Associate Advisor – Water
JOB DETAIL
Jerusalem Office – UNOPS Project Management and Infrastructure Centre of Excellence
Since the opening of the Jerusalem Office in 2006, UNOPS has significantly strengthened its operations in Palestine. Our expert knowledge, skills and management systems contribute to the sustainable development of public infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, including Area C and East Jerusalem.
The Israeli – Palestinian conflict remains a protracted and complex conflict. While political efforts are pursued at various levels to bring the wider conflict to an end, it is essential that progress be made on the ground in a manner that will create a more conducive environment for final status negotiations.
The mandate of the Office of the Quartet is to increase Palestinian institutional and economic development and empowerment, as a support towards achieving a two-state solution. In the event of a resumption of final status negotiations, the OQ would support Quartet members in their efforts to realize a successful outcome.
The OQ works to deliver its mandate by supporting sustainable policy change through working with the international community, the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel. This allows the OQ to facilitate engagement between the parties, encouraging agreement and progress at the political level, while also drawing on its sectoral expertise to support the technical-level work. A key focus of working with the international community is to strengthen the engagement with the parties. This is achieved through facilitating and supporting international community discussions at various levels towards tangible action and ownership as well as providing technical expertise for a collective international community wide approach.
The OQ is a fast paced and dynamic office operating in the areas of energy, water, telecom, governance and economic development. The following strategic principles guide the OQ’s work to support the parties while also ensuring alignment with the strategic objectives of the Quartet members and donors to the OQ.
- Bridging between the parties and providing creative solutions that enable progress on the ground;
- Playing a catalytic role in working towards sectoral solutions in partnership with other actors, while taking on direct responsibility for specific elements of those solutions when the Office is well positioned and requested to do so;
- Focusing on policies and projects that have a multiplier effect – that is, an outcome that extends beyond the direct output of the policy or project;
- Focusing on the implementation of agreements reached and announcements made by the parties to ensure that they are translated as quickly as possible into results that have a positive impact on people’s lives;
- Maintaining the vertical depth of our work from the granular, technical level to the strategic and political level while engaging the broad array of actors required to make progress, including the parties, members of the international community and others;
- Ensuring complementarity of the OQ’s work with that of other key actors, including those which also play a convening role;
- Continuing support to Quartet members.
The Associate Advisor – Water (AA-W) is part of the Water & Telecom Team, reporting to the Director of Water & Telecom.
The AA-W will be working closely with the members of the Water & Telecom Team, and members of the other OQ teams. S/he will be engaging with the stakeholders as described in the ToR, under the guidance of the line manager. The AA-W is responsible for delivering the ToR and additional tasks assigned by the line manager.
As part of the Water & Telecom Team, the AA-W is key and an integral part of implementing the Sector Strategy and Workplan, contributing towards the delivery of overall OQ Strategy
The AA-W will contribute towards the strategy and work of Water & Telecom Team and OQ, with a focus on Water within the below scope.
- Technical advisory
- Strategic, technical and communication content
- Research, data collection, data analysis and reporting
- Sectoral policy and strategic focus
- Cross program collaboration and capacity building
The work of AA-W is highly confidential in nature, hence must maintain the highest standards of confidentiality.
The AA-W is responsible for the deliverables below, following the objective of the assignment and the scope of work.
Technical advisory
- Undertake advanced research in the areas of water, wastewater and climate
- Conduct advanced analysis (technical, political, governance) for advancement of water sector
- Produce analysis, literature reviews, publications etc. based on research findings
- Support development of TORs, managing consultancy and first level quality control
- Contribute towards identifying challenges & risks, and mitigation measures
- Ensure W&T’s program and outputs are of the highest quality
Strategic, technical and communication content
- Coordinate team inputs towards sector strategy and team plans
- Draft & compile close to final sector strategy and team plans, for the review of the director
- Coordinate team inputs towards high level reports, briefings papers, proposals etc.
- Draft high-quality reports, briefing papers, proposals etc. for the review of the director
- Coordinate with the team and generate document structure, content, graphics & illustrations maps, presentations, data visualizations to produce compelling set of communication materials.
- Review, comment and edit materials produced by the team for quality and consistency
- Support the director with drafting letters, memos, emails, talking points etc.
Research, data collection, data analysis and reporting
- Produce original analytical work (quantitative and qualitative, including data collection)
- Translate technical analysis into policy briefings, reports, newsletters, and sectoral updates. This includes reviewing peer deliverables.
- Produce GIS maps, presentations, visualizations, etc. to communicate key insights.
- Conduct economic analysis for key initiatives (e.g. project economics, cash flows, progress against payment agreements) and identify linkages to broader macroeconomic conditions.
- Contribute to Water team strategies through analytics and stakeholder engagements
Sectoral policy and strategic focus
- Keep abreast of relevant local and regional developments as well as related developments in other sectors, to provide comprehensive insights and recommendations.
- Monitor and analyze key developments using relevant analytics and economic metrics.
- Support original analysis based on regional economic, technical, and political analysis to inform the W&T’s strategy, initiatives and engagements
- Contribute to strategic insights and recommendations based on comprehensive data analysis
- Contribute to development of water sector strategy and policy
- Suggest analysis/workstreams that enhance the implementation of the water sector strategy
- Support the D-W&T in refining team’s value proposition & positioning
Cross program collaboration and capacity development
- Contribute to integrated planning, action, and strategy development across different teams
- Work closely with other teams within the OQ to ensure coordinated approach to multi-sector issues
- Encourage effective use of OQs office-wide resources to develop & leverage a common knowledge base
- Work with D-W&T to identify technical skills requirements of the team
- Develop and deliver skills development plan through technical guidance & mentoring
- Develop and maintain knowledge database for the W&T program
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, economics, law, international relations, development management or other development areas is the minimum requirement. Master’s degree is an advantage and may compensate for some years of experience.
PMP, Prince II or similar will be an asset
Work Experience:
- 4 years of relevant work experience is the minimum requirement with a Bachelor With a Master degree 2 years of relevant work experience are required.
- Demonstrates strong knowledge of renewable Water or at least one related field such as Water access, Water economics, Water efficiency, Water finance, hydropower, power systems, grid design, etc.
- Excellent communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to both write and present high-quality written documents/presentations in English is required.
- Experience in the public sector or non-profit environment is desirable.
- Experience and understanding of the local political & economic context is desirable.
- Experience in external stakeholder engagement is desirable.
- Experience in research, analytics and publications is an asset.
- Experience in spatial mapping using relevant tools is an asset.
- Experience in working in challenging environments is preferred.
Skills and Abilities:
- Stakeholder engagement: Ability to identify and prioritize key stakeholders; understand and align stakeholder expectations; assess stakeholders’ power, influence and interest; anticipate future problems and address potential concerns throughout the lifetime of the project.
- Project management skills: Ability to develop and deliver on activities; ability to plan in a coordinated manner, manage priorities and meet deadlines; management experience (preferable delivery teams); ability to accurately monitor, evaluate and report on project progress; ability to manage and mitigate risks.
- Skilled in research and analysis: strong qualitative and analytic skills; keen attention to detail and data accuracy is highly recommended.
- Excellent communication skills: strong writing ability, skilled in creating knowledge products such as papers, guidance notes and other pieces directed at multiple audiences is highly recommended.
- Strong team player: strong interpersonal skills; ability to consistently is highly recommended demonstrate a professional manner in dealing with individuals at all levels, both internally and externally to the organization; team player and flexible as tasks and priorities shift; ability to work independently and in teams in a small office environment.
Other: Demonstrated competence with using standard office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) is required.
Language Requirements:
- Excellent command of written and spoken English.
- Working knowledge of Hebrew and Arabic is an advantage.
| Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion. |
| Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. |
| Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). |
| Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. |
| Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. |
| Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. |
| Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground. |
“This is an IICA position, however, if a local is the selected candidate, the LICA equivalent will be offered”
Contract level: LICA09 – ICS09
Contract duration: 12 months with the intention for extension based on performance and available funding
Duty station: Jerusalem
NB: A resume (in addition to the UNOPS online profile) is required as part of the application. In addition, a cover letter describing the applicant’s motivations for working for the Office of the Quartet is also required.
For more details about United Nations staff contracts, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/UN-Staff-Contracts.aspx
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx
