Project Manager - Progressive Platforms - Home Based

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.

BPPS’s Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy and Waste, with the support of the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit, works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate nature, climate, energy and waste related concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies, support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and oversee the implementation of the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming nature, climate change, energy and waste.

The newly established UNDP Climate Hub is the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to the “Climate Promise” that aims to support programming countries designing and implementing pledges under the Paris Agreement, including ambitious National Determined Contributions, with climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions fully embedded in the national development planning and budgetary processes. The Climate Hub will build on UNDP’s existing over USD 4 billion country-level climate portfolio on Climate Change Policies and Strategies, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate and Forests, covering over 142 countries, as well as on UNDP’s Nature portfolio, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP’s Digital offer and other relevant portfolios on youth, gender, health, climate security among others. 

The UNDP Climate Hub is responsible for: 

• Thought leadership on Climate and to be the custodian of UNDP policy positions on Climate; 
• Strategy and vision formulation; 
• Pipeline development in coordination with the other hubs and the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit; 
• Provision of integrated policy and programme support to Country Offices; 
• Global engagement, advocacy in collaboration with BERA; 
• Integration across thematic areas; 
• Strategic Partnerships development and resource mobilization; 
• Lead and Support global flagship initiatives and partnerships on Climate; 
• Serve as focal point with relevant UN coordination mechanisms and Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change); 
• Cross-organization knowledge and learning; and 
• Innovation.

UNDP is recruiting a Project Manager to oversee daily implementation and execution of the Progressive Platforms project, one of the projects that make up the larger Climate Promise portfolio. 

About the project: The Progressive Platforms (PP) project is one of the components of UNDP’s broader portfolio of actions implemented under the UNDP Climate Hub. Developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS, need support in converting their Nationally Determined Contributions and all the reporting obligations under multilateral agreements into robust action on the ground. The PP project allocates resources to various negotiating groups and platforms to engage countries in the UNFCCC negotiations while progressing implementation of the Paris Agreement. In particular, the project aims to improve the ability of the groups to promote enhanced ambition, not only the work programmes agreed in Glasgow but also promoting a meaningful contribution to the Global Stock take, thus contributing to the countries’ alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement as well as other multilateral agreements. “Progressive Platforms” are organisations and groups that prioritise climate change in their work and are best placed to support developing countries to build their capacity to effectively participate in the UNFCCC negotiations and meetings of other related bodies outside of the UNFCCC and to help these countries to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and transition to low-carbon resilient economies.

• Within the strategic framework agreed with bi-lateral donors and development partners, oversee the preparation of work plans reflecting the scope of activities, timing, sequencing, cost and other inputs for the implementation of the Project activities;
• Provide substantive inputs to the preparation of entities work plans and their implementation to connect and leverage opportunities for the UNDP Climate Hub and best ways to support countries’ on their climate goals, including high visibility and strategic engagement opportunities (e.g. donor forums, international conferences, etc.);
• Provide technical advice to the Project Board, and present work plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the UNDP Climate Hub Director (“Global Coordinator”) and the Project Board. 

Programme and Operational Management of the Project

• Ensure operational management of the Progressive Platforms project and production of its outputs in accordance with UNDP Programme Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP), and UN Frameworks;
• Exercise overall responsibility for planning, implementation, management, monitoring and coordination internally and with entities; and ensure appropriate tracking and substantive reporting of project progress for timely and efficient delivery of Project outputs and products leading to the achievement of expected results; 
• Work with the finance team to effectively manage the resources of the Project, including budgeting and budget revisions, as well as expenditure tracking and reporting; continuously record and maintain relevant Project activities, issues, risks, etc.;
• Ensure effective implementation of the Progressive Platforms project activities aligned with UNDP’s strategic priorities, especially in the context of UNDP’s NDC implementation support and climate strategy aimed at - defining a collaborative corporate approach to create impact and ambition; as well as the priorities of the multiple donors involved;
• Define a detailed implementation plan to achieve the Programme’s objectives, setting strategic direction for the Programme, and ensure results delivered through annual workplans that responds to countries’ requirements and donor’s expectations;
• Report to the Steering Committee and UNDP Project Board, and provide them with regular updates on progress, addressing their recommendations on implementation, as needed;
• Ensure Programme staff and entities are communicating results and knowledge that maintains donor visibility and demonstrates UNDP’s thought leadership;
• Oversee the Programme’s budget and determine resource allocation needed to achieve Programme deliverables in accordance with the Annual Work plans;
• Supervise achievement of Project workplan and provide strategic guidance to ensure sound and substantive deliverables ensuring alignment to UNDP’s strategic plan where feasible.

Ensure Effective Communication of Project Results 

• Ensure high-quality information on the project’s achievements and visibility of Project activities and knowledge products to the mass media and stakeholders via the centralized Communications team of the Climate Hub; 
• Ensure strong partnerships with platform partners and other stakeholders, regularly communicating best practices across platforms; 
• Lead and coordinate the organization of meetings, workshops, trainings and other related activities relevant to the implementation of the Project;
• Guide the Programme’s team to evaluate, capture, and synthesize findings and stimulate the uptake of best practices and knowledge that can be used in NDC implementation more broadly;
• Supervise the preparation of impacts and results on NDC implementation by participating entities that can be disseminated to other countries and or groups; and feed into UNDP programming; 
• Oversee the publication of the Projects results, experiences, and lessons learned on NDC implementation and a dissemination strategy to ensure knowledge sharing at a global level

Maintain strategic partnerships and donor relations and support resource mobilization for the Progressive Platforms Project:

• In coordination with the Head of the Climate Strategies and Policy team, develop and strengthen partnerships with relevant organizations, donors, and NGO’s, to support Project implementation;
• Ensure strong coordination between the Programme and relevant initiatives to facilitate collaboration on support to countries on NDC implementation and vulnerable countries effective participation in multilateral negotiations;
• Represent UNDP in partner discussions related to the implementation and scale up of the Project and related areas;
• Mobilize external partnerships to enhance support to the Project and expand its experience to a broader constituency.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Manager – Progressive Platforms will report directly to the Head of the Climate Strategies and Policy team. S/he will be part of the larger Climate Strategies and Policy Team (CSPT) and the Climate Hub.

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site. 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 
 

• Business Direction & Strategy
  •    System Thinking:   
    • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• 2030 Agenda: Planet   
  • Nature, Climate and Energy:
    •  Climate change policies: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
    • Climate change policies: Climate Finance
    • Climate change policies: including international climate change regime and application
       
• Business Management   
  • Project Management:
    • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
       
• Partnership management   
  • Relationship management:
    •  Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
       
• Digital & Innovation   
  • Data collection:
    • Being skilled in Data Sorting, Data Cleaning, Survey Administration, Presentation and Reporting including collection of Real-Time Data (e.g. mobile data, satellite data, sensor data).

• Knowledge on UN and/or experience working with the UN
• Familiarity with the mandate and operations of UNDP and deep knowledge in operational frameworks of UNDP
• Experience with knowledge management on Climate Change and high quality analytic skills; with/ knowledge of the UNFCCC and multilateral negotiations processes.
• Understanding of climate and energy policy strategies and incentives and understanding of climate finance concepts;
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
• Self-motivated, with ability to work with minimum supervision on tight deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of teams and partners.

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language such as French or Spanish will be considered an asset.