Project Analyst

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.  

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.  

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, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the 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 the Strategic Plan.  

The central purpose of the Rome Centre is to ensure the effective implementation and further development of the strategic partnership between UNDP and the government of Italy across the objectives of sustainable development and in doing so advancing the broader partnership between UNDP and G7 and G20 countries. 

The Rome Centre focuses on the critical policy areas of youth engagement in climate action, energy for development and climate finance. These objectives are pursued through the effective implementation of three initial main programmes:  

• Energy for Growth 
• Youth4Climate 
• Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance (PISTA)  

The Energy for Growth iniatiative aims to promote access to sustainable energy in developing countries, contributing to SDG7. The goal of the partnership is to assist partner countries in unlocking finance to scale up the diffusion of clean energy solutions, increase access to energy and boost the energy transition. Overall, the initiative aims to foster the mobilization of public and private capital toward projects aligned with the international policy agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. It does so by connecting UNDP's capacity and connections in emerging economies and developing countries with the public-private ecosystem of Italy and other G7-G20countries, in the crucial sector of energy. 

Youth4Climate promotes youth engagement in climate action, contributing to SDG13. Youth4Climate supports the implementation of youth-led and youth-inclusive solutions to environmental and climate challenges, both financially and through capacity development. It also gives young people around the world who are committed to fighting climate change a platform to engage with policymakers and global leaders.  

The Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance (PISTA), aims to mobilise finance for climate, energy, and environment. Specifically, PISTA aims to originate projects that contribute to the decarbonization efforts of developing economies and to their transition to climate-resilient economies, and it aims to catalyse international financial resources toward these initiatives. Matching impactful projects with investors and capital providers goes hand in hand with the engagement with financial institutions – both institutional and private – at Italian and global level.  

The Rome Centre also has a broader mandate to engage with the Italian ecosystem as a whole, which involves close collaboration with key actors in the public and private sector, with the aim to effectively mobilize financial resources for development objectives. To guarantee the effective implementation of the Rome Centre’s workplan, and indeed to ensure the strategic and long-term impact of both its programmes, the Centre will develop broader strategic partnerships and reinforce the overall collaboration with Italy and other meaningful partners. 

Delivering on its programs, the Rome Centre will provide support to the international cooperation efforts of Italy, and it will support UNDP’s global policy initiatives. Recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will work to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated. 

The Project Analyst will report to the Coordinator of the Rome Centre for climate action and energy transition.  S/he will work collaboratively with a number of key staff across Bureaus and Units.

Scope of Work 

The UNDP Rome Centre, which focuses on Climate Action and Energy Transition, requires the support of the Project Analyst to deliver on the activities described below. The scope of work over the course of the period will vary depending on the specific assignment and region. 

The scope of this assignments is to leverage expertise in business organisation, event coordination and stakeholder engagement to achieve the strategic objectives of the UNDP Rome Centre work plan.

Contributing to the implementation of the Rome Centre work plan and strategic vision.

• Support the Coordinator of the Centre in the implementation of the Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition work plan;
• Provide strategic inputs in the development of the Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition, in line with UNDP’s new Strategic Offer, and working closely with relevant BPPS and regional teams;
• Support the activities, outreach, and implementation of the Rome Centre;
• Support the organization and reporting for, regular meetings with donors, partners, and other key stakeholders as appropriate;
• Facilitate collaboration and support the coordination within the broader BPPS and Global Policy Network and Regional Bureaux to ensure programmatic integration and delivery of integrated results on energy for sustainable development;
• Contribute to the engagement with funding partners
• Support relevant meetings with other teams in UNDP (youth, energy and climate) and partners, with a focus on youth organizations, movements, and networks; 
• Maintain strong relationships with existing partners and provide support to the engagement with new partners, in coordination with BPPS/NCE and BERA (as appropriate);
• Prepare and deliver regular presentations on the Rome centre for climate action and energy transition (key activities and progress) to senior management, technical teams, and external audiences (e.g., public webinars, engagements with countries, and partner events, etc.). 

Provision of Technical Services to Country Offices and Member Countries

• Lead the engagement with the private sector and any other potential partner for financial contribution and resource mobilization
• Support the assessment, management, and monitoring of country requests;
• Support the internal coordination within UNDP;
• Contribute, and coordinate as requested, substantive inputs for energy programming outputs as well as to youth engagement activities;
• Support relevant meetings with other teams in UNDP (youth, climate) and partners, with a focus on youth organizations, movements, and networks; 
• Preparation of reports and briefings on topics related to climate and energy;
• Participation to policy strategy meetings and roundtables with public and private stakeholders;
• Prepare and provide inputs to strategic documents, briefing notes and speeches;
• Support preparation of documents intended to monitor design and implementation of programmes.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s). 

• Organize training, workshops, and capacity building activities in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia. 
• Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners. 
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on project related issues. Support establishment of knowledge platforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area. 
• Promote advocacy on development trends and opportunities to collaborate in coordination with the project partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff. 

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 Project Analyst will be provided office space at the UNDP Rome Centre in Rome, Italy;
• The Project Analyst will report to, and be directly supervised by the Coordinator of the Rome centre for climate action and energy transition;
• The Project Analyst will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• Given the global scope of the work to be undertaken during this assignment, the Project Analyst is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability taking into consideration different time zones.

Expected Demonstration of Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results:  LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively:  LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements 

Learn Continuously:  LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility:  LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible  

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner:  LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion  LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination  

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Required Education, Experience, Skills and Competencies

Minimum Education requirements

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Foreign languages, or related disciplines is required. 

A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Minimum years of relevant work experience

Minimum of 2 years (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional work experience in the fields of project planning, policy-strategy development and partnerships for business sector.

Required skills 

• Experience in supporting activities across multiple workstreams and activities (e.g. program work plans, stakeholder engagements, coordination of partners, etc.)
• Proven experience in business management.
• Demonstrated expertise in Donor and stakeholder relationship, activities and engagements. 
• Familiarity with working in cross-cultural environments and liaising with international stakeholders. 

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Demonstrate prior experience in communication strategies, social media campaigns, ability to manage online and offline campaigns effectively and promotional event coordination is an asset.
• Demonstrate prior Working experience and Proven expertise in organizing international events, workshops, or professional meetings, including administrative support, coordination and logistical planning with different parties is an asset. 
• Demonstrate prior professional experience managing finances, contracts, and administrative duties, including budgeting, procurement, and partnership development is an asset. 
• Demonstrate prior relevant work in interpreting, cultural mediation, legal research, and document translation in legal or humanitarian contexts is an asset.

Required Language (s): 

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in spoken and written of other UN official language is an asset.

Disclaimer

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience, and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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