BACKGROUND

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP has been working with national and international partners in the Philippines on the issue of the green and circular economy. UNDP is working with the European Union in implementing the EU Philippines Green Economy Programme (GEPP) (The Programme). The Programme aims to support the Philippines’ transition towards a green economy, including circular economy, reducing waste and plastic, as well as increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment to support climate change mitigation. The Programme acknowledges that the transition to circular economy will have other added benefits such as reduction of the use of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, improve biodiversity and natural capital, decreased pollution levels, and climate change adaptation.

The Programme addresses three main levels:

• Establishing a Policy Dialogue Platform at the central government level to mobilize EU expertise to facilitate policy formulation, improve city-to-city collaboration through supporting the development of a National Circular Economy Strategy and Roadmap, extend the dialogue to promote renewable energy/energy efficiency, and to apply the dialogue’s outcomes.
• Working with local government units (LGUs) where EU expertise will support to define and implement circular economy, climate change, and energy policies with a human rights and gender-responsive perspective, outreach and support of local business and civil society, and support less advanced LGUs.
• Enhancing engagement of the private and financial sectors into the circular waste economy creating better conditions for private sector investment by supporting business-driven waste reduction strategies and circular solutions in the production process.

The Programme has 4 specific objectives:

• SO1: Improved circular economy and climate change policies and reduced GHG emissions
• SO2: Enhanced practices of the circular economy by the LGUs in collaboration with the private sector and civil society sector, with a focus on youth and gender equality
• SO3: Enhanced engagement of the private and financial sectors in circular, waste-reduction economy
• SO4: Increased energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment

UNDP is responsible for the implementation and execution of SO2 “Enhanced practices of the circular economy by the LGUs in collaboration with the private sector” with about EUR 23 million funding.

The project will be implemented in at least 20 local government units across the country that will receive the core project interventions.

UNDP Philippines has expertise and experience working with LGUs, and cities to support project development, programme formulation, and policy actions. There are currently ongoing related programmes in the sphere of circular economy which are being implemented and executed by UNDP Philippines.

A key element of the work of UNDP in the field of circular economy is the development of a portfolio of projects, identifying the sources of financing, potential sources of investments – (grants, loans, blended finance, etc.), developing partnerships and designing investment vehicles to match appropriate partners and project proponents in the circular economy sphere in the Philippines.

UNDP Philippines takes overall responsibility and accountability for the delivery of the project outputs.  It will be accountable for managing the project, including the monitoring and evaluation of project interventions, achieving project results, and for the effective use of resources, in compliance with UNDP rules and regulations, policies and procedures. These include relevant requirements on fiduciary, procurement, environmental and social safeguards, and other performance standards.

The day-to-day implementation of the project will be led by a Project Manager within a Project Management Unit (PMU) responsible for ensuring that the project achieves the expected targets to the required quality standards and within the specified time and budget allocations. ​​The Project Manager will be supported by a national Deputy Project Manager, project support team, technical staff and a pool of contractors to carry out the deliverables of the project. Technical and programmatic backstopping will also be provided by UNDP Country Office teams and in the Bangkok Regional Hub.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative, working closely with the UNDP Climate Action Programme Team, and in close collaboration with technical partners, UNDP teams in the Philippines Country Office and Bangkok Regional Hub, and EU, the GEPP Project Manager is responsible for the overall management of the project and supervision of the PMU, technical specialists, consultants, and contractors.

The Project Manager will be primarily responsible for ensuring that the main objectives of the project are implemented in the most efficient and effective manner through adaptive management and using portfolio logic. S/he will play a lead role in partnership brokering with multi-stakeholder partners/stakeholders (including national and subnational government, civil society, academe, private sector, and communities) along with managing, implementing, coordinating the delivery of the project. Taking a holistic view of the Programme, s/he will guide the PMU to engage and facilitate harmonization of activities with technical partners, national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs), and other stakeholders to maximize results.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

The GEPP Project Manager will perform the following functions:

Management of the project and supervision of the PMU:

• Lead the partnership brokering for all stakeholders (technical partners, NGAs, LGUs, Academe, CSOs, private sector, etc. and ensure their engagement and participation in all activities
• Lead the formulation of the project’s annual work plans (AWP), implementation plans, budgets, procurement and recruitment plan in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations.
• Ensure that the main objectives of the project are achieved in the most efficient and effective manner.
• Provide strategic oversight and conduct an iterative review of the planning, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring activities of the project, tracking the use of financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations.
• Undertake day-to-day management of the project, including effective project implementation and documents progress towards the achievement of outputs.
• Ensure the identification of clear and achievable physical and financial targets, a realistic work plan to reach them and an agreed upon monitoring and reporting system for the LGUs.
• Ensure coherence between portfolio intent and implementation of activities.
• Lead the GEPP-SO2 PMU, whether staff and consultants, in both substantive and operational issues ensuring optimization of human and financial resources and nurturing a culture of results with highest performance standards.
• Conduct an iterative review and re-design of the project including the framing, implementation, revision and documentation of an agreed monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.
• Ensure compliance with donor agreements.
• Facilitate transparent financial management of the project that is able to stand to regular audits and evaluation.
• Lead the preparation of monitoring and progress reports, work plans, budget and expenditure statements for approval by the GEPP-SO2 Project Board.
• Lead advocacy and coordination with the internal senior management team.
• Ensure that the project promotes Philippine Government ownership and institutionalization of green/circular economy initiatives and sustainability.

Policy and Project Services Implementation: 

• Lead the Project Inception activities.
• Lead the analytical and policy development work of the team and ensure high quality products.
• Work with a number of counterparts including national and subnational Philippine Government and other multistakeholder partners towards advancing circular economy in the country.
• Ensure that the best technical assistance is provided for project implementation.
• Encourage cross-practice work while implementing the project including considerations of the GEDSI and social and environmental safeguards.
• Lead advocacy and engagement of partners in system change approaches both internally and externally.
• Ensure the highest UNDP standards in the provision of technical and advisory inputs, organization of workshops, seminars, training and delivery of outputs.

Strategic partnerships and resource mobilization:

• Engage and work with the technical partners, including national and subnational government, civil society, academe, private sector, donor towards achieving circularity.
• Establish and maintain partnerships with all stakeholders at the national and subnational levels to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project.
• Create and coordinate partnerships amongst Government, various beneficiary entities, technical partners, donor, and other actors in the field of circular/green economy for the timely, resource-bound, and effective implementation of the project activities.
• Implement co-financing/resource mobilization strategies to achieve project outcomes.

Knowledge Management:

• Support knowledge management related to green/circular economy across GEPP workstreams at both national and subnational levels.
• Contribute to project communications and visibility efforts including the development of a range of core communication content including reports, briefings, infographics, case studies, and presentations.
• Ensure that project results are captured and recorded in knowledge products to communicate project results and to promote replication.
• Promote a learning environment and systematic information sharing within the project team, partners, and stakeholders.
• Ensure the quality of all knowledge products, reports and services, and effective integration and compatibility with other practice areas.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice at regional and global levels.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning:

• Lead the implementation of project monitoring, evaluation and learning framework in close coordination with the PMU and partners.
• Lead the finalization of project results framework in close consultation with the PMU.
• Lead the finalization of detailed results framework with a focus on agreed indicators and targets in close consultation with project partners and EU
• Oversee and coordinate regular monitoring of portfolio policy space, bringing to attention possible signals of change, disruptors, levers, and social innovations.
• Lead the preparation of monitoring and progress reports, work plans, budget and expenditure statements for approval by the Project Board
• Oversee the integration of learning activities into workplan and intelligence extraction, which will be led by MEL Officer.
• Lead development and conduct of the mid-term/annual reviews, and end-line assessment.
• Coordinate the conduct of an independent evaluation.
• Ensure that the project promotes Philippine Government ownership and institutionalization of circular economy initiatives and sustainability.
• Ensure compliance with EU agreements.

Other Duties:

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic oversight of planning, budgeting, implementing and monitoring of the project and lead the identification and delivery of clear and achievable physical and financial targets.
• Lead and oversee the GEPP-SO2 PMU in both substantive and operational matters ensuring optimization of human and financial resources and nurturing a culture of results with the highest performance standards.
• Lead the partnership brokering and management for all stakeholders, including lead agencies, technical partners, and other stakeholders.

COMPETENCIES

Core 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 Competencies: 

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

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies: 

Business Management

• Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.
• Partnerships Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Digital & Innovation: Systems Thinking & Transformation 

• Understand that complex problems need a non-reductionistic, holistic approach.
• Ability to explore challenges from multiple perspectives by zooming in and out, with a focus on relationships and flows rather than individual elements; understand how certain dynamics and conditions are driving and influencing an issue.
• Ability to develop a collective understanding by a mapping systems and their dynamics (e.g. flows or resources, information; power relations); is able to handle ambiguity and can help others navigate it.
• Being able to identify intervention points to leverage change and system transformation by setting out a coherent collection of multiple interventions to probe the system for desirable effects.
• Understand that change is non-linear and unpredictable; being comfortable and able to work with emergence.

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: Knowledge Facilitation 

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.

2030 Agenda – Planet: Nature, Climate and Energy

• Green Economy: Circular economy concepts, policies and tools.

2030 Agenda – Prosperity: Inclusive Growth

• Social inclusion

QUALIFICATIONS
Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental or Natural Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Industrial Ecology, Economics, Sustainable Development, Engineering, Social Science, Public Policy, or other relevant fields. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience, Knowledge and Skills: 

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of project management experience, including in the areas of circular economy, green economy, environment and climate action, sustainable development, systemic design/portfolio approaches, or innovation.
• At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in the areas of circular economy, green economy, environment, and climate action is desired.
• At least 5 years of international experience on circular economy, green economy, environment and climate action, sustainable development, systemic design/portfolio approaches, or innovation is an asset.
• At least 5 years of senior-level management responsibilities of similar size and complexity is an advantage.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in project management with international organizations, including the UN system or EU system is desirable.
• At least 5 years working with international donors, preferably with the European Union, on related programmes or projects is desired.
• Knowledge of EU policies, processes, and reporting requirements is an asset.

Language Requirements:

•  Fluency in English language is required.

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Note: Please upload copies of your academic qualifications and 3 latest Performance Evaluations (if applicable)

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: 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.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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