Clean Cooking Planning Officer (Retainer)

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.

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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.

About one third of the global population, some 2.4 billion people do not have access to clean cooking solutions. Instead, they must rely on burning traditional biomass or polluting fuels, which has severe consequences. Indoor air pollution from the use of traditional fuels for cooking causes millions of deaths annually. The estimated cost worldwide from the use of traditional fuels for cooking is approximately USD 2.4 trillion each year (World Bank), which accounts for the adverse impacts on health, the climate, lost productivity and the environment, including deforestation.

Meanwhile, there is a chronic lack of finance flowing to the clean cooking sector. Finance commitments remain far below the estimated investment needed to achieve universal access by 2030. Clean cooking for all hinges on catalytic public finance, enabling domestic policies that support sustainable clean cooking value chains and consumer support that promotes demand. This calls for cross-sector coordination and broad consensus to make access to clean cooking a priority at global and country levels. Expanding access to modern, clean cooking solutions will also need diversified responses tailored to local contexts and market conditions, while applying existing technologies that address factors like affordability and reliability.

SEforALL’s strategic role within the clean cooking sector is consistent with its focus on SDG7 and Paris Agreement objectives .Our work looks to support breakthroughs in the political commitment, planning, investment, and knowledge and innovation. Our efforts include:

• Advocating globally for greater commitment to clean cooking as a pathway to meeting energy, climate and development goals.
• Building ambition and supporting country action on clean cooking through Energy Compacts, the platform for action developed by UN-Energy. 
• Supporting countries on including clean cooking in their national energy access and transition plans, specifically through the development of country specific energy plans, providing planners and practitioners valuable insights into the appropriate mix of solutions, costs and financing needed to scale up clean cooking access.
• Improving data and evidence bases to facilitate decision-making within the sector.

By developing a thriving global market for clean and efficient cookstoves and fuels, we can transform the way the world cooks, saving lives, improving livelihoods, generating economic opportunities, empowering women, and protecting the environment.

SEforALL’s Energy Solutions Unit specializes on energy tools, planning and intelligence needed to provide data-driven support for outreach, decision making and fundraising needed to reach SEforALL’s overarching goals.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Officer, Clean Cooking, the  Clean Cooking Planning Officer will provide technical and operational support to the delivery of clean cooking planning activities. The role is responsible for assisting with data collection and modeling tasks in priority countries such as Mozambique and Ethiopia, contributing to technical capacity-building sessions for local stakeholders, and providing coordination support for project pipelines within global initiatives like GeCCo and Mission 300. This is a part-time retainer position expected to work approximately up to 17 days per month.

1. Research and Technical Analysis

• Provide research and data inputs to help implement strategic interventions and partnerships that advance universal access to electricity and clean cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, with a focus on eCooking transitions.
• Assist in energy planning and modelling to support clean cooking transitions, including contributing to data collection and preliminary screening of projects for the high-impact investment pipeline.
• Provide technical and research assistance for the development of the Global eCooking Coalition (GeCCo) portfolio, including National eCooking Strategies and Readiness Assessments, by synthesizing partner inputs and supporting in the drafting of technical sections for policy implementation plans. 
• Support the Mission 300 team by conducting market mapping and background research to identify clean cooking opportunities within existing project portfolios.

2. Advocacy, Communications and Knowledge Products

• Contribute to the communication and advocacy efforts of Mission 300 and the Platform for Clean Cooking in Schools, by supporting social media campaigns, and outreach activities.
• Assist in the development and dissemination of case studies and communications to help increase awareness in the areas of action.
• Provide programmatic and technical support for events that convene clean cooking stakeholders (e.g. SEforALL Forums, COP, G20, UNGA)
• Assist in the preparation and coordination of workshops and multi-stakeholder dialogues in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia in support of SDG7.

3. Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Assist in partnerships and engagement activities by maintaining trackers, preparing background notes for meetings, and supporting the coordination of joint advocacy and capacity-building activities.
• Contribute to the drafting of technical reports and presentations used in strategies to mobilize finance for modern energy cooking services.
• Support the monitoring of work plan progress by compiling internal status updates and preparing reporting documents as required.

Required

A First Level University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in Financial Management, Electrical Engineering, Economics, Energy, Sustainable Development, or a related field.

An Advanced degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) in Financial Management, Electrical Engineering, Economics, Energy, Sustainable Development or a related field is an asset and may compensate for some years of experience.

Required

• Minimum 2 years of professional experience in energy access within developing country contexts, with a specialized focus on clean cooking transitions.
• Proven experience in quantitative analysis and utilizing energy modeling tools and software to inform energy access or transition strategies.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sustainable energy policy frameworks, regulatory environments, and financing mechanisms within Sub-Saharan Africa or the Asia-Pacific.

Desired

• Experience working with international organizations (e.g., UN system), development agencies, or national energy ministries.
• Experience producing technical knowledge products and external communications (e.g., newsletters, web content) tailored for energy sector stakeholders.
• Experience supporting or facilitating high-level multi-stakeholder dialogues, workshops, or international convenings.

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