Regional advisor – Climate change adaptation and disaster risk management

Background Information - UNOPS

“UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities help suffering people in troubled parts of the world.”
-Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

UNOPS employs around 3,500 personnel annually and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Background Information - APO

Asia and the Pacific Regional Office

The Asia and the Pacific Regional Office is based in Bangkok, Thailand, and was established in 1995 to bring UNOPS closer to partners in the region. The regional office provides implementation support and project management services to operations throughout the region, supplying financial oversight of projects, procuring goods and services, and managing human resources. It helps ensure that projects are executed to the highest standards, ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are shared within the region and beyond.
Background Information - Job-specific

"Climate change is the preeminent geopolitical and economic issue of the 21st century.”
- Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

As per its mandate, UNOPS is a central resource for the United Nations system in procurement and contracts management as well as in civil works and physical infrastructure development, including the related capacity development activities.
UNOPS has four Contribution Goals outlined in its Strategic Plan for 2010-2013. Goal Two and Goal Four aim to contribute towards environmental sustainability and adaptation to climate change, as well as to the early recovery of communities affected by natural disasters. In line with UNOPS strategic goals, and in recognizing that Asia and the Pacific is the most vulnerable region in the World to climate change and disasters, it is critical that future UNOPS programmes and projects aim to enhance the climate and disaster resilience of countries and communities in the region.

UNOPS APO is currently in the process of developing numerous projects in the areas of climate change and disaster risk management in a number of Southeast Asia countries, including the Philippines.
Functional Responsibilities

Below are some of the functionalities.

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, and the direct supervision of the Regional Programme Development Officer, and in accordance with UNOPS policies, procedures and practices, the Regional Advisor – Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management will:

Provide expert advice to UNOPS and its partners on all matters related climate change (CC) and disaster risk management (DRM).
Liaise with high ranking government, donor and UN officials.
Research CC and DRM policies and projects.
Identify new CC and DRM project opportunities in Asia and the Pacific.
Develop expressions of interest, project briefs, concept notes and project proposals that address CC and DRM.
Coordinate contacts with potential partners and organize targeted high-level meetings and workshops
Develop UNOPS capacity statements and CC and DRM strategies for the various services provided by UNOPS
Perform other related duties as required.

Competencies

The Regional Advisor - Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management - should have the following competencies:

- Ability to learn,
- Ability to analyze,
- Organising and quality orientation,
- Result orientation,
- Communication skill,
- Teamwork skills,
- Situational sensitivity,
- Client focus.


In addition to the aforementioned competencies, the Regional Advisor – Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management - should poses the ability to work in an environment based on UNOPS culture and work ethics that is both responsive to client needs and respectful of internal and external colleagues and partners, diligence, attention to critical details, keen sense of work priorities and resourcefulness in obtaining and researching important information.

Required functional competencies include:

- Ability to provide expert advice to UN organizations, national and local governments, and UNOPS personnel on matters related to climate change and disaster risk management;
- Ability to develop project proposals, concept notes and project documents, especially related to climate change and disaster risk management;
- Negotiation capacity with government officials and donors;
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills to persuade and influence others;
- Global mind-set with sensitivity to diverse culture/workforce and high level of energy, enthusiasm and creativity;
- Familiarity with Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Philippine context.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

- Masters degree in Environmental Sciences, Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Disaster Risk Management, Risk Management or related disciplines. Bachelors degree in Environmental Sciences, Sustainable Development, Engineering, Architecture, Climate Change or related disciplines.
- Minimum 11 years of related experience of which at least 5 years was in drafting environmental, disaster risk reduction, or climate change-related project proposals and concept notes, and a minimum of 5 years in project management.
- Experience working in post-disaster environments is an asset.
- Experience working for and/or with the United Nations, International Development Banks, National and Local Governments or private sector advisory firms is an asset.
- Familiarity with issues linked to climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in Asia and the Pacific, specifically in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, is an asset.
- Fluency in both written and oral English is required. Fluency in other UN and Southeast Asia languages is an asset.

Additional Considerations

- Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
- Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post
- The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.