimum two (2) years relevant and progressive professional experience in managing projects or programmes in the area of climate change, environment, or development is required, preferably with focus on reporting and coordination;
• A minimum of two (2) years of work experience in the area of climate change is required;
• Work experience with capacity building and development cooperation is an added advantage;
• Work experience in the area of climate transparency is an added advantage.
• Knowledge of relevant UNOPS systems, policies and procedures is an added advantage;
• Proficiency in the usage of computers and MS Office/Google suite or similar software is a requirement.

1. Contract type: Local ICA Contract
2. Contract level: LICA 8
3. Contract duration : Ongoing ICA – ‘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

** This is a Local ICA contract, therefore every EU nationality is eligible and encouraged to apply. However, please note that, as this is a Local position, regretfully, relocation support will not be provided to the selected candidate.

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.