Openings at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Duties And Responsibilities

• Conduct a systematic review of previous and ongoing work in South Africa to prioritize geographic areas for ecosystem restoration and types of restoration interventions, specifically focusing on savannah, grassland and thicket biomes. The review should summarize relevant existing initiatives, provide an assessment of their links to government priorities, provide the results in maps where possible, and detail the availability of underlying data. To the extent that the exercises summarized include information on the type of restoration activities (complementary to location) this information should also be included.
• Develop a set of criteria against which a longlist of possible sites for restoration activities as part of the project can be assessed. The criteria should include environmental, economic and social dimensions. Where possible, the criteria should be assessable via the existing available data sources documented as part of the above systemic review. Where additional data are desirable but not available, this should be documented in the form of recommendations for future data generation that would improve the robustness and relevance of the criteria list.
• Provide a preliminary assessment of a longlist of possible intervention sites based on these criteria. The longlist will be provided by the project for the consultant to provide a preliminary assessment of the desirability and viability of sites based on the environmental, economic and social criteria identified.

Qualifications/special Skills

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably with a specialization in environmental geoinformatics, environmental management, law, social anthropology, environment and development, sustainable development, economics, applied economics, agriculture, or related fields is required.
• A first level degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years working with governments, non-governmental organizations, or research institutions with a focus on environment and development is required.
• Experience in working on strategic spatial planning of biodiversity conversation or restoration activities in South Africa is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is required.

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Duties and Responsibilities:

The incumbent will work on a part-time basis. Responsibilities of the communication specialist will include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinate and implement a communication strategy for the TEEBAgriFood Brazil work, including an assessment of the institutions/actors working on food systems in Brazil and recommendations of specific products for specific target audiences.
• Engage with public institutions and research partners for alignment regarding communication activities.
• Collaborate with the TEEBAgriFood Brazil Programme Officer and the national implementing research partners in order to obtain the information (project methods and results) and support the process of transforming it into communication products (policy briefs, videos, infographics, power point presentations among others)
• Coordinate the development of videos and design of documents ensuring key deliverables are met.
• Write and edit documents, press releases, brochures, Policy Briefs, and other requested documents, defining key messages in light of the target audience, for project and results dissemination.
• In collaboration with the TEEBAgriFood Brazil team, adapt technical information from TEEBAgriFood project and its results into more accessible non-technical language for communication products
• Oversee and collaborate with the organization of events, workshops, Steering and Technical Committees.
• Provide inputs and support the facilitation of the online and in person stakeholder workshops in Brazil.
• Provide and share information on TEEBAgriFood Brazil activities to be published by the global and regional UN Environment communications network
• Develop and maintain the Project’s mailing list and contribute to the project network expansion strategies.
• Collaborate with the Economics of Nature / TEEB web designer to ensure the updated products are uploaded and to advertise events and results in social media
• Engage with the Economics of Nature communication team and with the HQ UNEP and Brazil Office communication team to facilitate the exchange of information and the amplification of the TEEBAgriFood messages.
• Coordination on field works of TEEBAgriFood to disseminate the activities being held, engage with local/regional stakeholders, and generate written/audio/visual content.
• Help develop graphic materials, edit audio-visual content, prepare PowerPoint and Prezi presentations, and other related activities when required and ensure all TEEBAgriFood Brazil products follow a coherent and unified visual identity (keeping in mind UNEP guidelines and partner´s requirements – Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and Ministry of Environment).
• As required, translate from and to Portuguese and English press releases, opinion editorials and other public documents.

Qualifications/special Skills

• A first level degree in communication, journalism, design, environmental studies, or related areas is required. An advanced degree in communication, journalism, or related areas would be an added advantage.
• A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in communication to decision-makers in the government and private sector, and the broader public at national and international levels is required.
• Experience working with social media and digital tools is desirable

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in oral and written Portuguese and English is required.

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Responsibilities

This post is located in the Evaluation Office, a part of the Office of the Executive Director, at the Nairobi duty station. Under the supervision of the Senior Evaluation Officer in the Evaluation Office (EO), the incumbent will be responsible for the following functions:

• Manage and/or provide substantive contributions to project-level evaluations conducted by the Evaluation Office. The incumbent will, as specified by the Director, Evaluation Office, play a supporting role in higher level thematic and cross-cutting evaluations, develop Terms of Reference (TOR) and prepare detailed budgets for project level evaluations.
• Identify consultants, review credentials and make recommendations for the selection of qualified consultants to conduct evaluations. Ensure standard project-level evaluation templates, tools and guidance are used in project-level evaluations and that standard procedures are followed. Oversee the work of project-level evaluation consultants by providing advice on the overall evaluation approach.
• Promote evaluation use through presentations, meetings, workshops and other discussion fora to establish dialogue on evaluation results and to promote the uptake of evaluation findings across project-level evaluation stakeholders. Review and assess the quality of evaluation deliverables and provide constructive feedback to facilitate their finalisation.
• Report to management on findings and recommendations of evaluations and ensure they are communicated to the relevant officers for implementation, with suggestions for preparing a Recommendation Implementation Plan. Monitor and report compliance status for the evaluation recommendations by ensuring that project / programme managers take necessary actions.
• Prepare reviews of project-level evaluation inception reports and draft evaluation reports being managed by other Evaluation Office staff. Undertake formal validation of project-level management-led review reports to determine project performance ratings and assess review report quality. Provide advice / information / guidance to management and project / programme managers on evaluations and management-led reviews.
• Collect and analyze data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Play an active role in supporting the work of the United Nations Evaluation Group. Apply high professional standards in-line with UNEP’s Evaluation Policy and UN Evaluation Norms & Standards and provide contributions to the Evaluation Office processes and products as requested by the Director.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of all aspects of evaluation. Ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Proven conceptual and analytical skills and the ability to understand technical documents and write and review evaluation reports. 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 and 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.
• COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• 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.

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree, or equivalent) in Environment- related Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences or related fields is required.
• A first-level degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the specified fields of studies with two (2) additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Job - Specific Qualification

• Certification in project management (PRINCE2 or equivalent) is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of project / programme management and/or quality assessment/assurance is required.
• At least three (3) years’ experience in monitoring and/or project evaluation is required.
• Experience in United Nations or similar international organisation is required.
• Experience in preparing reports, providing structured feedback on draft reports, delivering presentations to diverse audiences, and making actionable recommendations is desirable.
• Two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
• Professional experience in developing countries is desirable.
• Experience in the practical application of Results-Based Management principles is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French or Spanish is desirable.