The Programme Management Assistant plays a pivotal role in enhancing the ability of Director’s Office to drive UNEP’s strategic agenda, optimize institutional performance, and strengthen high-value coordination. This role ensures that executive priorities translate into tangible actions, fostering organizational alignment, operational efficiency, and strategic foresight. Key outcomes of the role include; • Catalyzing Strategic Initiatives into Action – Translating executive directives into structured workflows to ensure high-impact outcomes, while optimizing emerging technologies and change management. • Driving Operational Efficiency & Eliminating Bottlenecks – Ensuring seamless processes, timely execution of priorities, and streamlined administrative functions, including the transformation of current strategic and policy delivery and implementation through the application of design thinking principles. • Enhancing Executive Leadership & Institutional Alignment – Supporting the Director’s Office in delivering UNEP’s vision and ensuring seamless coordination across divisions and offices. • Championing a Data-Driven Culture – Promoting the use of data analytics and evidence-based decision-making to enhance strategic planning, track performance, and drive continuous improvement. This includes supporting the coordination of the data experts, leveraging real-time insights, and fostering data literacy across teams to inform impactful decision-making.

Nairobi

12 months

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of government and the international community for action. UNEP's Policy and Programme Division (PPD) is a center of excellence for strategic guidance and programmatic policy for UNEP, enabling UNEP's strategic and programmatic direction, ensuring organization-wide coherence and effectiveness in implementation and continuous improvement. Under the direct supervision of the Special Assistant, the incumbent will support the Directorate's programmatic functions, more specifically: 1) Catalyzing Ideas into Action & Leading Transformation • Lead transformational initiatives by rethinking strategies, challenging the status quo, and driving change that aligns with UNEP’s long-term goals. • Design agile workflows that adapt to changing priorities, ensuring UNEP stays ahead of the curve in addressing global environmental challenges. • Harness the power of emerging technologies and data analytics to accelerate the implementation of strategic initiatives. • Transform visionary ideas into structured, results-driven initiatives that deliver impact on the ground. 2) Driving Operational Efficiency & Eliminating Bottlenecks • Apply design thinking principles to reimagine how UNEP works—simplifying processes, sparking innovation, and eliminating inefficiencies. • Identify and dismantle bottlenecks through data-driven diagnostics, turning operational hurdles into opportunities for growth. • Lead the transformation of strategic and policy delivery systems, ensuring they are not just functional but future-proof. • Build smarter workflows powered by automation, data intelligence, and user-centered design. 3) Empowering Executive Leadership & Fostering Institutional Synergy • Break silos by fostering dynamic collaboration, ensuring that insights, priorities, and actions flow effortlessly across the organization. • Leverage data insights to provide real-time intelligence, enabling senior management to anticipate trends, seize opportunities, and make decisions that shape the future. 4) Championing a Data-Driven Culture • Embed a culture of data-driven decision-making, where insights fuel strategies and evidence shapes impact. • Act as a catalyst for data literacy, empowering teams to harness the full potential of analytics in their daily work. • Collaborate with diverse stakeholders to improve data ecosystems, ensuring UNEP’s decisions are informed by the most accurate, timely, and relevant information. • Anticipate future trends through predictive analytics, enabling UNEP to be proactive rather than reactive. 5. Reporting Lines: The Consultant will report to the Deputy Director, Policy and Programme Division.

A university degree in environment, sustainable development, public /business administration, economics or other relevant discipline is required. At least four years of professional experience in programme/project planning, and coordination is required. Knowledge of UN programme planning and of UNEP institutional mandates, policies, guidelines and administrative processes is required. Working experience in developing countries and knowledge of the institutions of the UN system is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Not available.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.