Global Project Manager, GCF EW4All Multi-Country Project [Open to Tier 0, 1 & 2 applicants]
- Narrow Requirements: Requirements appear unusually specific: precise experience year requirements; combines specific regional and thematic experience; unusually detailed qualification requirements.
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
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. The Crisis Bureau (CB) guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response and recovery. The Bureau has the responsibility for support to prevention, crisis response, resilience and recovery work under the auspices of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. As part of the Global Policy Network (GPN), the Crisis Bureau works in an integrated manner with UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) ensuring that issues are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes.
The UN Global Early Warnings for All [link removed] Initiative spearheaded by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to ensure everyone on Earth is protected from hazardous weather, water, or climate events through life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027 is co-led by the World Meteorological Organization [link removed] (WMO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [link removed] (UNDRR). UNDP is an implementing partner of the Initiative through its existing projects and programmes, particularly the GCF Multi-Country Project on Early Warnings for All (EW4All). The EW4All is to be implemented in 7 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, and Somalia in partnership with their respective governments and with WMO, UNDRR, International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the International Federation for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The Early Warnings for All [link removed] Initiative is structured into four pillars:
- Pillar 1. Disaster risk knowledge and management: Ensuring all countries have access to reliable, understandable and relevant risk information, science and expertise (led by UNDRR).
- Pillar 2. Detection, observation, monitoring, analysis, and forecasting: Ensuring all countries have robust forecast and monitoring systems (both soft and hardware infrastructure) and enabling policies to support optimization and sustainability of hazard monitoring and early warning systems (led by WMO).
- Pillar 3. Warning dissemination and communication: Using a people-centered approach to ensure that early warnings are effectively and timely disseminated to reach everyone, especially those most at risk (led by ITU).
- Pillar 4. Preparedness and response capabilities: Ensuring local governments, communities and individuals at risk have the knowledge and means to take pre-emptive early actions to prepare for and respond to incoming disasters upon receiving warnings (led by IFRC).
UNDP is playing the role of the Executing Agency for the project that will be delivered through its Two technical Outputs along with a Third Output focused on Project Management.
The project’s technical Outputs are the following:
Output 1: Enhancing enabling conditions globally and regionally to promote country-level actions towards the EW4All goals through the implementation of 3 activities:
- Activity 1.1: Enhanced Coordination and Technical Support for EW4All Implementation
- Activity 1.2: Strengthened M&E to support EW4All Implementation
- Activity 1.3: Strengthened knowledge management and lessons learned
Output 1 will be delivered in full coordination with the EW4ALL Pillar Leads who will act as Responsible Parties for the Project as per the project document. This work will be developed under the guidance of the Global Project Manager.
Output 2: Accelerating actions in the countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Fiji and Somalia towards EW4All through the delivery of the following country level activities
- Activity 2.1: Strengthened Governance and Coordination
- Activity 2.2: Disaster risk knowledge and observations
- Activity 2.3: Warning dissemination, preparedness and response
This Output will be delivered by UNDP through its respective country offices with the support of national and subnational governments as well as national and international agencies (including pillar leads). Action on the ground will be led by a national project management unit that will be coordinated under the guidance of the Global Project Manager.
DUTIES AND RESPONSABILITIES
This position is specifically intended to lead on the management and coordination of the EW4All Project multi-country project and its objectives. Ensuring a coherent implementation of the project in coordination with the project’s Responsible Parties, national implementation units and UNDP’s Country Offices, while also ensuring its support as part of the larger EW4All SG Initiative.
The Global Project Manager provides the direction of project activities, ensures the achievement of project targets and results, plans project activities and inputs, and manages the day-to-day implementation of the project and supervises project experts and personnel. The Global Project Manager EW4All will be a Management Specialist, supervising a Global Management Unit.
S/he works in close collaboration with the UNDP Regional Technical Advisors on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) for LAC, Asia Pacific, Africa and UNDP’s Global Chief Technical Advisor for EW4All (global), keeping them abreast of project progress and issues. S/he also liaises closely with UNDP Programme and Operations Teams and maintains effective working relationships with project donors; Pillar Leads and National Project Managers.
Communications, Learning and Knowledge Management:
- Support overall Communications and Knowledge Management of the project, including the development and implementation of a Communication and KM Strategy and yearly action plans;
- Oversee evaluation, capturing, codification, synthesis of lessons and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge, including the development of knowledge materials;
- Peer reviews, comments on, and seeks to improve communications and knowledge management materials;
- Contributes to the global Community of Practice on EWS4All and sharing knowledge with relevant countries;
- Liaises with relevant partners, COs and other UNDP teams to integrate knowledge management.
- Ensure capturing and dissemination of lessons learnt during project implementation and coordinate with national partners for wider dissemination;
- Facilitate the Project’s or participation in international knowledge networks to draw on and share best practice and lessons learned
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangements
- The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the UNDP Global Lead Climate Information and Early Warning Systems Advisor. He/she will collaborate in a responsive and pro-active manner with all technical specialists under the PIM as well as teams in the UNDP Regional Hubs, Country Offices, Headquarters, and counterparts within responsible parties and partners.
- The incumbent will work remotely from his/her home-base.
- The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment.
- The incumbent will be responsible for providing his/her own workstation (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection.
- Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonable flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.
COMPETENCIES
- 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
People Management
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site [link removed].
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
- Effective Decision-Making: Take decisions in a timely and efficient manger in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.
Business Management
- Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
- Communication: Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internal-ly and externally, through media, social media and other ap-propriate channels
- Risk Management: Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks
- Operations Management: Ability to effectively plan, organise and oversee different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an inte-grated way, in order to convert the organisation’s assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of rele-vant concepts and mechanisms.
2030 Agenda: Planet
- Climate: Climate change Adaptation: Climate Information and Early Warning Systems (CI & EWS)
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Climate Change, International Development, Environment or Natural Resource Management, Public Policy and/or Administration is required, or
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.
Required skills and competencies
- Minimum 7 years (with master´s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor´s degree) of professional experience in international development organizations, NGOs, and/or bilateral development cooperation agencies.
- At least 3 years of experience in project management and/or project coordination.
- Proven experience in developing analytical and capacity building content like reports, training materials/ packages in the area of preparedness.
- Experience working on global programs and projects.
- Proven experience in communications and knowledge management in the area of preparedness (e.g. setting up and overseeing knowledge management systems; developing and delivering public presentations; drafting blogs, vlogs/ videos, or social media)?
- Experience in disaster preparedness, and disaster risk reduction more broadly.
- Experience with early warning systems.
Desired skills
- Experience working with environmental vertical funds such as the GEF/ GCF/ AF.
- Experience developing/implementing long term financial sustainability strategies.
- Experience managing cross-functional, globally distributed teams across multiple time zones and cultural contexts.
- Experience with UN Agencies and international organizations working on disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation and resilience.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required;
- Working knowledge of French and/or Spanish is desired.
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]
Scam alert
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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