Programme Specialist

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Position Title: Programme Specialist
Location: Quito
Country: Ecuador
Deadline Date:

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ecuador focuses on providing technical assistance to the country, enhancing its capacity to tackle environmental and energy challenges at both national and community levels. Established to implement and share best practices, UNDP collaborates with various partners to help communities build sustainable livelihoods. The organization prioritizes interventions that promote synergies between conservation efforts and poverty alleviation, aligning its projects with national sustainable development planning. UNDP works closely with Ecuador's Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), which serves as the focal point for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Designated Authority for the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Job Overview:
The Programme Specialist plays a crucial role in leading the programme team in strategic planning and identifying new programme opportunities within the thematic areas of Environment and Energy. This position requires analyzing political, social, and economic trends to formulate, manage, and evaluate programme activities. The Programme Specialist will contribute to policy dialogue with authorities, providing advisory services and identifying national and international talent to complement this advisory role. Additionally, the role involves resource mobilization with external donors and trust funds related to Environment and Energy, while also guiding the development of internal and external knowledge networks of practitioners in these thematic areas. Under the supervision of the Resident Representative and Deputy Resident Representative, the Programme Specialist will manage the UNDP CO programme concerning Environment and Energy, forging partnerships with national government, academia, civil society, and governmental institutions to support national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Ensuring the strategic direction of the UNDP CO programme in Ecuador in the areas of Environment and Energy, which includes conducting thorough analysis and research of the political, social, and economic situation, preparing substantive inputs to key documents, and identifying strategic areas for intervention.
• Management of the CO programme on thematic areas of responsibility, which involves effective application of results-based management tools, establishing management targets, and monitoring the achievement of results.
• Creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the CO resource mobilization strategy, identifying and developing partnerships with UN Agencies, government institutions, and donors to achieve programme outcomes.
• Provision of top-quality advisory services on thematic areas, including technical and policy advice, synthesis of best practices, and support for policy development in collaboration with the government and strategic partners.
• Supervisory responsibilities, leading and coordinating the activities of programme support staff and project staff in the area of responsibility.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental Studies or Sciences, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or a related field. Alternatively, a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) combined with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be considered. Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing advisory management services, with hands-on experience in design, monitoring, and evaluation of development projects. Experience in using computers and office software packages, as well as handling web-based management systems, is also required. Desirable skills include work experience in the UN/UNDP or similar organizations, expertise in Energy and Environment issues, and knowledge of ERP platforms such as PeopleSoft or Oracle Cloud.

Educational Background:
An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in relevant fields such as Environmental Studies, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, or Social Sciences is required. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) with additional qualifying experience may also be considered.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience for candidates with a master’s degree, or 7 years for those with a bachelor’s degree. This experience should be at the national or international level, focusing on advisory management services, design, monitoring, and evaluation of development projects, and establishing inter-relationships among international organizations and national governments.

Languages:
Fluency in English and Spanish, both oral and written, is mandatory. A working knowledge of other UN official languages or other languages relevant to the duty station is considered an asset.

Additional Notes:
The position is subject to local recruitment, and candidates selected may be subject to UNDP’s policy on probation upon assignment. UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement and may retain applications for other similar positions. The organization is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce and encourages all qualified applicants to apply, regardless of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, or religious and ethnic backgrounds. All applications will be treated confidentially. UNDP does not charge any fees in connection with the application or recruitment process.