Regional Adviser

OCHA

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Environment Division at UNECE. The Inter-Regional Adviser will work under the direct supervision of the Director of the Division and the overall guidance of Deputy Executive Secretary and the Executive Secretary.  The Inter-Regional Adviser acts as a primary focal point for environmental governance matters for the 17 UNECE programme countries, and is a cross-sectoral focal point for UNECE with the Resident Coordinator Offices of three programme countries, and with the respective UN Country Teams.  The Environment Division is mandated to improve environmental governance and performance for safeguarding the environment and health.  The services of the Inter-Regional Adviser aim to ensure the provision of high-level technical expertise in the areas of environmental governance, the transfer of knowledge from UNECE to Governments on policy-related issues and development strategies and the formulation.   The Inter-Regional Adviser engages with the Resident Coordinators (RCs) and the United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) to maximise the impact of country-level and subregional technical cooperation, in support of the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs).   The UNECE Technical Cooperation Strategy serves as a general framework for planning and implementing UNECE technical cooperation activities including RPTC.

Responsibilities

The incumbent:  
• Provides policy advice to Governments and other relevant stakeholders in UN programme countries in UNECE region upon their request on aspects of environmental governance and/or the implementation of UNECE's Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
• Monitors, studies and analyzes the trends and best practices on environmental governance and prepares policy advisory notes to inform governments as well as feed into the intergovernmental process.
• Contributes to the design/redesign of national policies and strategies upon requests from UN programme countries in UNECE region countries for improved environmental governance and for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and/or other relevant international norms and standards.
• Design and develop  capacity development programmes, projects and activities at national and regional levels and contributes to implementation, monitoring and evaluation as well as reporting on these initiatives.
• Monitors implementation of gender mainstreaming guidelines by assessing the implications for men and women of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels.
• Makes substantive contributions to /regional/sub-regional/national workshops, seminars, colloquia, and other training events, including proposals concerning agenda topics, possible participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc..
• Contributes to UNECE's resource mobilization, notably as far as extra-budgetary funding is concerned.  
• Establishes and nurtures close relationships with various stakeholders in view of creating partnerships, mobilize resources for joint programming and an active network on the environmental governance.
• Assumes other tasks in the area of expertise and in line with capacity development guidance and technical cooperation strategy as requested by the supervisor.
• Develops and updates training materials for the areas covered in capacity development activities for the use by different stakeholders.
• Undertakes survey initiatives; guides design of data collection instruments; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.
• Liaises with relevant professional networks and makes relevant external capacity development resources available to UNECE.
• Provides inputs for the normative and advocacy functions of the Division based on the capacity development expertise.   Work implies frequent interaction with the following: Representatives and officials in national governments, international organizations, and consultants.  UN Country Teams, Resident Coordinator Offices, Development Coordination Office, as well as counterparts, senior officers and technical staff in relevant UN Secretariat entities and in UN funds, programmes and specialized agencies.   Expected outputs:
• Written outputs (mission reports, policy papers, technical notes etc.) of sound and innovative advice to Governments and other relevant stakeholders in developing countries.  
• The advisory services provided will cover a wide range of issues, including developing strategies for issues on a long-term and large-scale basis in the best interest of clients and/or, as appropriate of the organization.
• Other expected outputs include, as appropriate, policy recommendations, complex papers, analytical reports, toolkits, guidance notes, project proposals, and, upon request, substantive sections of reports and studies, publications, etc.

Competencies

• Professionalism: In general: a) Shows pride in work and achievements; b) demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; c) is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; d) is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; e) shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; d) remains calm in stressful situations.   In particular, UNECE is looking for staff with the following technical competence: 1) a strong commitment to high-level technical expertise with capacity building in environmental governance; 2) proven ability in preparing robust project proposals; 3) familiarity with the policies, programmes and activities of potential donors, including member states, UN funds and programmes, global funds, International Financial Institutions etc.; 4) familiarity with concepts and approaches related to capacity development and conversant with Result-based Budgeting/Result-based Management (RBB/RBM) approaches and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) approaches; 5) proven ability to be a broker of knowledge and brokering issues close to UNECE normative mandates;  6) proven ability in building partnerships with national institutions and other organizations involved in the development process; 7) proven ability in mobilizing resources; 8) taking responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.  
• Planning and Organizing:  a) Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; b) identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; c) allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; d) foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; e) monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; f) uses time efficiently.  
• Client Orientation: a) Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view; b) establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; c) identifies clients' needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; d) monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients' environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; e) keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; f) meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences or related field is required. A first level degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in the specified fields of study with an additional two years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in the area of environmental affairs is required.    At least four (4) years of professional experience in advisory work in developing countries, including transition countries is desirable.    Experience in international technical cooperation and capacity development is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Russian is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available from 1 July 2025. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.  
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.  
• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.  
• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.  At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity.  All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs.  The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities.  The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term "sexual exploitation" means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term "sexual abuse" means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.  The term "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator's working relationship.  Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.  Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.  Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.   By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c).  Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised.  This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions.  Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on "Manuals" in the "Help" tile of the inspira account-holder homepage.   The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.  Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

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.

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Branche:

Funktion:

Stellenprozent: 80-100% / 100%

Anstellungsart: Staff (Permanent and Fixed Term)

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