Programme Management Assistant

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Position Title: Programme Management Assistant
Location: Nairobi
Country: Kenya
Deadline Date: Not specified

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda and promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system. UNEP serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment, coordinating the development of environmental policy consensus and keeping the global environment under review. UNEP's Policy and Programme Division (PPD) is a center of excellence for strategic guidance and programmatic policy, enabling UNEP's strategic and programmatic direction, ensuring organization-wide coherence and effectiveness in implementation and continuous improvement.

Job Overview:
The Programme Management Assistant plays a pivotal role in enhancing the ability of the 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, driving operational efficiency, enhancing executive leadership, and championing a data-driven culture. The assistant will be responsible for translating executive directives into structured workflows, ensuring seamless processes, and promoting the use of data analytics for evidence-based decision-making.

Duties and Responsibilities:
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.

Required Qualifications:
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.

Educational Background:
A university degree in environment, sustainable development, public/business administration, economics or other relevant discipline is required for this position.

Experience:
At least four years of professional experience in programme/project planning and coordination is required. This experience should ideally include knowledge of UN programme planning and UNEP institutional mandates, policies, guidelines, and administrative processes. Working experience in developing countries is also desirable, as is familiarity with the institutions of the UN system.

Languages:
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.

Additional Notes:
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.