Associate Programme Management Officer

UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP works through its divisions as well as regional, liaison and out-posted offices and a growing network of collaborating centres of excellence. UNEP works closely with its 193 Member States and representatives from civil society, businesses, and other major groups and stakeholders to address environmental challenges through the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. The organization hosts the secretariats of many critical multilateral environmental agreements and research bodies. The Executive Director and Senior Management Team lead the implementation of UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (MTS). The four-year MTS articulates UNEP’s role in delivering the promises of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) as well as its outcome document, “The Future We Want.” UNEP supports Member States to ensure that environmental sustainability is reflected in development and investment planning and provides countries with the necessary tools and technologies to protect and restore the environment. Through its campaigns, particularly World Environment Day, UNEP raises awareness and advocates for effective environmental action. UNEP categorizes its work into seven broad thematic areas: climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, chemicals and waste, resource efficiency, and environment under review. Its work is made possible by partners that fund and champion the mission. UNEP depends on voluntary contributions for 95 per cent of its income.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) helps developing countries and those with economies in transition
to meet the agreed incremental costs of measures designed to achieve global environmental benefits in six focal areas: biological diversity, climate change, international waters, ozone layer depletion, land degradation and chemicals and waste. An important component of almost all UNEP’s GEF projects is building capacity to manage the environment in a sound manner.

The Chemicals and Health Branch plays a key role in supporting countries to implement, develop and execute chemicals related GEF projects that fit within its comparative advantage. UNEP’s comparative advantage within the GEF has been defined as:

• Scientific assessments, monitoring, early warning;
• Linking science to policy (Capacity Building, Enabling Activities) at national, regional and
global levels;
• Innovation, technology transfer and lifting barriers;
• Regional and global cooperation;
• Awareness raising, advocacy, and knowledge management.

As part of its duties, the Global Environment Facility Chemicals & Waste Unit (GEF C&WU) is in charge of supervising a portfolio of ongoing projects, develop new projects to be submitted to the GEF and assist countries to close finished projects. The Chemicals team also provides coaching and advice to UNEP colleagues in the branch and in other divisions. The GEF C&WU has been successful in developing a series of projects which now require the completion of the package for GEF CEO endorsement. Supervision of the development of these proposals has been assigned across the GEF team but the volume of work to be undertaken requires additional inputs from the UN Volunteer Expert with experience in drafting and managing GEF proposals. The development of the submissions is time sensitive and the work load requires the support to be available as early as possible. The supervision requires regular (monthly) calls with the executing agencies to ensure the project’s implementation is according to plans.

Reporting to the different Thematic Programme Leads (ISLANDS, POPs & Mercury) and Task Managers, the International UN Volunteer Expert will:
1. Conduct Task Management duties for the enabling activities in the Pacific and the Global National Implementation Plan (NIP) Update (including satellite projects), and Task Management Support for the ISLANDS Pacific Child project. These projects cut across the different Global Environment Facility themes i.e POPs and Mercury. For this reason, the expert will be expected to report to the respective thematic leads within the unit. Additionally, the duties outlined below cover the different project life-cycle stages for all projects from project development to project closure. The volunteer will be expected to complete the following tasks within regular working hours:

a. Project Identification and Development;
b. Supervision of Project Implementation;
i. Directing and Managing the project
ii. Monitoring and Supervising the Project
iii. Reporting and Performance Tracking
iv. Project Assurance
v. Evaluation
vi. Stakeholder management
vii. Administration
viii. Participate in regional programme coordination activities
c. Project Closure.

Reporting to the portfolio manager and in collaboration with the UNEP GEF C&WU, UNEP GEF Data and Knowledge Management working group, UNEP Corporate Services Division and Business Intelligence unit, the International UN Volunteer Specialist will:

2. Plan, develop, and maintain systems and solutions to address the data and reporting needs for the GEF C&WU

Reporting to the Head of the Pacific Sub regional Office, the International UN Volunteer Specialist will:

3. Provide support to the Sub regional office upon request.

Subject to mutual agreement, the volunteer may be asked to take on other tasks and projects, provided these are consistent with their qualifications and experience and are agreed upon in writing.

As per UNV Unified Conditions of Service, work exceeding reasonable limits beyond official working hours will be granted Compensatory Time Off equal to the number of extra hours worked, to be agreed in writing beforehand.