Jobs at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

This post is located in UNEP’s Corporate Services Division, Enterprise Solutions Section (ESS) at the Nairobi duty station. ESS undertakes a wide range of services, activities and projects. It works closely with internal clients throughout the project life cycle to tailor the services to their needs ensuring that the solution meets the required objectives from a specification, resource and time perspective.

One of the major activities that ESS is currently undertaking is the delivery of 6 digital readiness priorities contributing to the UNEP Digital Transformation Sub-Programme that was recently adopted by the UNEP Senior Management Team.

Under the guidance of the Chief of the Section, the incumbent will be actively taking part in delivering the digital readiness priorities with focus on generating and communicating data-driven analyses in support of decision-making processes, support strategy development, and manage strategy execution. Duties include:

Responsibilities

1. Translating organizational needs into analytics and reporting requirements, including interactive dashboards, to support decisions, strategies and workflows with data and information.
2. Identifying, analyzing, and interpreting trends or patterns, using business intelligence tools, machine learning techniques, statistical methods to identify relevant features and variables in structured and unstructured sources of information and data.
3. Overseeing and allocating resources to the building of analysis, reporting and quality control capabilities, including the management of a local data warehouse.
4. Conducting full data analytics lifecycle analysis, including data requirements, activities and design.
5. Ensuring technically sound and secure execution of data analytics projects.
6. Collaborating with colleagues across departments to identify data analytics needs and support data-driven projects.
7. Translating immediate requirements into prototype solutions and overseeing their subsequent full implementation.
8. Keeping track of trends and developments in data analytics best practices, tools, etc.

Competencies

1. PROFESSIONALISM: Excellent analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, manage, and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy. The ability to analyze, model and interpret data in support of decision-making. Adept at queries, report writing and presenting findings. The ability to oversee and quality-check work completed by other team members. Takes pride in the work for the organization and understands the impact that can be brought into the organization by allowing data-driven and evidence-based decisions. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
2. TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
3. PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education

1. Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in computer science, data science, analytics, statistics, information management, public administration, management or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

1. A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in applied analytics, business intelligence, information management, statistics, project management, stakeholder management or related area is required.
2. Experience with self-service analytics and data visualization applications (MS PowerBI, Qlik, Tableau or similar), or business intelligence tools (SAP Business Objects, etc.) is required.
3. Experience in identifying, processing, and using data to advance decisions, strategies and execution is required.
4. Experience with database or programming languages (such as SQL, Python, R, JavaScript, Java) is required.
5. Experience in tools managing version control such as Git is desirable.

Languages

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

NOTE: "fluency equals a rating of "fluent" in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and "knowledge of" equals a rating of "confident" in two of the four areas.

Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview

DEADLINE : 17th March 2022

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The MIKE Programme Management Officer is responsible for the overall management of the CITES MIKE Programme activities, including implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme and its associated projects, as well as for all technical outputs of the programme, and its financial and operational sustainability.

The position is located at the Nairobi duty station.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Outreach and Projects Unit, and within delegated authority, the Programme Management Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

1. Coordinate and supervise specified actions required for the implementation of the MIKE Programme and its projects; monitor and analyze programme/project development and implementation; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed and initiate collective actions; liaise with relevant parties; ensure follow-up actions.
2. Perform consulting assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assist in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.
3. Research, analyze and present information gathered from diverse sources.
4. Coordinate policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies.
5. Generate survey initiatives; review, analyze and interprets responses, identify problems/issues and prepare conclusions;
6. Organize and prepare written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications.
7. Provide substantive backstopping to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations.
8. Initiate and coordinate outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
9. Lead and/or participate in large, complex field missions, including the provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries.
10. Coordinate activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepare related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget).
11. Prepare reports, convene, contribute to, and present technical reports on the MIKE Programme and on other assigned items for meetings of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) and the Standing Committee (SC); and coordinating reporting to the CoP and SC on the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), the conservation of elephant populations, the trade in elephant specimens and the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan.
12. Represent the CITES Secretariat at workshops/meetings related to the MIKE Programme, or relevant to related CITES processes, wildlife management and conservation, law enforcement in and around protected areas; undertaking or participating in missions as requested by supervisors.
13. Any other related duties assigned by the Supervisor.

Competencies

1. PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to particular sector, functional area or other specialized field Ability to conduct data collection using various methods, conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet, and other databases. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
2. TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.:
3. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Education

1. Advanced University degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in natural resource management, business administration, project management or a related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

1. A minimum of seven(7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in programme management in programme areas associated with the post is required.
2. At least five (5) years of work experience in regional and international organizations, preferably in developing countries within the UN system or similar organizations is required.
3. Knowledge of relevant institutions, mandates, policies, guidelines and knowledge of the UN system or similar organization is desirable.

Languages

1. English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language such as French and/or Spanish is an advantage.

DEADLINE : 16th March 2022

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Duties and Responsibilities

Background and organizational settings

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. 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 governments and the international community for action.

The Law Division is the lead division charged with carrying out the functions of UNEP in the field of environmental law, governance and related policy issues, including those pertaining to the coherent implemenation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The Science Division is the lead division for the Environment Under Review Sub-programme (SP-7) that aims at empowering stakeholders in their decision making with quality data and assessments made available on open platforms. Through this, the Science Division works to provide timely, scientifically credible, policy-relevant environmental assessments, data and information for decision-making and action planning for sustainable development. It also spearheads UN-wide monitoring and reporting on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

UNEP is the custodian agency for 25 SDG indicators (see Annex). As the custodian agency, UNEP is responsible for collecting and verifying data from Member States and reporting them, along with regional and global aggregates, to the UN Statistics Division on each of these indicators. While for some indicators such as SDG 6.5.1 “Degree of integrated water resources management”, internationally established methodology and standards were available for data production, others such as SDG 17.14.1 “Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development”, a new methodology had to be developed and disseminated for uptake by Member States.

Currently 9 out of the 25 indicators are classified as Tier I, meaning the “Indicator is conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and standards are available, and data are regularly produced by countries for at least 50 per cent of countries and of the population in every region where the indicator is relevant”. The remaining 16 indicators are classified as Tier II, in which the “Indicator is conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and standards are available, but data are not regularly produced by countries”. UNEP’s goal as the custodian agency is to upgrade these 16 indicators to Tier I by building capacities of Member States to better understand the methodology/standards and thereby facilitate their data collection and reporting.

Furthermore, UNEP intends to “universalize” the existing methodology/standards for the SDG indicators by drawing from similar methodology(ies) in use by other international or regional organizations. For example, OECD has developed a methodology to measure progress towards policy coherence for sustainable development, which share similarities (but also differences) with that developed by UNEP on SDG indicator 17.14.1. Having an overview of other methodologies that duplicate or overlap with those of the SDG indicators would pave the way for potentially streamlining them into a single, universal methodology. This in turn is expected to contribute to improving environmental governance by eliminating norm duplications and dual reporting burden.

Explain the requirement for a consultant/individual

The aim of the consultancy is to put together a technical paper consisting of an introduction to the methodologies for each of the 25 indicators for which UNEP acts as the custodian agency, with case studies of countries which track record in achieving the relevant SDG targets as well as analysis of common factors that hamper progress at the national level; and a comparison of SDG indicator methodologies with methodologies that are being used in parallel by other international or regional organizations with suggestions for future alignment. For the second part of the paper, research first needs to be done on which SDG indicators have a similar methodology.

Specific tasks and responsibilities

1. Under the supervision of the Head, SDGs and Environment Statistics Unit, of the Capacity Development and Innovation Branch of the Science Division, the Consultant will contribute to the work of the SDG Unit in relation to the collection and the production of Sustainable Development Goals data for Indicators where UNEP is custodian agency.

The role of the incumbent includes the following responsibilities and duties:

1. Compile the methodology for the 25 SDG indicators for which UNEP act as the custodian agency (readily available online);
2. Develop a country case study on each of these 25 indicators, in a geographically balanced manner, with analysis on institutional, legal, policy and other governance factors that have catalysed national progress on the relevant targets
3. Based on the review of the data submitted by Member States, analyse restraining governance factors common to those countries where their reported data indicate slow progress.
4. Conduct research on parallel methodologies in use by other regional and /or international organizations;
5. Identify opportunities for streamlining similar methodologies to improve coherence and lessen reporting burden on the part of Member States.

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualifications:

1. Master's degree in Social Sciences is required. A first level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the master's degree.

Experience:

1. At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in environmental and sustainable development issues in a government/intergovernmental setting, preferably in the UN system is required.
2. Track record on research and writing, particularly on issues related to environmental governance and sustainable development, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is desirable.
3. In-depth knowledge about SDGs targets and indicators related to the environment and their implementation, monitoring and reporting processes at national, regional and global levels.
4. Proven expertise and experience in working with countries to enhance their governance and policy coherence for sustainable development
5. Familiarity with statistical methodologies
6. Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

DEADLINE : 10th March 2022