Background Information – UNOPS
UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.
Working with us
UNOPS offers short and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.
Diversity
With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce – a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.
Work life harmonization
UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.
Background Information – IPMG
UNOPS strategic focus places increased emphasis on national capacity development and sustainable approaches to project management, procurement and infrastructure services. A key objective is to be recognized as an organization that delivers world-class infrastructure and project management, which is both economically and socially sustainable, even in the most challenging environments. To achieve this goal, UNOPS has established the Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG).
Within UNOPS, it is IPMG’s objective to serve the organization’s personnel and partners by broadening their infrastructure and project management capabilities, while disseminating best practices in both of these areas. Through this work, the group helps facilitate the successful delivery of programs and projects around the world.
Within IPMG, the Strategic Advice and Support team mainly aims to achieve the following objectives for UNOPS:
- Spearhead UNOPS efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate and the Biodiversity Framework Convention
- Promote Sustainable Resilient and Inclusive Infrastructure in UNOPS development agenda
- Strengthen UNOPS capacity in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion.
Background Information – Job Specific
In December 2023, UNOPS publicly announced a commitment to reduce absolute emissions by 45% from our operations by 2030 and reach net-zero before 2050; but also to progressively expand accounting to scope 3 emissions, and to work with our value chain partners to reduce them. On climate adaptation, UNOPS commits to mainstream systematic climate risk management in 100% of our infrastructure portfolio by 2030. In line with the Sendai Framework, UNOPS will substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030. As such, in May 2024, UNOPS began the development of an organization-wide Climate Strategy and Action plan. The launch and implementation of the UNOPS Climate Strategy and Action Plan is expected in quarter 1 of 2025.
The UNOPS Climate Strategy and road map is being developed to guide the organization in addressing the challenges posed by climate change and contribute to global efforts in mitigating its impact. In addition, the Strategy will align UNOPS operations with sustainable and climate-resilient development practices in the UN and on the globally recognised systems. The UNOPS Climate Strategy and Road Map development activity is part of a larger UNOPS Climate Action Programme whose overall governance comprises of a programme Board headed by the Executive Director, an Advisory Panel, and the day-to-day project management team with representation from IPMG, Procurement Group and the Shared Services Centre Department (HSSE).
Functional Responsibilities
UNOPS seeks to recruit a Climate Change Analyst to support the Team carrying out the day-to-day project management of the development and implementation of the UNOPS Climate Change Strategy and Roadmap. The Analyst will be based at UNOPS Headquarters in Copenhagen and will report to the Climate and Infrastructure Specialist in the team.
We encourage you to please attach a cover letter explaining your motivation for this position and describing how relevant your experience is.
The Analyst will support the Project Management Team of the UNOPS Climate Change Strategy and Roadmap in the day-to-day management of the project. Specific tasks will include:
Technical Support
- Support the mainstreaming of climate mitigation and adaptation in UNOPS projects, operations and facilities.
- Review deliverables prepared by the Consultant preparing the UNOPS Climate strategy and provide comments and suggestions to improve the quality of outputs.
- Participate in meetings and make technical contributions to enhance the successful implementation of the UNOPS Climate Strategy.
- Where necessary conduct research and collect climate related information (scope 3 and risk data) and inputs into the development of the Climate Change Strategy plus its implementation.
- Prepare briefs and explainers to communicate technical climate information to non technical audiences to facilitate dialogue and climate mainstreaming in the organization.
- Contribute to the successful organization of Climate related events e.g. workshops, conferences, webinars and panel discussions.
- Participate in efforts to develop thought leadership and knowledge products on climate mitigation and adaptation.
Coordination and liaison
- Coordinate timely response to requests from the Consultant preparing the UNOPS Climate Strategy, and other stakeholders.
- Support the consultant in planning and conducting consultations with internal and external stakeholders.
- Liaise with ITG, IPAS and other relevant internal departments to provide the Climate Strategy Consultant with access to UNOPS systems.
- Participate in efforts to communicate and socialize the UNOPS Climate Strategy including development of internal campaign plans.
- Support the preparation of the Climate Strategy Implementation progress reports and other monitoring documents.
Management of project documents and meetings
- Systematically manage and file all documents from the UNOPS Climate Strategy development work including minutes of meetings, deliverables and input data in easy to access folders in the appropriate Google drive.
- Where necessary follow UNOPS corporate document management and sharing policies, procedures and approvals when responding to external consultants’ requests.
- Support the scheduling of regular meetings with the Climate Strategy Consultant, Programme Board, Advisory Panel and Project Management Team.
- Liaise with Graphics specialists to develop project templates and slide decks as needed.
Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education
- An Advanced University Degree or a Master’s Degree preferably in Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Science, Natural Resources Management, Engineering, Political Studies, International Relations, Development Studies, or related fields is required.
- A first-level University degree or Bachelor’s or equivalent in the above-mentioned areas or in a related field with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of Master’s Degree requirement.
Experience
Required experience:
- A minimum of 2 years of professional experience (or more depending on academic credentials) in the field of climate change (mitigation and adaptation), environment, renewable energy, international relations and/or sustainable development is required.
- Knowledge of Google Workspace (mainly Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Drive) is required.
Desired experience:
- Experience in resilient infrastructure planning, development/use of decarbonisation and carbon footprint reduction methodologies is an advantage.
- Experience in project management, knowledge, communication, stakeholder or information management particularly in regard to the development of organizational climate strategies is desired.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Working knowledge of French and/or Spanish is an asset.