Environmental Policy Advisor

UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2008-2011 and the 2008 regionalization paper articulate the corporate requirement to bring timely and effective substantive and technical services to country offices through strengthened practice architecture at the global, regional and country level.

The UNDP practice architecture serves as a framework for better organizing UNDP to provide consistent policy advisory services, more relevant and substantive policy knowledge, and a better linkage between policy, programming and capacity development. The value of the practice architecture lies in its comprehensive structure to solidify UNDP and its staff into a global team that ensures coherence, consistency, alignment and quality assurance in the way UNDP delivers services both within UNDP and to development partners and programme countries.

The Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) is responsible for articulating UNDP’s development policy, using evidence gathered through country applications, regional experiences and global interactions. BDP has a key role to play in helping country offices to accelerate human development by supporting them in the design and implementation of programmes and projects that effectively contribute to national policies and results. Driven by demand, and working through the Regional Bureaus and Regional Service Centers, BDP provides the tools, analysis and capacities that country offices need to make a real difference in UNDP’s practice areas.

BDP’s support to UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2008-2011 is focused in 4 practices (Poverty Reduction, Governance, Environment and Energy, HIV/AIDS) and 2 thematic areas (Capacity Development and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment). These practices/thematic areas in turn are supported both at the global and regional levels by policy advisors with expertise in areas relevant to UNDP’s key results as laid out in the Strategic Plan.

Environment and Energy Group

The Environment and Energy Group (EEG) focuses its work in support of the Environment and Sustainable Development results area of the Strategic Plan. Within this, 4 key areas of work are identified: environmental mainstreaming; environmental finance; climate change adaptation; and local access to environment and energy services. Substantive expertise is delivered to country offices through specialized technical teams located in the Regional Service Centers. Each team is composed of technical experts in substantive thematic areas such as climate change, energy, chemicals, water, land and biodiversity. Teams in the Regional Service Centers are supported by a small leadership and management team in headquarters. This team supports practice management and coordination, policy development and advocacy, programme development and quality assurance, and research and knowledge management at the global level.

EEG provides an integrated package of services consisting of policy, programme and implementation support, including providing assistance in combining and sequencing different sources of funds to enable country offices to deliver project solutions to partner countries. Sources of funds for this work include the Biennial Support Budget (BSB), Global Cooperation Framework (GCF), Environment and Energy Thematic Trust Fund (TTF), GEF Trust Fund, Least Developed Country Fund (GCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), Adaptation Fund, and Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol (MLF). Sources of funds also include bilateral donors, foundations, the private sector, and increasingly complex environmental finance mechanisms such as premiums associated with the market price of regulatory and voluntary carbon market instruments. Currently EEG is supporting country-office led programmes valued at nearly $1 billion per year.

The Environmental Policy Advisor is responsible for bringing solid substantive advice and technical expertise, advocacy and knowledge to the Environment and Energy Group within BDP. Working to ensure quality services to BDP’s clients, the Environmental Policy Advisor works towards advancing UNDP’s credibility in this practice area, ensuring coherence and quality technical advice in this area. The incumbent will report to Director of the PEF and the Practice Director in New York.

The Environmental Policy Advisor will support a global multi-disciplinary network of advisors and institutions to provide cutting edge advisory services that are knowledge based, relevant to the practical needs of programme countries, and take a holistic approach to development. The Advisor will play a key role in promoting the exchange of best practices and innovative thinking across regions and provide substantive leadership and backup to field-based specialists who provide advisory services directly to UNDP Country Offices and developing countries.

Within the area of Environment and Energy, the Environmental Policy Advisor will have specific responsibilities for the UNDP policies, services and related products in the area of environmental management and mainstreaming across development planning and implementation systems. The incumbent will be responsible for:

• Policy Advisory/Programme Support-Delivery;
• Research and Content Development;
• Policy Development;
• Practice Management/Co-ordination;
• Practice Advocacy; and
• Knowledge Management

Policy Advisory/Programme Support-Delivery

• Help governments to mainstream environment into national development policies by providing excellent written and personal advice;
• Help UNDP to integrate environmental management into their national programmes;
• Develop policy guidance to improve Country Office support in the practical implementation of integrated approaches to environmental management and poverty alleviation;
• Provide substantive contribution to joint cross-practice integration of policy and programme planning through EEG, PEF, and MDG-S
• Provide direct technical advice, backstopping and training to Country Offices, UN Country Teams, Regional Services Centers and Regional Bureaus.
• Support relevant regional initiatives and promote synergies with the regional programmes of the Regional Bureaus;
• Exercise quality assurance for integrated policy services both within the environment and energy practice and across other practice areas, in particular mainstreaming environmental sustainability and fostering policy innovation to enhance programme delivery.

Research and Content Development

• Analyze data, case evidence and research findings to distill relevant lessons concerning the most effective ways of mainstreaming environment into national development policies;
• Based on research and analysis, generate innovative operational concepts aimed at widening UN/UNDP policy/programming tools;
• Develop, test and roll out tools and methodologies in focus areas to provide “how to” guidance and ensure standards of mainstreaming various environmental themes that UNDP promotes (water governance, biodiversity, energy access, chemicals)
• Research, develop and share knowledge-based tools, such as policy positions/practice notes/concept papers and other research papers to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the practice service area and present such material at global and regional forums.

Policy Development

• Facilitate/coordinate the work of the other staff members (at HQ and in the field) to integrate environment in all UNDP operations, including though the review of key corporate programmes and policies;
• Support the integration of policy into corporate operations through the Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP), Environment Management Guidelines, Environmental Impacts Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA), and other tools;
• Promote UNDP’s environmental management strategy, implementation plan and support tools for mainstreaming environment;
• Lead EEG Working Group on Environmental Mainstreaming to support implementation of UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2008-2011, and Global Programme 2009-2011 especially related to environmental mainstreaming;
• Support corporate reporting on environmental sustainability;
• Provide substantive inputs to international forums to help shape global and regional development strategies, policies, norms and standards;
• Develops tools for the implementation of global policy standards.

Practice Management/Co-ordination

• Work closely with the Practice Director and Practice Manager to develop workplans, monitor/report progress in service area in line with practice strategic goals and within the practice resource framework and agreed work programme;
• Support field-based specialists in the area of environmental management and integration; help teams of HQ advisors and field-based specialists access in-depth expertise and develop knowledge product lines.
• Coordinate with RBx to introduce mainstreaming processes into country programmes
• Serve as headquarters focal point to provide overall coordination with PEF on mainstreaming methodologies, knowledge products, cross-practice integration, representation and advocacy
• Support programme management, including the development of global programmes and manage related human resources if applicable;
• Mobilize and manage financial resources, including for Trust Funds;
• Provide results reporting and other management obligations for corporate planning and management processes of UNDP, UN system and Trust Fund governing boards;
• Enlist management solutions to troubleshoot programme delivery difficulties and share best practices;
• Develop practice business plan in the service area, and forge/implement successfully strategic partnerships with UN and external partner institutions – governments, private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, etc.

Practice Advocacy

• Represent UNDP (and UN partner organizations, including PEF) to advocate practice messages in the international development arena for a discussion;
• Provide substantive and content leadership in UNDP corporate discussions and inter-agency coordination on practice issues;
• Support EEG inputs to UN Development Group to advance UN system-wide corporate policy on environment;
• Support EEG contributions to the DAC working party on environment and sustainable development other similar international forums;
• Provide substantive contributions to MDG monitoring frameworks and support to national implementation of environment-related goals;
• Mobilize external partnerships behind UNDP initiatives;
• Advocate the importance of the practice service area in various fora with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms;
• Lead the design of material and promote initiatives for advocacy and policy dialogue in practice service areas and nurture partnerships with academia and civil society to develop the content;
• Support the Practice Director in providing intellectual leadership of practice in specific service area.

Knowledge Management

• Play a key role in electronic knowledge networks, which will link together policy advisors in HQ and Regional Service Centers and focal points in UNDP Country Offices.
• Build and facilitate internal and external Communities of Practice in relevant thematic and cross-thematic area(s) to foster learning throughout the organization in the area of environmental management and mainstreaming.
• Contribute to global and regional knowledge networks;
• Produce knowledge products in accordance with corporate standards;
• Contribute and manage practice content in corporate KM systems, including the upcoming Teamworks platform.

Corporate

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional:

Leadership

• Strong managerial/leadership experience and decision-making skills;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
• Knowledge and expertise in UNDP’s programming processes;
• Proven ability to lead a practice area and drive for results with a strong knowledge of results-based management and budgeting.

Managing Relationships

• Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational skills;\
• Strong ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff;
• Excellent negotiating and networking skills;
• Strong resource mobilization and partnering skills.

Managing Complexity

• Ability to address global development issues;
• Substantive knowledge and understanding of development cooperation with the ability to support the practice architecture of UNDP and inter-disciplinary issues;
• Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives;
• A sound global network of institutional and individual contacts.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Ability to strongly promote knowledge sharing and knowledge products and services;
• Demonstrated ability to understand clients' needs and concerns; respond promptly and effectively to client needs; and customize services and products as appropriate.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with others in own unit and across boundaries; acknowledge others' contributions; promote collaboration and facilitate teamwork across organizational boundaries;
• Open to new ideas; shares own knowledge; applies knowledge in daily work; builds partnerships for learning and knowledge sharing;
• Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside of UNDP;
• Familiarity with current Knowledge Management technologies

Judgment/Decision-Making

• Mature judgment and initiative;
• Proven ability to provide strategic direction in practice area;
• Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling major policy issues and challenges.

• Masters Degree in field related to environment and development.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible, substantive knowledge in practice/thematic area and development programming experience or related fields.
• Fluency in English. Working knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.