Head Technical UN-REDD Secretariat

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP’s Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI) works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and advisory services for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The UN-REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) Programme (www.un-redd.net) was launched on 24 September 2008 as a collaborative initiative between UNEP, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Programme’s main aim is to contribute to the development of capacity for implementing REDD and to support the international dialogue for the inclusion of a REDD mechanism in a post-2012 climate regime. The Programme is funded under a Multi-Donor Trust Fund Mechanism and will be led by a small secretariat in collaboration with teams within each of the partner UN Agencies. This post is located in UNEP/DEPI, UN-REDD Programme at the Geneva duty station. The UN-REDD Programme has established Geneva as the location for its Technical Secretariat where it will be hosted by UNEP from January 2009. The Technical Secretariat serves the UN-REDD Programme Policy Board, using the capacities of the participating UN organizations, research institutions and recognized experts. The Secretariat will manage the national joint programme review process. It will also manage the UN-REDD’s overall monitoring and evaluation function which includes inter alia monitoring allocations to and delivery by the international support functions and country joint programmes, and tracking Programme-wide progress and ensuring that monitoring mechanisms are applied.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall direction and guidance of the UN-REDD Programme Policy Board, in cooperation with the UN Agency Coordination Group of the UN-REDD Programme and the supervision of Deputy Director, DEPI, the incumbent will provide overall leadership and coordination of the UN-REDD Programme Technical Secretariat and be the focal point for the Programme as a whole. Specifically to: Represent the partner agencies, for the UN-REDD Programme vis-à-vis its Policy Board, donors, participating countries, collaborating organizations and other stakeholders, including coordinating dialogue with these; Liaise with the UN-REDD Programme focal points of FAO, UNDP and UNEP; Coordinate the planning and implementation of the Secretariat’s work, ensuring that all Secretariat Functions and Tasks are delivered; Report progress, results and outcomes of the Secretariat to FAO, UNDP and UNEP as a component of the International and Country Support Functions Joint Programme; Provide guidance and leadership to senior professional and support staff of the secretariat; Coordinate UN-REDD Programme reporting and support to and interaction with the Policy Board; Support process and coordinate meetings of the Policy Board of the UN-REDD Programme; Ensure implementation of Policy Board decisions relevant to the Secretariat; Represent the UN-REDD Programme on behalf of FAO, UNDP and UNEP; Coordinate the planning of UN-REDD Programme external information and communication activities, including website, press, networks, reports and documents; Lead UN-REDD Programme fundraising efforts including in particular efforts to increase donations to the UN-REDD Programme Multi-donor Trust Fund; and Perform other duties as required or requested by the Policy Board and as necessary for UN Agency coordination.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability to provide technical and substantive support in the field of environmental management, development and mastery of climate change, forest and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation issues including evaluation and monitoring mechanisms; Ability to identify important and emerging issues; Proven diplomatic skills in discussions/negotiations with senior government and non-government officials. Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed work-plans; Identifies priority activities and assignments and adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Proven ability to work with a broad range of partners, establish priorities and monitor a work programme and capacity to manage its implementation. Leadership: Provides leadership to the work to empower others and translate vision into results; Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Establishes and maintain relations with a broad range of people to understand needs and support; Takes responsibility for ensuring equal participation of men and women in all areas of work. Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: An advanced university degree in International Relations, Environmental Management or other relevant subject; A first level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Work experience: Fifteen years of relevant experience, including five years of international experience; Proven experience in fundraising, programming and strategic planning. Language Requirements: English and French are the official languages of the UN Secretariat; For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required, working knowledge of Spanish or French desired; Knowledge of other official UN languages is an asset. Assessment method: Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment which will be followed by a competency-based interview Special Notice: This position is funded for an initial period of two years 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. 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 int he job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?" link United Nations Considerations The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. 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

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Head Technical UN-REDD Secretariat