National climate change specialist

Background 

UNDP Country Offices are receiving an increasing number of national requests for assistance with understanding the implications of climate change on national development and preparing integrated strategies and plans to manage anticipated challenges and opportunities. UNDP has played an important role assisting countries to access and deliver climate change financing, as implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), joint manager of the National Communications Support Programme and by delivering initiatives like MDG Carbon, Capacity Development for Policy Makers, the MDG Achievement Fund, Africa Adaptation Programme, CC-DARE, UN REDD, Carbon Neutral and Climate Resilient Territories, and the 2007 Human Development Report on climate change (activities totaling more than 220 million USD in catalytic funding). Yet at the same time, UNDP must further strengthen its climate change policy advisory capacity. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

Under supervision of Pro-Poor Economic Growth Team Leader, the National Climate Change Specialists will: 

- Promote Policy Dialogue on climate change with government and development partners, building on and ensuring consistency with international policy guidance on climate change provided by HQ
- Engage in climate change policy dialogue at national level with key partners 
-- including key line Ministries, donors, NGOs, private sector, and civil society 
-- on preparing for a post-2012 institutional and financial regime, using technical guidance available at the regional and global level and ensuring consistency with international climate policy guidance provided by HQ.
- Provide substantive inputs on national low-carbon, climate-resilient development strategies and plans and review of sector policies, which can provide the foundation for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), building on and ensuring consistency with international climate policy guidance provided by HQ.
-Source expertise and backstop on economic climate change impact assessments for vulnerable sectors of a country’s economy, as required, using technical guidance available at the regional and global level.
- Support capacity development of government agencies to programme climate change-related resources and provide advice on the effective use and management of different climate financing mechanisms, drawing on the EEG Environmental Finance facilities.
- Observe and engage in national and international climate change policy debates within the overarching UNDP climate change policy framework.
- Identify areas of comparative advantage for interventions where UNDP can add value and inform the Regional Service Centre and HQ.
- Advise UNDP senior management on all climate related policy issues to provide strategic advice and guidance with a specific focus on adaptation.
- Serve as a resource person on capacity development activities on climate change for the UNDP Country Office and UNCT.
- Support a UN-wide approach to climate change and promote UNDP’s role, including policy and programmatic initiatives, ensuring consistency and integration with regional and global approaches, methodologies, and strategies
- Support development of a programmatic approach at the UNDP/UNCT level to integrate climate risk management in the existing framework documents (UNDAF, CPAP) and project portfolios across all practice areas.
- Screen and “climate proof” UNDP’s ongoing and planned programmes and projects in all practice areas such as governance, poverty, environment, CPR, gender, capacity development) within UNDP as well as within the UN system.
- Identify and elaborate UNDP components of the UN approach.
- Promote cross practice collaboration (poverty, governance, CPR, gender, capacity development) within UNDP as well as within the UN system.
- Support strategic partnerships and knowledge management
- Adapt global and regional technical and strategic position papers, presentations, advisory and briefing notes, for national circumstances. 
- Prepare and adapt inputs to policy briefs/position papers that address links between climate change and other development concerns, in collaboration with other practices such as governance, poverty reduction, gender, crisis prevention and recovery, and capacity development.
- Under guidance of Country Office, and in collaboration with the Regional Service Centre and EEG, strengthen strategic and thematic partnerships with key stakeholders, particularly government, donors, private sector to identify opportunities, formulate joint initiatives with maximum impacts and efficiency, minimize duplication of efforts and reduce transaction costs.
- Explore the potential for private sector partnerships on climate change and explore opportunities for carbon/environmental financing.
- Support resource mobilization efforts of the government on climate change, especially tapping into the climate change specific financing mechanisms such as the MDG Carbon Facility, CDM, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) scheme, and the UN Multi-Donor Trust Fund, etc.
- Promote information sharing and facilitate dialogue within the donor community by initiating and/or participating in consultative meetings and preparing briefs and policy papers on climate change.
- Provide regular briefings on the status of international climate change negotiations and forthcoming events, using disseminated inputs from EEG and the Regional Service Centres. These inputs should contribute to the development and strengthening common UN positions regarding climate change issues.
- Ensure optimal flow of information about initiatives, projects, international climate negotiations, and related issues between CO and other partners, in particular the Regional Service Centres and HQ.
- Manage Country Office climate change portfolio (50% of time)

Competencies 

- Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of UNDP
- Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others; gives credit to the contributions of others
- Plans and prioritizes work activities to meet organizational goals
- Builds and sustains relationships with key constituents (internal/external/ bilateral/ multilateral/public/private; civil society)
- Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate
- Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
- Devises new systems and processes, and modifies existing ones, to support innovative behaviors
- Demonstrates excellent and effective written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrates effective communication skills in a multidisciplinary working environment
- Demonstrate respect to knowledge and culture and religion in a multidisciplinary working environment
- Applies the required depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise to meet job demands 
- Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Required Skills and Experience 

Education
- Master’s Degree in climate sciences, environmental sciences, earth sciences, natural resource economics, political science or related social sciences. 

Experience
- 5 years of relevant work experience on issues related to climate risk, vulnerability reduction and capacity development.
- Background in partnership building will be an essential requirement.
- Experience in working with government, donors or the UN previously is an asset
- Experience in policy analysis, development work in the area of climate change and related issues.
- Familiarity with and contributions to high-level policy dialogues and advisory functions involving high-level government counterparts and other stake-holders
- Thorough knowledge and understanding of the global debate on climate change and experience in multilateral environmental debates and dialogues and processes.
- Experience in advising on climate change adaptation and energy policy development a major asset
- Proven experience and knowledge of the country’s institutional framework and policies of Climate Change is an asset. 

Language Requirements
- Fluency in both English and Arabic languages is required.