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Technical Specialist, Climate

Grade NPSA-10
Cairo, Egypt
National Personnel Service Agreement
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Formality Risk: No Flags

No red flags detected. This vacancy appears to follow standard recruitment practices.


Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The Technical Specialist for Climate at UNDP Egypt leads the strategic formulation and management of a high-impact portfolio. This role involves analyzing socio-economic trends to design innovative projects that leverage technology for sustainable development. You are responsible for ensuring that all digital initiatives promote inclusive growth and effectively reach marginalized communities across Egypt. 

Interaction with project personnel focuses on providing technical guidance and overseeing the timely delivery of results. You will coordinate project teams to ensure compliance with UNDP’s results-based management tools and quality control standards. By mentoring staff and facilitating knowledge exchange, you foster a collaborative environment aimed at solving complex development challenges.

Scope of work

Under the overall guidance of the DRR and supervision of the Team Leader, Climate, the incumbent is entrusted contributing to the technical and strategic formulation and management of a high-impact portfolio. This role involves analyzing socio-economic trends to design innovative projects that leverage technology for sustainable development. The Programme Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all digital initiatives promote inclusive growth and effectively reach marginalized communities across Egypt. 

Interaction with project personnel focuses on providing technical guidance and overseeing the timely delivery of results. The incumbent will coordinate project teams to ensure compliance with UNDP’s results-based management tools and quality control standards. By mentoring staff and facilitating knowledge exchange, the Programme Coordinator fosters a collaborative environment aimed at solving complex development challenges.

The Technical Specialist coordinates work with the NOC Team Leader through a structured reporting and advisory relationship. The incumbent acts as the primary operational link, providing the Team Leader with real-time data on project performance, risks, and financial delivery to support their higher-level strategic decision-making. Regular briefings ensure that the portfolio remains strictly aligned with the UNDP Egypt Country Programme Document (CPD) and broader UNDP Strategic Plan. 

Operationally, the incumbent collaborates with the Team Leader to finalize Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and budget allocations, ensuring that all digital initiatives meet UNDP’s quality assurance and Results-Based Management (RBM) standards. As for resource mobilization, the Programme Coordinator prepares technical briefs and impact reports for high-level meetings with government counterparts and donors. This partnership ensures that technical project outputs are translated into sustainable policy advice at the national level.

Duties and Responsibilities

Below are the key responsibilities and expected skill sets for this role: 

1.Provide top quality technical advisory services:

  • Provide cutting-edge policy advice in the thematic area of the project and facilitate policy dialogues with partners, promoting UNDP thought leadership and advocacy work. Establish advocacy networks at the country level and linked to international networks. Contribute to relevant, high-impact advocacy campaigns that are implemented with key partners.
  • Contribute to the analysis of the political, social and economic situation in the context of the project and advise the UNDP CO management on issues related to the thematic area of the project.
  • Contribute to the setting of technical standards based on regional and global best practices in the thematic area of the project/programme in areas Conduct thorough analysis of the political, social and economic situation in the country and collaborative preparation/revision of project documents, AWP and other documents in the area of Climate      work including but not limited to:     
    • Climate Change Adaptation
    • Energy Transition
    • Nature-Based Solutions
    • Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
    • Land Degradation and Water Security
    • Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM)
    • Chemical and Waste Management
  • Provide strategic planning and technical advice for portfolio planning as well as formulation and periodic revisions of the project’s annual work plan (AWP), including plans for budget, Human Resources actions and procurement that are developed in close coordination with UNDP’s Country Office Programme, HR, and Procurement teams. Coordinate development of detailed implementation plans. 
  • Coordinate Programme implementation to contribute to the overall Programme relevance and performance, the effective realization and quality of outputs within the specified constraints of time and cost as outlined in the project document, and adherence to applicable UNDP policy and programme management procedures and Government standards, rules, and regulations.
  • Ensure proper execution of all administrative activities associated with Programme

3. Support strategic partnership building and resource mobilization:

  • Establish and maintain a strategic understanding of and engagement with all the relevant institutions, including establishing contact and developing strategic partnerships with other UN agencies, government institutions, donors, NGOs, IFIs, the private sector, academia, civil society, and other stakeholders and beneficiaries at the national, regional, and local levels. 
  • Participate in meetings with donors, prepare and deliver presentations of project results, and follow up with relevant counterparts if requested by the supervisor.
  • Implement resource mobilization strategies to achieve project outcomes that include facilitating liaisons with potential financing agencies and institutions to strengthen relationships and raise funds. Identify new funding opportunities for furthering the project ideas. 

Institutional arrangements

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Team Leader, Climate and the overall guidance of the DRR.

Competencies

Core 

Achieve Results:

LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 

Think Innovatively:

LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 

Learn Continuously

LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility 

LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
Act with Determination  LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner

LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Thematic Area Name Definition
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
Business Development Collective Intelligence Design

Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information, ideas, and technology to solve problems and design solutions or services.

Knowledge and understanding of Collective Intelligence Design principles, methodology and practices.

Business Management Project Management Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Business Management Risk management Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks
Partnership Management Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms
2030 Agenda: Planet

Climate

Climate Change Adaptation: Ecosystem-based adaptation and management
2030 Agenda: Planet

Climate

Climate Change Adaptation: Fostering Food Security and resilient Agricultural systems

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum academic requirements
  • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in fields related to Environmental Science, Natural Resources Management, Climate Economics, Political/Social Science, International Law, Social Affairs, International Relations or related field, is required.  Or
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Minimum number of years of relevant work experience
  • Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible relevant experience at the national or international level in providing technical advice, conducting research, formulating policies, and/or developing and managing complex projects in sectors applicable to Climate
Required skills
  • Experience in fostering networks and partnerships and ability to provide coordination with the UN Agencies, international and other organizations present in the sector.
  • Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.
  • Knowledge and experience in relevant thematic area
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
  • Experience with project planning and consulting, including the effective provision of substantive technical leadership and guidance, oversight, monitoring, and reporting for projects/programmes with similar scale, scope, and complexity.
  • Experience in timeliness and quality of portfolio work 
  • Experience in projects /programme related to climate change 
Required Language(s)
  • Fluency in English and Arabic is required. 
  • Knowledge of an additional UN language is highly desirable.

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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection [link removed]

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

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