Chief of Service, Programme Management
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 Early Warning and
Assessment Division (EWAD) is responsible for analyzing the state of the global
environment, providing early warning information and assessing global and
regional environmental trends to catalyze and promote international cooperation
and action on the environment.
Under the overall guidance
of the Director, Early Warning and Assessment Division (EWAD) and within
delegated authority, the incumbent will perform the following duties.
Responsibilities
Programme Management:
Analyze
the assessment programme mandates, particularly as stated in General Assembly
(GA) and United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) decisions, and translate
the mandates into strategic programme directions, policies, outputs and
concrete work programmes including budget allocations and the UNEP Medium Term
Strategy.
Integrate
the work programme of the Branch with other programmes of the division and as
well as those of other UNEP divisions.
Secure
approval of the work programme by the UNEP’s Project Review Committee (PRC).
Consult,
negotiate and develop cooperation with appropriate assessment programmes within
the UN system, such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank,
World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World
Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations Educational, Scientific
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) etc. and relevant national, regional and international organizations and
secure agreement on collaborative mechanisms.
Develop,
direct and coordinate the different projects of the Big Science Branch related
to thematic and integrated assessment, and Global Environment Outlook (GEO).
Coordinate
the development of policy relevant summaries and forecasts based on the
findings of the major scientific assessments and the identification of emerging
issues of potential international importance and organize their effective and
targeted dissemination: including United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA),
other relevant UN bodies and governments.
Develop
and direct the implementation of strategies and frameworks for the integration
of scientific assessments and reports produced at global and regional levels or
in thematic areas and their integration with national and regional activities.
Report
on programme performance to appropriate authorities in the organization and to
UNEA e.g. through the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) and the
United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA).
Undertake
regular analysis of the EWAD assessment mandate and activities and propose, as
required, policy options and recommendations for modification and change in the
overall implementation of the work programmes.
Programme Implementation:
Discuss
ongoing and planned assessment and reporting activities of the Branch with
other divisions of UNEP and ensure that these are incorporated into an
integrated programme of work for the division and for UNEP.
Identify
and discuss potential assessment and reporting activities with other divisions
of UNEP, negotiate and coordinate the development of joint activities with UNEP
divisions and external partners and oversee the implementation of the
identified joint activities.
Undertake
regular monitoring of progress of the Branch programme of work and the
individual projects and activities, assess the effectiveness of the results
achieved and develop proposals to enhance performance as appropriate.
Develop
and direct the development of new approaches, procedures, methodologies and
tools for UNEP’s assessment and reporting activities.
Evaluate
procedures, methodologies and approaches used by national and regional
institutions and international organizations to assess environment and
development interactions and support informed decisions.
Analyze
alternative approaches and methodologies and their global, regional and
thematic relevance in function of targeted user communities or policy and
decision-making processes.
Coordinate
the establishment and implementation of international cooperative agreements
and mechanisms to develop appropriate procedures to implement UNEP’s mandated
assessment and reporting functions and ensure their international scientific
validity and acceptability.
Promote
the acceptance and use of appropriate assessment and reporting approaches,
procedures and methodologies by UNEP and relevant national and international
organizations.
Policy Advice and Guidance:
Conduct
high level technical and policy related consultations on matters related to the
programme with policy makers and directors of institutes and international
assessment programmes.
Develop
policy initiatives on programme issues for intergovernmental and interagency
meetings of minister and other high-level officials.
Provide
regular updates and briefs to the Director, EWAD, Executive Director and Deputy
Executive Director on issues related to policy servicing and planning in the
context of programme implementation.
Provide
technical advice and appropriate support to governments and assist in
organizing and convening intergovernmental meetings of policy makers and
technical experts to formulate, adopt and implement global, regional and
national assessment programmes.
Represent
EWAD and/or UNEP at external meetings, as requested by the EWAD Director and/or
the UNEP Executive Office.
Ensure
that UNEP’s BSB functions are integrated across UNEP Sub-programmes.
Carry
out additional tasks from time to time as requested by the Director of EWAD.
Programme Budget and
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Provide
supervisory leadership to professional and general service staff of the Branch,
setting objectives and targets with them, inculcate in them, UN and UNEP
ethical values and principles, monitor and appraise their performance, ensuring
compliance with performance Appraisal System, identify their training needs and
facilitate an environment of teamwork and high productivity.
Manage
all non-human resources matters of the Branch in the most effective and
efficient way.
Review
human and financial resource requirements for programme implementation and
determine priorities for budget allocation.
Liaise
with the Budget and Fund Management Service and Division of Administration
Services of UNON on financial, personnel and administrative matters.
Monitor
financial performance of the activities and projects to ensure cost effective
implementation of the work programme.
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.
Qualifications
Education
An
advanced university degree (Master’s or Doctorate degree, or equivalent) in
natural and environmental sciences, natural resources management, economics or
related fields is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or
equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two additional years of
relevant work 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
Minimum
15 years of relevant working experience delivering and managing scientific
assessments and network of scientists including at least five (5) years at the
national, regional and global levels is required.
Experience
with the operation and requirements of the UN or similar International
organization particularly with regard to developing countries is required.
Progressive
working experience in the management of programmes/projects and supervision of
staff in a multicultural setting is desirable.
A
mixture of working experience in developed and developing countries and
training in scientific assessment tools, methods and processes is desirable.
Experience
in diverse areas and pertaining to different aspects of environment and
development is desirable.
Experience
in data analytics or related area is desirable.
Languages
English
and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For
this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN
language is desirable.
How To Apply
Deadline : Dec 22, 2023