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Technical Specialist (Climate Change) Botswana

Botswana has achieved considerable progress in the environment/natural resources management and development. Despite progress made in this area emerging issues such as climate change will cause a setback. The UN expert panel on climate change has concluded that high rates of CO2 emission into the atmosphere will induce global warming. The effects will be felt worldwide, but the regional and local implications are uncertain. Major effects are expected to be increases in temperature and extreme weather events such as big storms, and floods.

During the NDP 10, an Environment and Climate Change component has been designed as part of the United Nations Development Assistance Programme (UNDAF). The various activities that are to be undertaken during the programme range from environmental information systems, organizational structures, environmental legislation, multilateral environmental agreements, integrated water resources management, community based natural resources management and climate change. Linked to the issues of climate change are the anticipated Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) activities geared at advancing the adaptation and mitigation measures across all sectors’ of the economy.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative, the Technical Advisor for Climate Change will be recruited internationally, in accordance with the UNDP recruiting procedures and appointed by UNDP to serve as the full-time Technical Advisor for Climate Change. The position will be located within the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife & Tourism with active liaison with sectors both within and outside the MEWT.

Technical Advisor for Climate Change will provide advisory services on climate change as a development issue and in particular take responsibility for the delivery of programme outputs within the GoB-UNPOP Results and Resources Matrix on Climate Change by supporting the relevant government, Civil Society Organisations and Private Sector agencies to deliver on their designated outputs.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Technical Advisor for Climate Change assumes a facilitative and cartelistic role to Implementing Partners for the Climate Change Sub-component of the GoB-UNPOP and other components as appropriate.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Provide advisory input into the preparation of a more detailed narrative on the institutional roles, responsibilities, coordinating actions and feedback mechanisms of program related partners.
  • Prepare a crosscutting Capacity Development Strategy, including a plan to implement the Strategy, Design and guide the process of generating specialist inputs to the UNPOP on climate change, (e.g reports) to be generated within the scope of the programme and improves such reports in accordance with the expectations of the Government of Botswana and major stakeholders.
  • Facilitate the participatory development of negotiating positions and strategies for the Government
    of Botswana for meetings of the COP of the UNFCCC;

Contribute to the preparation of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and priorities:

  • Provide expertise in climate change resilience/adaptation/greenhouse gas mitigation/greenhouse gas inventories.
  • Provide input into drafting a crosscutting Outreach Strategy, including a plan to implement the Strategy.
  • To prepare inputs into the management reports (progress, exception, etc) in accordance with timetables established by the programme manager.
  • To design a resource mobilization strategy and conduct resource mobilization meetings Support relevant national agencies to attain effective representation of the GoB-UNPOP at meetings and other appropriate regional and international fora.
  • Serve as a link between the Programme and the international community in-terms of facilitating knowledge sharing and benchmarking.
  • To identify deficiencies in the operational aspects of all climate change activities and make recommendations for improvement for the benefit of the nation.
  • Promote the integration of climate change objectives and issues into development planning Contribute to the development and implementation of a climate change policy for Botswana .

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

  • Creates effective advocacy strategies
  • Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of
    institutional responses

Building Strategic Partnerships:

  • Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda.
  • Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners.
  • Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency meetings

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

  • Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals.
  • Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations.
  • Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking.
  • Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

  • Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches.
  • Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

  • Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines.
  • Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally.
  • Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.
  • Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals:

  • Performed analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses.
  • Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it
    for use at country level.

Core Competencies:

  • Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
  • Building support and political acumen
  • Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation
  • Building and promoting effective teams
  • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
  • Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
  • Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Masters degree in environmental management/ earth sciences, forestry, environmental economics or a closely related field.

Experience:

  • Minimum 10 years experience in environment and climate change advisory services.
  • Sound and broadly-recognized scientific expertise on climate research and policy advisory services.
  • Prior experience in inventory preparation work.
  • Highly qualified person working in the fields of emission factor development or data collection methods
  • Familiarity with the United Nations Framework for Combating Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology, United Nations Convention and Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD).
  • Prior experience in vulnerability assessment and adaptation processes.
  • Highly qualified person working in the fields of climate observation and vulnerability analysis in the specific sectors
    Experience in preparing scenarios for GHG abatement
  • Highly qualified person working in the related areas: Energy, Industry, Agriculture, Forestry, Ecology, Waste Management and Environment.
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UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Technical Specialist (Climate Change)