Executive Coordinator, Programme, D-1

Executive Coordinator, Programme, D-1

UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme

Nairobi, Kenya

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP is one of three original, founding implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), alongside the World Bank and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The GEF also partners with 15 other Agencies to help developing countries and those with economies in transition to meet the agreed incremental costs of measures designed to achieve global environmental benefits in six focal areas: biological diversity, climate change (both mitigation and adaptation), international waters, chemicals and wastes management and, land degradation. The UNEP GEF Coordination Office plays a central role in UNEP's GEF-related corporate activities. Its core functions include formulating and reviewing UNEP’s policies and strategies for GEF operations, preparing the UNEP/GEF Business Plan, and providing guidance to project proponents on eligibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, it oversees GEF corporate activity administration within UNEP, serves as UNEP’s GEF focal point. UNEP is also an accredited entity for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which offers countries specialized technical services for program/project formulation, due diligence, mobilization of required co-financing, project implementation oversight, evaluation, results- based payments, and knowledge management. The Green Climate Fund Coordination Office is mandated to manage UNEP's partnership with the Green Climate Fund. The GCF Coordination Office is also required to track and follow a complex variety of different policies, rules, regulations, procedures, and other obligations of UNEP and global environmental funds, ensuring effective compliance and harmonization. This position is located in the Policy and Programmes Division (PPD) at the Nairobi Duty Station. Under the direct supervision of the Director of PPD, the incumbent will be responsible for performing the following duties:

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Programme Oversight:

• Provide high-level strategic direction and oversee the implementation of UNEP’s GEF portfolio, ensuring coherence with UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (MTS), Programme of Work (PoW), and UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolutions and decisions;
• Lead and shape UNEP’s engagement with the GEF Secretariat and the GCF Secretariat, ensuring UNEP’s priorities are effectively represented in GEF/GCF programming and policymaking;
• Establish and implement a corporate vision for UNEP’s role as a GEF/GCF implementing agency, ensuring alignment with global environmental governance frameworks and guidance negotiated under the relevant Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs);
• Strengthen UNEP’s thought leadership in GEF/GCF-funded initiatives, driving innovative and science-based approaches to environmental sustainability and governance.

Portfolio Management & Institutional Coordination:

• Oversee and manage UNEP’s entire GEF/GCF project pipeline, in close coordination with relevant technical Divisions and Regional Offices, ensuring projects adhere to GEF/GCF operational policies and UNEP strategic priorities and mandate;
• Establish and maintain rigorous quality control mechanisms for UNEP’s GEF/GCF project portfolio, ensuring compliance with UNEP and GEF Secretariat performance indicators, risk management frameworks, and reporting requirements;
• Establish a close working relationship and a culture of information-sharing with UNEP’s Divisions, Offices and Regional Offices,to ensure that GEF/GCF projects respond to country needs, reflect UNEP’s science and innovative thinking, and are delivered timely and with appropriate levels of technical and political oversight;
• Provide strategic guidance to the Project Review Committee (PRC) process for all GEF/GCF projects, ensuring alignment with UNEP’s corporate standards and strategic objectives;
• Monitor UNEP’s GEF/GCF financial portfolio, ensuring sustainability and financial resilience across the full project cycle.

Stakeholder Engagement & Policy Influence:

• Represent UNEP at high-level GEF/GCF policy dialogues, Council Meetings, and interagency coordination mechanisms, advocating for UNEP’s priorities;
• Cultivate and manage strategic partnerships with donors, governments, other GEF/GCF Implementing Agencies, the private sector, and civil society organizations to strengthen UNEP’s GEF engagement;
• Leverage UNEP-established partnerships, networks, and forums into GEF programming;
• Foster cross-sectoral collaboration within UNEP, ensuring synergies between GEF initiatives and other major environmental funding mechanisms;
• Lead UNEP’s contributions to GEF/GCF policy evolution, including corporate evaluations, programming directions, and operational reforms.

Governance, Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Oversee the development and implementation of performance monitoring systems for UNEP’s GEF/GCF portfolio, ensuring evidence-based decision-making;
• Ensure UNEP’s compliance with GEF/GCF accountability mechanisms, including risk assessment, safeguards, and financial integrity measures;
• Provide strategic guidance to UNEP’s senior management on emerging trends, risks, and opportunities within the GEF/GCF landscape;
• Strengthen UNEP’s institutional knowledge management, ensuring effective capture and dissemination of lessons learned from GEF/GCF-funded projects and supporting future project and programmatic work development.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building:

• Lead and manage a multidisciplinary team of GEF/GCF professionals, ensuring a high-performance work environment aligned with UNEP’s core values;
• Establish and oversee a talent development framework for UNEP’s GEF/GCF staff, fostering continuous learning and professional growth;
• Provide strategic direction on organizational change management initiatives, ensuring UNEP’s GEF/GCF engagement remains responsive to evolving global challenges;
• Promote gender equality and inclusivity across UNEP’s GEF/GCF portfolio, ensuring alignment with UNEP’s gender action plan and broader UN policies;
• Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of international development and policies relating to the environment, in areas such as biodiversity, climate change, chemicals and waste, sustainable development and global environmental challenges. Proven knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to environmental management. Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of portfolios/projects. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement on difficult issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations;
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable;
• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing;
• Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, natural resources, social sciences, economics or environmental management is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in design and implementation of environmental projects and programmes is required. Experience in leading complex international programmes with a focus on policy development, resource mobilization, and results-based management is required. Experience in financial management of environmental projects, including budgeting, risk assessment, and donor reporting is required. Prior experience with the GEF Secretariat, GEF policy, or programming is desirable. Experience in managing high-level stakeholder relations with governments, UN agencies, and international financial institutions is desirable. Demonstrated experience in overseeing and managing projects including the allocation and management of resources is desirable Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. NOTE: ''Fluency'' equals a rating of ''fluent'' in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ''Knowledge of'' equals a rating of ''confident'' in two of the four areas.

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