Programme Manager, Mission 300

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. 

UNOPS Global Portfolios bring together a range of expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and expert teams operating across regions, we lead complex, multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, peacebuilding and climate action.

We work in close collaboration with the UN family, governments and other local and international partners. Our work ranges from supporting mine action in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected contexts, to expanding access to healthcare and clean water, to helping protect the environment.

From Geneva, UNOPS strives to facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade.

UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

UNOPS provides quality services, integrated solutions and management support to UN agencies, initiatives and partners in a strategic, cohesive, cost-effective and results-oriented manner. Geneva is also home to UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Regional Office.

Sustainable Energy for All has a global mandate to accelerate progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. Hosted by UNOPS, we work at the intersection of energy, climate and development, partnering with governments and organizations worldwide to end energy poverty, double energy efficiency, significantly expand renewable energy and combat climate change.

Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere, can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We promote this vision by pushing for higher ambitions, stronger policies, greater finance flows, increased localization and green jobs, and faster results toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind. 

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Since then, our CEO has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of nine global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), sustainable energy (SEforALL) humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR.

At the 2024 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, the World Bank Group (WBG) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) made a historic commitment to deliver electricity access to 300 million additional people across sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. To achieve this transformative goal, a Joint Working Group (JWG) has been established, comprised of the WBG, AfDB, The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and the Planet (GEAPP), and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). This coalition will leverage public, philanthropic, and private capital, ensuring comprehensive support across the energy sector value chain.

SEforALL has established a dedicated ‘Secretariat’ team to support the implementation of Mission 300. This team plays a crucial role in driving collaboration and provides both strategic and technical support to the WBG, AfDB, The Rockefeller Foundation, and GEAPP, as well as Mission 300 countries. SEforALL’s neutrality, global expertise, and deep partnerships make it uniquely positioned to lead this effort, additionally leveraging the parallel roles of our CEO as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative (SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy to facilitate high-level political engagement and cross-border collaboration, ensuring that political will and policy frameworks support the initiative's success. Complementary to this role, AfDB and the WBG nominated SEforALL to be the ‘Secretariat’ of the Compact Working Group for the Compact Delivery and Monitoring Units (CDMUs) in April 2025- which are country led teams dedicated to the implantation of their energy compacts. This working group is focused on tracking progress and providing technical support to Mission 300 countries to establish tactile units driving the implementation of National Energy Compacts. 

At the request of the African Development Bank (AfDB), SEforALL has been requested to support Mission 300 countries in the effective delivery of their national Energy Compacts. This will be done through targeted capacity building for CDMUs to support these units in effectively serving as national central delivery hubs—coordinating across government, guiding implementation, and tracking progress against national Energy Compacts. Based on consultations with Mission 300 countries and newly established CMDUs, SEforALL will deliver on specific areas for support to strengthen and build sustainable CDMU structures, including

1. improved inter-ministerial collaboration and partner alignment within CDMUs

2. building technical capacity on Compact implementation tracking and delivery models

3. providing greater operational guidance and knowledge exchange on CDMUs across Mission 300 countries at various levels of Compact implementation to promote scalable, consistent implementation by CDMUs

4. supporting monitoring approaches by CDMUs and the use of the Compact Progress Report.

In addition, the Rockefeller Foundation has also partnered with SEforALL to support the Mission 300 Joint Working Group to with its operational framework, strategic planning and performance monitoring towards the successful delivery of Mission 300

Under the supervision of the Chief of Staff, the Programme Manager coordinates the implementation of Mission 300 activities to ensure cohesive delivery across all partner organizations. The role involves tracking electrification projects, facilitating technical support for in-country delivery units, and managing the reporting mechanisms that drive progress toward the goal of 300 million additional electricity connections.

1. Coordination and Support to the Mission 300 Joint Working Group

• Provide technical support and real-time coordination to the Mission 300 Joint Working Group to ensure seamless collaboration and strategic alignment across all core partner organizations.
• Lead the collection, analysis, and transformation of program data into actionable insights, preparing visual reports, technical decks, and informational products to maintain Joint Working Group awareness of progress toward Mission 300 targets.
• Oversee the administrative governance of the Joint Working Group by setting comprehensive meeting agendas and creating detailed minutes to track the systematic implementation of high-level decisions.

2. Energy Compact Progress Reporting

• Track progress against Mission 300 National Energy Compacts, ensuring accountability and transparency across the programme.
• Provide data-driven insights to inform strategic decision-making and identify implementation bottlenecks.

3. Programme Implementation and In-Country Support

• Identify and implement clean cooking initiatives highlighted in Mission 300 National Energy Compacts, performing detailed analyses and recommendations to ensure program alignment with local needs and national priorities.
• Coordinate programme design and implementation by providing thematic and content-driven input to enhance the effectiveness of SEforALL's progress tracking and CDMU implementation support activities across all Mission 300 countries.
• Facilitate data-driven energy access planning and provide tailored advisory and programme design support to Mission 300 countries to help create sustainable energy markets and attract investment, particularly in electrification and clean cooking.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) 

• Collaborate with the SEforALL MEL team to develop KPI reports and tracking mechanisms for Mission 300 targets.
• Document best practices and key learnings related to the establishment and operational success of CDMUs.
• Lead the development and distribution of the Quarterly Mission 300 KPI report to provide a consistent, data-driven measure of programme performance against global electrification and energy access goals.

5. Strategic Communications, Advocacy, and Sustainable Finance Mobilization

• Lead project management and communications support for key Mission 300 engagements and high-level events, including participating and programming Mission 300 sessions in key forums
• Support Mission 300 partners on related events and public outreach while leading global advocacy efforts to crowd in support of Mission 300 and ensuring people and communities are centered in the initiative's narrative.
• Coordinate with donors, DFIs, and philanthropic organizations to finance the gap for Mission 300 projects.
• Oversee and support existing work across the DRE Africa platform and lead capacity-building initiatives toward the mobilization of sustainable Local Currency Financing to accelerate electrification efforts across Mission 300 countries.

Required

• An Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Energy, Engineering, Business Management, Policy, Economics, Sustainable Development or a related field.

• A First Level University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in Energy, Engineering, Business Management, Policy, Economics, Sustainable Development or a related field with an additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master's Degree.

Required

• A minimum of  5 years of hands-on experience in managing or coordinating sustainable energy or energy access programmes.

• Proven experience in stakeholder coordination, involving government agencies, development partners, or private sector actors in the energy space.

Desired

• Experience working with multi-country energy programmes and providing technical support to governments or national implementation units.

• Experience working with the African power sector and the operational modalities of the World Bank or African Development Bank and other core partners such as Mission 300, priority projects and implementation framework.

• Strong proficiency in data analysis and the preparation of technical progress reports for international development partners.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.