Background

Office/Unit/Project Description 

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.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES) (www.undp.org/ses) underpin the sustainable development results that UNDP supports. While UNDP’s SES provides a robust safeguards framework for the organization, sustained investment in Country Office capacities for integrating SES into the project and programme design and implementation is critical. UNDP has put a global SES Implementation Plan supported by regional and country office plans managed by the Regional Bureau.

The SES are an integral component of UNDP’s quality assurance and risk management approach to programming. To this end, UNDP has a global SES Team that is hosted by the BPPS and involves global and regional SES technical advisors matrixed to the Regional Bureaux or relevant GPN Teams. The SES Team provides advisory and oversight services to UNDP programming, aiming to fuel integration of SES into project design and guiding social and environmental risk assessment and management in compliance with the SES policy.

The Regional Bureau for Africa delivers a full range of policy, programme, and operations support to 24 Country Offices (COs) in the Africa region and provides support and oversight to a large regional portfolio  of  projects financed  by  a variety  of  donors, including  the  Global Environment  Facility,  Green Climate Fund, and other donors.

The Social and Environmental Standards Specialist (SES Specialist) will support UNDP Country Offices in the Africa region. This includes capacity building support to help Country Office teams better provide first line quality assurance and oversight of SES implementation across their portfolios, as well as second layer oversight for priority projects. The incumbent will be matrixed to the BPPS SES Team and RBA.

Scope of Work 

The incumbent will work across the following areas with a focus on UNDP’s programming in the Africa region:

Provision of SES Oversight and Advisory Support

• CO SES Implementation Plans: Support programmatic and strategic consideration of SES, including roles, responsibilities and capacities, at the Country Office level.
• Screening: Advisory support in the application of Social and Environmental Screening Procedures (SESP) in UNDP interventions, including quality assurance/clearance of SESPs for priority projects .
• Impact/Risk Assessments: Guide the preparation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Strategic Environmental and Social Assessments (SESA), and targeted assessments, providing additional quality assurance support for priority projects.
• SES Risk Management: Provide second-layer oversight of Environmental and Social Management Frameworks (ESMF), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), and issue-specific plans and frameworks.
• Disclosure and Consultations: Provide advice on effective disclosure and consultation processes with potentially affected stakeholders.
• SECU Cases: Provide SES advisory support in cases being reviewed or investigated by the OAI Social and Environmental Compliance Unit.
• Grievance Redress: Guide the development of project-level Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRM)  that address complaints about the potential social and environmental impacts of UNDP interventions.

Develop SES Capacities and Facilitate Learning 

• SES Guidance and Tools: Continually adapt and build learning-based guidance materials to support effective and efficient implementation.
• Training Programs: Develop and deliver training programs for the UNDP staff, partners, and local stakeholders to ensure they understand and can implement UNDP SES requirements.
• Internal Capacity Development: Support SES capacity-building and institutionalization initiatives in UNDP country offices.
• Research and Experimentation: Follow global trends in social and environmental standards and pilot-test new approaches and tools.
• Generate Knowledge and Facilitate Exchange: Document SES stories and cases and facilitate strengthened knowledge exchange on SES across UNDP and with partners.
• SES Roster: Maintain a vetted and trained pool of high caliber SES consultants, at global and regional levels and across a range of SES topics, for deployment to support SES implementation.

Ensure SES Coordination and Outreach 

• Coordination with partners: Coordinate with other UN agencies, international financial institutions, and relevant development partners and support efforts to align the social and environmental standards used in development progress.
• Internal Advocacy: Promote the importance of social and environmental standards within the UNDP operations.
• SES Awareness Raising: Engage in advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the SES internally and among the UNDP partners and other relevant stakeholders.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessaryfor the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organizatin

Institutional Arrangement

• The incumbent will work remotely from his/her home base within the Africa Region time-zone;
• The incumbent will be reporting to the Head, Social and Environmental Standards Team (BPPS) and matrixed to the Regional Bureau for Africa.
• The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The incumbent will engage regularly with the supervisor by email and Teams on a weekly and/or as needed daily basis;
• The incumbent will be responsible for providing her/his own workstation (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonably be flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

Competencies

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies  

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent ) in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management, Environmental Policy, Natural Resources Management, Forestry, Agriculture, Geography, Natural Sciences, Development Studies,  Impact Assessment, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Anthropology, Sociology, Engineering, International or Human Rights Law or other field relevant to the position is required.

OR

• Bachelor’s degree in the above mentioned fields with additional 2 years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience   

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree)  of relevant experience in the area of environmental and social safeguards/standards

Required  skills           

• Demonstrated experience in social and environmental assessments and related risk management plans and safeguards instruments.

Desired skills

• Experience in application of social and environmental safeguards in the Africa region.
• Experience with applying safeguards to climate and environment vertical funds (e.g. GCF and GEF) projects
• Knowledge of and experience applying the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards or similar frameworks

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in French and/or Portuguese would be an advantage

Other requirements

• For the Africa Region support and oversight role, the  applicant must be residing in an Africa-compatible timezone at the time of contract signature

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.