Lead Climate Information and EWS Advisor

Job Description

Office/Unit/Project Description

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in UNDP’s Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages; represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora, including public-private, government and civil society dialogues; and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

BPPS’s Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy and Waste, with the support of the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit, works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy and waste related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy and waste.

The newly established UNDP Climate Hub is the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to the “Climate Promise” that aims to support programming countries designing and implementing pledges under the Paris Agreement, including ambitious National Determined Contributions, with climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions fully embedded in the national development planning and budgetary processes. The Climate Hub will build on UNDP’s existing over USD 4 billion country-level climate portfolio on Climate Change Policies and Strategies, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate and Forests, covering over 142 countries, as well as on UNDP’s Nature portfolio, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP’s Digital offer and other relevant portfolios on youth, gender, health, climate security among others.

The UNDP Climate Hub is responsible for:

Thought leadership on Climate and to be the custodian of UNDP policy positions on Climate;
Strategy and vision formulation;
Pipeline development in coordination with the other hubs and the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit;
Provision of integrated policy and programme support to Country Offices;
Global engagement, advocacy in collaboration with BERA;
Integration across thematic areas;
Strategic Partnerships development and resource mobilization;
Lead and Support global flagship initiatives and partnerships on Climate;
Serve as focal point with relevant UN coordination mechanisms and Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change);
Cross-organization knowledge and learning; and
Innovation.

Under the Climate Hub, the Climate Change Adaptation portfolio promotes a ‘whole-of-society’ approach to accelerate adaptation and helps countries secure public and private finance for their adaptation priorities. Drawing on lessons from initiatives in over 100 countries, UNDP assists governments in integrating climate change adaptation into national and local policies, plans, and investments, particularly through the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process and NDCs and offers countries integrated technical services for eligibility assessment, programme formulation, capacity building, policy advice, technical assistance, training, technology transfer, co-financing mobilization, implementation oversight, and knowledge management. The portfolio supports adaptation in agriculture, food security, water resources, coastal management, ecosystem protection, public health, resilient infrastructure, urban resilience, livelihoods, and climate information/early warning systems.

The Lead Climate Information and EWS Advisor will provide strategic guidance on the development and implementation of EWS initiatives. Serving as the global advisor to coordinate EWS initiatives internally across UNDP and advance partnerships across UN agencies and global platforms, the incumbent will also engage with key partners in the EWS field, including governments, international organizations, NGOs, and private sector entities.

Scope of Work

Lead Innovation, provide Strategic Leadership, lead Policy Dialogue and Advocacy:

Contribute to a strategic understanding of, and engagement with, the substantive technical issues, institutions, and processes within the region, including establishing contact and identifying strategic partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGOs, the private sector, scientific institutions and the like;
Participate in the development and implementation of UNDP’s global and regional strategies on environment and sustainable development within the BPPS and beyond. Engagement in policy and advocacy work with external partners where relevant.
Provide strategic guidance on the development and implementation of EWS initiatives within UNDP BPPS, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and global EWS frameworks.
Advice and support the development of EWS-related knowledge products, such as policy briefs, briefing notes to senior management, and case studies.
Provide advice and support in the mobilization of financial resources for EWS initiatives, through grant writing, fundraising, and resource allocation strategies.
Serve as Global Advisor for the UNDP adaptation team in matters related to Climate Information and Early Warnings, coordinating internally across BPPS, Crisis Bureau, as well as advancing partnerships across UN agencies, global platforms, and initiatives (such as REAP, SOFF, EWALL, among others).
Serve as UNDP focal point for the Systematic Observation Financing Facility (SOFF); including leading fund mobilization and the delivery of the country projects with support from a team of colleagues covering the countries.
Lead the implementation of the EW4All initiative of the UNSG, both strategically with the pillar leads (WMO, UNDRR, ITU, and IFRC) to shape the initiative and at the global level for the implementation of the EW4All programme with the GCF.
Provide policy development support and guidance;
Support the development of strategic UNDP policy position papers and internal briefing notes;
Facilitate policy analysis and the development of technical tools and guidance;
Keep the Regional Team informed of trends and issues with respect to the substantive technical area;
Keep the Principal/Senior Technical Advisors informed of trends and issues in the region.

Ensure Portfolio Management:

Identify and engage with key partners in the EWS field, including governments, international organizations, NGOs, and private sector entities. This involves understanding their areas of expertise, identifying potential synergies, and establishing collaborative relationships.
Facilitate the identification and sourcing of technical expertise and support, including assisting with the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts, and review reports;
Develop and advocate for specific policy analysis and development tools and guidance in support of programming and finance for climate change adaptation, including from both public and private sources;
Assist in the maintenance of programme/project and portfolio information and corporate information systems.

Guide on the elaboration of Resource Mobilization strategy:

Support programme and project identification and development, including on integrated approaches and multifocal area projects;
Liaise with the relevant experts in Government, NGOs, CSOs, Private Sector, Development Partners to obtain critical input, including expert advice, information from relevant documents that can feed into the preparation of a feasibility assessment, concept design and proposal development;
Organize, lead, participate and collate information based on a series of consultations with stakeholders;
Synthesize key information from existing documents of relevance, given the scope of the intended project, that can then be used as input to the development of a feasibility assessment, concept design and proposal development;
Provide timely and quality information and technical advice on sources of funds, policies, priorities and activities – including the Global Environment Facility funds, the Green Climate Fund, other multilateral donors, bilateral donors and foundations;
Identify and suggest to the STA priorities and entry-points for UNDP assistance;
Support UNDP staff (at Regional and national level) to conduct and capture discussions from community level consultations to both inform and validate the design of the project;
Facilitate the process of preparation, design, submission and approval of programme/project concepts and full-fledged proposals for financing;
Advise the project formulation technical expert to conduct technical analysis to flesh out project components and all technical sections, and project log frame with well-defined indicators, targets, inputs and outputs;
Provide guidance to the project formulation technical expert with acquiring sufficient data and facilitating necessary consultations with relevant government agencies, stakeholders, and experts to produce a draft feasibility report for the project concept based on the consultations, research and analysis conducted;
Provide guidance to the project formulation technical expert on outlining of financial structure of the project (with input from UNDP staff) and all main cost categories at the input level corresponding to all outcomes and outputs;
Facilitate liaisons with potential financing agencies and institutions.

Advice on Development Impact:

Provide advisory support with inception, contracting and initiation of programmes/projects including establishment of indicators, benchmarks and work plans;
Provide support to UNDP country offices and programme/project implementation partners in supervision, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, troubleshooting and adaptive management;
Provide guidance to the UNDP country offices with organizing and compiling information that will feed into the project development exercise;
Prepare reports and communications pieces effectively showcasing socio-economic development benefits as well as environmental results.
Enhance development impact by working closely with the Crisis Bureau and BPPS on delivering country level technical assistance for project design and implementation.

Lead Learning, Knowledge Management and Self Development:

Evaluate, capture, codify, synthesize lessons and stimulate the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of knowledge materials;
Peer review, comment on, and seek to improve the technical quality of programmes/projects, policies, practices, guidelines, advisory notes, publications and the like;
Contribute to the preparation of regional Community of Practice meetings;
Support the preparation and delivery of training courses;
Respond to queries on programme/project progress, impacts and lessons.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The incumbent will work form his/her home base and is expected to travel.
The Lead Climate Information and EWS Advisor – Climate Change Adaptation will report to the CCA PTA under BPPS/Climate Hub, based in New York.
The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment;
The incumbent will be responsible for providing her/his own work station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
The incumbent will engage regularly with the supervisor by email and Teams calls on a weekly and/or as needed daily basis;
Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonably be flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.