Regional Technical Specialist-Climate Change Mitigation for Latin America and the Caribbean

1. Strategic planning, partnerships and liaison with other agencies and partners (10%):

• Establishing and maintaining contact with other GEF IA’s, EA’s, donors, NGO’s, private sector, scientific institutions and the like, to seek strategic partnerships, synergies, coordination and cooperation and to avoid overlap, duplication or conflict;
• Contribution to strategic planning and cross-cluster coordination, including participation, as applicable, in team meetings and strategic planning exercises
• Contribute to formulating CC mitigation strategic work dealing with the future programming of GEF or carbon finance resources
• Participating in global retreats, focal area retreats, regional strategic planning, pipeline management exercises, etc.;
• Participating in cross-Focal Area dialogue, common strategic visioning, mainstreaming, programming, and other collaboration within the regional team;
• Keeping UNDP EEG HQ informed of trends and issues within their focal area and region/sub-region;
• Keeping the rest of the Regional Team(s) informed of trends and issues within their focal area and region/sub-region.

2. Strengthening Country Office and Executing Agency partner capacities to manage projects (20%):

• Contribute to the preparation of Community of Practice meetings;
• Supporting the preparation and delivery of training courses (ATLAS Risk, etc);
• Responding to queries on project progress, impacts and lessons;

3. Project Identification and Development (Project Origination) (25%):

• Within the Latina American and Caribbean regions and the Climate Change Mitigation thematic area, through all stages of the project and programming cycle of the particular source of fund (GEF, CDM, JI), and in accordance with the UNDP-GEF and MDG Carbon Programming Manuals, the Climate Change Mitigation Regional Technical Specialist is responsible for:
• The identification and development of project ideas for entry to the UNDP-GEF and project origination for the carbon pipeline within the overall strategic priorities for the region identified by UNDP, the RCU and in line with the global strategic priorities articulated by GEF and MDG Carbon;
• Providing timely and quality information and technical advice on carbon finance (CDM, JI), GEF, or other relevant sources of finance, policies and activities to country offices, executing agencies, governments, and other partners such as UNDP Regional Service Centre, NGO’s and the like, including mentoring RCU staff, regional consultants, and project staff with regards to Climate Change mitigation project development processes and requirements and provide necessary backstopping;
• Providing guidance to the country offices and national proponents in defining priorities for UNDP assistance and entry points for MDG Carbon’s services in identifying and developing carbon finance (or GEF) eligible climate-change projects within the region, as well as providing advice on the specific problems occurring during the implementation phase of the projects;
• Design, preparation, submission and approval of project proposals and requests for project development financing;
• Identification and sourcing of technical expertise and support including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts and reviewing reports;
• Identification and liaison with potential and actual co-financing agencies and institutions

4. Project Implementation Oversight and Support (25%):

• Inception, contracting and start up of projects including establishment of indicators, benchmarks and work plans
• Supervising implementation, monitoring, troubleshooting and adaptive management. This includes monitoring the development and implementation of the UNDP climate change mitigation projects, including review and commenting of the PIRs received from the COs and ensuring their timely submission to HQ;
• Maintain project and portfolio information and corporate information systems including keeping PIMS pages for the projects managed under this TOR and the internal MDG Carbon and UNDP/EEG workspace for the respective region in which s/he is working applicable parts up to date;
• Reviewing and commenting on relevant submissions to GEFSEC from other agencies.

5. Generating, managing and stimulating the uptake of knowledge (20%):

• Within his/her related field of expertise, contributing globally and regionally to one or more of the following, in accordance with his/her agreed annual work plan:
• Peer reviewing, commenting on, and seeking to improve the technical quality of project submissions;
• Evaluating, capturing, codifying, synthesizing lessons and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development and championing of resource kits and other knowledge materials;
• Facilitating, tracking, and assisting in monitoring and adaptive management of a small set of strategic projects which test cutting-edge ideas and innovations and which position UNDP strategically, including the development and management of global projects;
• Developing and carrying out a personal learning plan.

 Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’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;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
• In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills;
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.

Management and Leadership

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills.

• Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences, Economics, Engineering or Finance related to energy, climate change or closely-related field
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in Climate Change mitigation and development,
• Experience in energy efficiency, renewable energy and/or sustainable transport
• Extensive experience with project development, implementation and management (direct project management experience is preferable);
• Experience in the policy development processes associated with environment and sustainable development issues;
• Demonstrated strategic technical and intellectual skills in substantive area;
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strategic partnerships;
• Demonstrated leadership, facilitation and coordination skills;
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial abilities and demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner;
• Full computer literacy;
• Experience working in Latin America and the Caribbean;
• Working experience in an international organization is an advantage as is knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures and practices.
• Excellent knowledge of the English language, with exceptional writing, presentation and communication skills;
• Proficiency in other UN languages, in particular French, Russian and Arabic is highly desirable