UNDP Job Recruitment for National Coordinator

As part of efforts to contribute to large, high-value-added sectors such as the green economy, the UN system In Ghana is implementing two complementary programs, the Partnership for Action on a Green Economy (PAGE) and SWITCH Africa Green (SAG):

A. The Partnership for Action on a Green Economy (PAGE)

The Partnership for Action on a Green Economy (PAGE) is a seven-year program that was initiated in response to the Rio + 20 Conference call to support countries wishing to continue their transition to a green economy as a way of achieving sustainable development and eradicating poverty.

PAGE is implemented jointly by five organizations of the United Nations system: UN Environment, International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

PAGE seeks to put in place the necessary preconditions in partner countries by: identifying major obstacles, evaluating investment opportunities and assisting in policy development to encourage the creation of new assets such as clean technologies, resource-efficient infrastructure, efficient ecosystems, a skilled green economy workforce, job-rich growth and good governance.

Ghana officially joined the PAGE initiative in August 2014 and UNDP is the lead agency and coordinates the implementation of PAGE in Ghana. PAGE in Ghana has supported the country to identify priority areas and provide guidance on key strategies and policy implementation. It is envisaged that PAGE will assist Ghana in its implementation of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2014-2017) (GSGDA II). PAGE will also build on Ghana’s National Climate Change Policy and on UNDP-UNEP’s Green Economy Scoping Study and Assessment, which was completed in the country in 2013. A Green Economy Action Plan that gives guidance on concrete activities that could operationalise the recommendations arising from the Green Economy Assessment Report for Ghana is near finalization. On learning and capacity building, PAGE also supported the Development of a Green Economy Learning Strategy based on a needs assessment and capacity building on IGE for different stakeholder groups. The process was concluded in the latter part of 2016 with the official lunch of the Ghana Climate Change and Green Economy Learning Strategy in October 2016.

With the successful implementation of the inception phase, i.e. confirmation and further development of priorities for development of full country work programme, which was completed by March 2017, PAGE in Ghana is ready for implementation of the country work programme.

B. SWITCH Africa Green

UNEP, with financial support from the European Union and in collaboration with UNDP, UNOPS and other regional and national partners, has launched the SWITCH Africa Green project. The overall objective of SWITCH Africa Green is to assist 6 African countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda) to achieve sustainable development through the transition to a green and inclusive economy, based on the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) patterns and practices consumption, while promoting growth, the creation of decent green jobs and the reduction of poverty. The goal will be achieved through support to the private sector that promotes sustainable production patterns for inclusive and green growth. The first phase of the project is 3 years (2014-2017) and the European Union has recently allocated additional resources to implement a 2nd phase of SWITCH Africa Green from 2018-2021.

The specific objective of SWITCH Africa GREEN is to encourage the development of green enterprises, eco-entrepreneurship and the popularization of sustainable consumption and production patterns within (i) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and service providers who are well equipped to seize opportunities for the development of a green economy, ii) better informed public and private consumers, and (iii) create conditions through sound policies and regulatory frameworks. and appropriate, a structural incentive framework, taxes that can influence the market and investment in the 6 African countries.

The SWITCH Africa Green project will combine work at the micro and macro levels by supporting private sector greening initiatives. MSMEs will be supported through intermediary institutions to facilitate the change of practices and the choices of producer consumers. The project will also focus on policies that can influence investment choices. The project will link the ongoing projects and programs funded by the European Union and its Member States, which support the development of green enterprises and SCP practices and capitalize on the experience of other EU-funded projects such as SWITCH Asia and SWITCH Med.

The project has three main components: i) Policy support for each pilot country which will build on and scale up activities to strengthen institutions and appropriate tools and instruments; ii) Green Business development to enable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (M&SMEs) to start and develop resource efficient and green business based on sustainable production practices; and iii) Networking Facility to enable dissemination of lessons learned from the project.

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be responsible for the implementation and coordination of the project.

Supervision

The National Coordinator, SWITCH Africa Green (SAG) and PAGE will operate under the strategic supervision of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) in Ghana, who chairs the United Nations Country Team (UNCT).  In his/her day-to-day work, the National Coordinator will be supervised by the Head of the Sustainable Development Cluster of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and closely guided by the Head of Programmes at UNDP with a strong matrix management line to the Regional Project Coordinators at the UNDP Regional Service Centre in Addis Ababa, the UNEP Regional Office for Africa in Nairobi, UNOPS Africa Regional Office in Nairobi and PAGE Secretariat in Geneva. The coordinator will work closely and coordinate the actions of the UN PAGE partners based on agreed workplans and budgets.

The National Coordinator will assist UN Environment, UNDP, UNOPS and the UN PAGE partners in its daily interaction with the Government of Ghana in the implementation of PAGE and SAG. In this sense.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Project management and coordination
• Policy support and research
• Monitoring and management of grants
• Knowledge building and management
• The National Coordinator will perform the following tasks:
• PAGE:

Project management and coordination

The National Coordinator will support PAGE engagement and policy coordination in Ghana, including identification of linkages with important national and international processes, and the country’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and implement the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs).

The Coordinator will support PAGE counterpart ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) as well as other line ministries and departments in planning, coordinating and implementing PAGE activities in Ghana and facilitate linkages with relevant national government agencies, policy processes and international development partners, particularly the 5 UN PAGE agencies.

The Coordinator shall also be cognisant of the UN Sustainable Development Partnership (UNSDP) 2018-2022, which frames the basis of cooperation between the UN System and Government of Ghana (GoG).

More specifically, the National Coordinator will

• Support the 5 UN PAGE agencies to develop PAGE annual workplans, logframe and budgets.
• Coordinate the implementation of the workplans, and reporting on same.
• Hold regular project steering committee meetings.
• Undertake monitoring actions.

The National Coordinator will directly support the implementation of the UNDP component of the PAGE workplan as follows:

• Finalization and the adoption of the Green Economy Assessment and Action Plan for Ghana under the close supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MESTI).
• Sensitization and training for the media on GH-NDCs and SDGs implementation.
• Provision of follow up actions and coaching on mainstreaming engagements with MMDAs including support for mobilizing financing for implementation of green economy actions in development plans and development and training on the use of metadata for GH-NDCs and SDGs mainstreaming manual.

The National Coordinator will facilitate and coordinate the implementation of the activities of the other 4 UN PAGE agencies relating to sectoral policy reforms and institutional and individual capacity support.

B.  SWITCH Africa Green:

Project management and coordination

• Provide project information to all partners and stakeholders.
• Respect the visibility guide provided by the EU in its communication and visibility manual.
• On behalf of SWITCH Africa Green, directly link the government focal points and the National Technical Coordination Committee (NTCC).
• Provide detailed description of focal areas/activities through consultations at national level/national coordinators, and of the key stakeholders in the public, private sector and civil society that should be engaged.
• Support the organization of national and local training to be carried out under the project. Support in conducting thorough analysis and research of the political, social and economic issues impacting the transformation towards an inclusive green economy in Ghana.
• Support in mapping out UNCT activities in Ghana that are related to green economy transformation, as well as mapping out of the relevant technical resources available within the UNCT.
• Facilitate synergy and coordination of the implementation of the SWITCH Africa Green project with on-going UN programmes and activities.
• Building on existing collaborative projects and working closely with UN Country Teams under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator.
• Participate actively in the meetings and work of the UNSDP pillar on Environment.
• Ensure coherent and effective inter-agency collaboration towards Green Economy in Ghana.
• Work closely and communicate regularly with the national coordinators of existing and upcoming UN inter-agency initiatives on Green Economy in Ghana.
• Maximize commentaries and synergies between the above initiatives and minimize duplication.
• Ensure the UN system interacts coherently and “as One” with national counterparts.

Policy support and research

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues.
• In collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners, support the preparation of specific policy instruments/legislation/regulations as decided at national level.
• Assessment of the business environment in focused sectors and identification of capacity building needs.
• Review of green investment opportunities in the selected sectors.
• Review or initiate green economy scoping studies.
• Support in identification of green economy opportunities for new UN engagement and share these with UNCT members for consideration.
• Support development of new UN initiatives.

Monitoring and management of grants

• Effective application of Results Based Management tools, establishment of management targets and monitoring achievement of results.
• Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the grants.
• Identification of operational and financial problems, development of effective and efficient solutions.
• Constant monitoring and analysis of the grant implementation as per the monitoring framework to be provided by UNOPS.
• Preparation and submission of grant monitoring report (quarterly and annually) to the UNEP-UNDP-UNOPS Regional Project Coordinators in accordance with project requirements.

Facilitate knowledge building and management

• Identify sources of information related to political issues.
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned from allocation management.
• Promote knowledge management, document good practices and lessons learned from project implementation, and disseminate it in the appropriate format to key stakeholders.
• Assist in capacity building through knowledge sharing among key stakeholders
• Engage with national and regional advocacy networks (ARCSP, RECP-net).
• Contribute to knowledge of networks and communities in an appropriate way.
• The sequence of these actions will be adjusted to the conditions and needs of Ghana and will include a national and multi-stakeholder roundtable to better define capacity building needs and ensure broad stakeholder participation.

C.  Common responsibilities:

• Facilitate synergy and coordination of the implementation of SWITCH Africa Green and PAGE projects with other ongoing UN activities and programs and other programs in this area. Capitalize on existing projects and work closely with the United Nations country team under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator.
• Support regular communication with PAGE and SAG and other development partners engaged in the green economy and inclusive sustainable development.
• Support the development of articles on PAGE and SAG activities in Ghana for PAGE and SAG websites, national newspapers and websites.
• Support communication and awareness of PAGE and SAG initiatives at the national level.
• Support UNCT in mobilizing resources for green economy and climate change initiatives.

IV. Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the overall success of the country programme and reaching UNSDP/CPD goals. In particular, the key results have an impact on the design, operation and programming of activities, creation of strategic partnerships as well as reaching resource mobilization targets.

Functional Competencies:             

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

Level 2: Analysis and creation of messages and strategies

• Creates effective advocacy strategies
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses

Results-Based Programme Development and Management

Level 1.1: Contributing to results through provision of information

• Provides information for linkages across programme activities to help identify critical points of integration
• Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation
• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals

Building Strategic Partnerships

Level 2: Identifying and building partnerships

• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency meetings

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

Level 2: Developing new approaches

• Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals
• Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
• Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor

Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations)

Level 2:  Implementing resource mobilization strategies

• Analyzes information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach
• Identifies and compiles lessons learned
• Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Level 2: Developing tools and mechanisms

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

Level 2: In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals

Level 2: Analysis and creation of messages and strategies

Performed analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses

qUses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it for use at country level

Client Orientation

Level 2: Contributing to positive outcomes for the client

• Anticipates client needs
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality

Core Competencies:

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking
• Excellent conceptual, analytical, and critical thinking
• Strong good communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to write clearly and concisely on technical, socio-economic and financial issues
• Proven ability to analyse and communicate complex information at a simpler level to a wide audience
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently and effectively manage complex issues with partners in the public and private sectors
• Proven ability to think strategically, including the ability to think beyond the country context
• Ability to act within a regional and global framework
• Excellent organisation, problem-solving, teamwork and coordination skills
• Strong ability to manage demanding and complex programmes
• Ability to establish effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Commitment to the values of the United Nations

Education:

Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development, Economics, Natural Sciences or other relevant field.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments;
• At least 2 years professional experience in project management in Green Economy related areas such as, but not limited to, energy and resource efficiency, manufacturing, tourism, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, waste management, etc.;
• Proven experience in multi-stakeholder coordination;
• Proven experience in research and design of research methodologies.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English (oral and written).

Important applicant information

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should CLICK HERE to apply.