Senior Programme Management Officer at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Job Description

Responsibilities
1. Facilitate Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues for the alignment of national policies with global environmental standards and commitments
• Engage with member states to advocate for the alignment of national policies with global standards and commitments related to minerals and mining, particularly those established through global fora such as G20, G7, G77 and China, etc.
• Provide technical assistance, policy briefs, and analytical reports to support countries in implementing effective regulations that promote environmental sustainability and social equity.
• Develop and implement frameworks to monitor and evaluate the progress of member states in achieving G20 commitments related to minerals and mining.
• Lead policy development and conduct analyses of emerging environmental trends in support of UNEA resolutions and high-level processes like the G20.
• Track the implementation of agreed-upon initiatives, assess their impact on sustainable development, and provide actionable recommendations for improvement to enhance accountability and transparency in the sector.
• Coordinate and lead multi-stakeholder dialogues among member states, industry representatives, and civil society organizations.
• Organize forums and workshops to address key challenges, share best practices, and develop joint strategies for responsible mineral resource management.

2. Strengthening Strategic Engagement with the UN Development System (UNDS)
• Enhance UNEP’s collaboration with the UN Development System (UNDS) at country and regional levels.
• Provide senior management with recommendations for improving UNEP’s positioning and coherence within UNDS. Facilitate UNEP’s policy guidance to UN Resident Coordinators (UNRCs) on environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity.
• Facilitate UNEP’s participation in Common Country Analyses (CCAs) and Cooperation Frameworks (CFs), ensuring thorough monitoring and evaluation.
• Drive action within UNCTs to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
• Provide strategic advice for integrated policy development across various sectors, emphasizing the poverty-environment nexus.
• Support advocacy efforts by providing updated policy briefs and technical resources.
• Foster internal collaboration to support unified approaches in engaging with UN Country Teams (UNCT) and Regional Collaborative Platforms (RCP).
• Coordinating Engagement with OIBCs, and assist the Regional Director in aligning UNEP’s contributions with UN development priorities.

3. National Priorities and Interventions:
• Identify national priorities and develop targeted interventions in collaboration with regional coordinators.
• Ensure alignment with UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy and regional environmental priorities.
• Provide advice on financing for environmental solutions to address regional and country environmental priorities.
• Interact with governments, development partners, and financial institutions to enhance prioritization of environmental opportunities and challenges in their budgets and funding portfolios.

4. Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.

5. Perform other duties as may be assigned by UNEP management.

Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM – Solid understanding of the environment and climate change. Knowledge of the UN Development System processes at country and regional level. Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities, and risks. Ability to establish and maintain relationships with a broad range of individuals and institutions to understand needs and gain support. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction; Ability to develop strategies and communicate clearly links between the organization’s strategy and programme of work the region’s and sub-regions and countries’ goals; Ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management; Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operation; Demonstrated ability to negotiate, apply good judgment and the ability to influence others to reach agreement; Mastery of the diverse scope of capacity building and a clear vision of UNEP’s role at the national, sub-regional, regional and global levels; Ability to resolve complex and politically sensitive problems with governments, cooperating institutions, and other stakeholders. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently.

ACOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

LEADERSHIP: Demonstrated innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development and management of operations; tact and negotiating skills; good judgment and decision-making skills; empowers others to translate vision into results; shows the courage to take unpopular stands; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education
Advanced university degree in Environmental Studies, Economics, Law, International Relations, Social Sciences, or related discipline is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience
A minimum of ten (10) years of progressive responsible experience in environmental management, policy development, programme/project management is required Experience in environmental and sustainable development and policy analysis at the international level is required. Experience with UN system, governmental or non-governmental institutions implementing projects/programmes addressing nature and biodiversity loss is desirable. Experience in strategic planning and programming for environmental/ developmental programmes is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.