Organization: UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme
Location: Nairobi
Grade: Senior Executive level – D-1, Director – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Project and Programme Management
Managerial positions
Closing Date: 2024-10-24
Org. Setting and Reporting
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP’s Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. This position is in the Regional Seas Branch of the in Ecosystems Division, located at the Nairobi duty station and will work in close collaboration with the Marine and Freshwater Branch. Under the overall guidance of the Division Director and the direct supervision of the Division Deputy Director, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:
Responsibilities
• Leads, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Branch, coordinating the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans. • Ensures that the outputs produced maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data in coherence with the individual programmes of work of the Regional Seas, the overall UNEP Programme of Work, and in coordination with the Marine and Freshwater Branch. • Executes the changes identified by the fit-for purpose reviews guided by intergovernmental processes, including the changes to the organizational structure of the Secretariats. • Refocus tasks in the Branch to deliver impactful results in identified priority areas. • Represents the Branch in preparing the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. • Leads on Ecosystems Division’s policy and activities in the context of the UN Reform Agenda, in consultation with relevant branches/divisions, and UNEP regional and liaison offices. • Leads coordination of the Regional Seas work within the Ecosystems Division to ensure synergy and coherence across the Division and with other areas of UNEP including other Multilateral Environmental Agreements. • Enhance the visibility and impact of the Division’s Regional Seas work through a joint information and outreach strategy among relevant partners. • Undertakes or oversees the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Branch. • Prepare various written outputs, e.g. background papers, analysis, substantial sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, amongst other. • Recruits staff, taking due account of geographical balance. • Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision. • Fosters teamwork and communication among staff. • Overseas the organization of the Regional Seas intergovernmental meetings and conferences of parties, and other Regional Seas related meetings, seminars, on substantive issues. Manages the substantive preparation and organization of such meetings or seminars. • Participates in international, regional or national meetings in collaboration with the Marine and Freshwater Branch and provides programmatic/substantive expertise and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. • Represents the Branch at international, regional or national meetings. • 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.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge in project/programme management in the context of Ecosystems management or related area. 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. Ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision- making and convey resulting information to management. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empower others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. 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. TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailor’s language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. JUDGEMENT/DECISION MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gather 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 (master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental Sciences, management or discipline related to the work of ecosystems management is required. A first- level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying 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.
Job – Specific Qualification
Not available.
Work Experience
A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in project/programme management in the context of Ecosystems management or related area is required. Five (5) years’ experience at the international level and in a supervisory capacity is required. Demonstrated experience in managing performance of teams and staff with specialist expertise is required. Experience in mobilizing resources in an international environment is required. Seven (7) years’ experience in intergovernmental processes, multilateral environment agreements (MEAs) and collaborating centers is required. Five (5) years’ experience in the organization of intergovernmental meetings at the global and regional level is desirable. Experience overseeing teams and projects/programmes under multiple funding is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related areas is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French and/or Spanish is desirable. Knowledge of other UN official languages is desirable. NOTE: ”Fluency” equals a rating of ”fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ”Knowledge of” equals a rating of ”confident” in two of the four areas.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
Appointment against this position is for an initial period of one (1) year and may be subject to extension. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfil the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Candidate Profile (CP) and motivation statement. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Applicants – When completing the Candidate Profile form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. Individual Contractors and Consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for or be appointed to any professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions, within six months of the end of their current or most recent service. For such positions, at least six months need to have elapsed between the end of a consultancy or individual contract and the time of application and consideration for an appointment as a staff member under the Staff Rules and Regulations of the United Nations. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira” Contact Us” link.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.