Closing date: Friday, 14 April 2023
Job Identification : 9537
Locations : Kazakhstan
Posting Date : 03/30/2023, 11:57 AM
Apply Before : 04/14/2023, 03:59 AM
Degree Level : Advanced/Postgraduate Degree
Job Schedule : Full time
Agency : UNDP
Grade : NPSA-8
Vacancy Type : National Personnel Service Agreement
Practice Area : Nature, Climate and Energy
Bureau : Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS
Contract Duration : 1 Year with Possibility for extension
Education & Work Experience : Master’s Degree
Other Criteria : Bachelor’s degree in combination with 2 years of experience can be taken into consideration in lieu of Master’s degree
Required Languages : Russian
Desired Languages : English and/or Kazakh
Vacancy Timeline: 2 Weeks
Mobility required/no mobility
no mobility required
Job Category : Management
Job Description
Background
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.
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 helps Kazakhstan honor its Paris Agreement commitments by supporting the expansion of the “green economy” to tap into new opportunities for jobs and businesses. It partners with other United Nations agencies to provide technical expertise to translate strategies into action, establish a monitoring framework for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and develop plans for transition to green energy, land management, climate-proof agriculture, biodiversity, reforestation, disaster risk reduction, and waste management. By catalyzing SDG and Paris- aligned investments (public and private), UNDP delivers client-focused solutions that respond to immediate, mid and long-term recovery and socio-economic development priorities, and; by leveraging on-the-ground presence and networks, we unlock bottom-up solutions towards lasting impacts at the country level, benefitting most disadvantaged and leaving no one behind.
UNDP (Green) Energy Portfolio aims to facilitate transformation of the energy market in Kazakhstan by significantly increasing the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in power generation and to advance energy efficiency of buildings, infrastructure, and other facilities in Kazakhstan by attracting investments from private investors, banks and international financial institutions via the design, piloting, and scale-up of financial instruments, including partial guarantee scheme supporting bank loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have limited access to loans due to lack of suitable collateral.
By facilitating investments into RES and energy efficiency, the portfolio projects will stimulate economic growth and sustainability among SMEs, thus creating and sustaining jobs and accelerating economic recovery from the COVID- 19 crisis and achieving Kazakhstan’s 2030 and 2050 targets for renewable energy. This approach will also contribute to Kazakhstan’s national strategic goals on decreasing the GDP’s energy intensity and commitments on economic diversification, green development, and climate change mitigation.
The goal of the UNDP-GEF Project “De-risking Renewable Energy Investment in Kazakhstan” is to achieve energy market transformation in Kazakhstan by significantly scaling-up the deployment of renewable energy in electricity generation, from a 0.77% share of renewable energy to a 10% share by 2030, which makes for 10-fold increase in renewable energy-based energy generation to be facilitated by the project. In large-scale renewable energy, the project will promote Kazakhstan as a prime destination for international investment. Technologies will include wind energy and solar photovoltaic (PV). In small-scale renewable energy, the project will promote investment in “RES for urban life”, on-grid small-scale renewable energy applications, targeting urban households and businesses; and “RES for rural life”, both on-grid and off-grid small-scale renewable energy applications, targeting farms and rural SMEs. Technologies may include solar PV (roof-top), solar water heating and small-scale wind. The project will promote the latest business and finance models for small-scale RES developers (for example, third-party ownership models). The design and implementation of this project make use of the ‘Derisking Renewable Energy Investment’ (DREI) methodology developed by UNDP, which is a model for quantitative and qualitative comparison of the cost-effectiveness of different public instruments in promoting renewable energy investment.
Duties and Responsibilities
Technical inputs:
- Advisory support to the pilot regions with the identification of “feasible” project proposals aimed at RE promotion, including assessment and revision of financial feasibility studies and other documents;
- Conduct targeted trainings and provide technical support to Akimats and local, regional and national stakeholders, including development and management of new institutional and financial mechanisms, participation in negotiations with private investors, and settling organizational and financial issues related to creation of financing tools for realization of RE promotion projects;
- Coordinate the development and piloting of new financing mechanisms for RE projects;
- Coordinate consultations on the development of a strategy for the diversification of funding and mechanisms to optimize contributions to RE projects from a wide range of sources;
- Consider new and innovative approaches for the resource mobilization for renewable energy;
- Participate and contribute to the development and implementation of relevant policies, programs and rules for small-scale RES;
- Develop and recommend financial schemes for net consumers to stimulate the development of small-scale RES;
- Organize and deliver capacity building training for local governments and experts on policy development for small scale renewable energy development;
- Participate in assessing marginal costs and expenses for GHG emissions reductions, determining the priority of investment projects where GHG emissions can be reduced by the most cost-effective method and where there is a potential to optimize private capital and funding;
- Consult relevant institutions on promoting investments into RE development, including RE promotion projects, prepare recommendations for rational institutional and financial measures at national, regional and local levels;
- Participate in creation of institutional and financial frameworks for implementing RE projects;
- Conduct regular consultations with producers, sellers, buyers, users, and/or regulators of small-scale renewable energy equipment and facilitate a dialogue on technology standards;
- In consultation with the stakeholders, develop proposals for small-scale technology standards,.
- Coordinate the establishment of a small-scale renewable energy technology platform, which will include the information on small-scale renewable technologies and quality and performance standards;
- Develop appropriate institutional and organizational arrangements for monitoring and enforcing quality standards;
- Organize and implement relevant trainings to develop skills for supporting the quality control system;
- Contribute to the establishment of partnerships with the private sector for implementation of the assigned project activities. Explore opportunities for blended financing schemes;
- Conduct consultations with the private sector/associations to solicit recommendations for improving the sector, policies and regulatory frameworks;
- Conduct consultations with local authorities on the promotion of RES at the local level, including capacity building activities and exploring feasible financing frameworks and mechanisms;
- Contribute to the wide dissemination and visibility of project achievements under the assigned project activities. Support mechanisms for exchange of information, experience and lessons learned at the local and national levels. Promote the use of RE through the media, including interviews/articles and other scientific publications.
Project implementation inputs:
- Ensure practical coordination of the assigned areas of project activities to meet expected results. Contribute to the annual work plan, procurement actions as well as budgets. Ensure close monitoring of the assigned activities;
- Develop Terms of References for national and international consultants to be engaged by the project under the respective component;
- Contribute to designing, planning and monitoring of the assigned project activities. Ensure the high quality of the concept papers, terms of references, proposal outlines and agreements in close cooperation with partners and beneficiaries;
- Establish internal monitoring and evaluation systems for the assigned tasks;
- Ensure timely submission of financial and activity reports by the responsible partners and service providers, and ensure harmonized reporting by recipients on key performance indicators;
- Advise service providers and/or recipients on strategies to facilitate results-based implementation of project activities, and ensure constant feedback on quality of their implementation, suggesting corrective measures as necessary;
- Support the selection, capacity assessment, monitoring and evaluation to ensure compliance with UNDP regulations and expected project outcomes;
- Contribute to the preparation of qualitative work plans, reporting and financial progress reports as may be required by the Project Manager. Provide close support for the preparation of procurement/contracting and financial delivery reports for UNDP management. Timely submit the above mentioned deliverables;
- Maintain close coordination with the project partners under the assigned tasks, helping at ensuring synergies and avoiding overlaps in project implementation.
- Perform other tasks requested by the Project Manager aimed at achieving project goals and objectives, as well as requests from the UNDP CO.
Institutional Arrangement
The Analyst on renewable energy finance and investments will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager/ Coordinator, will cooperate with other Project Experts and closely coordinate with the implementing partner and other partners.
Competencies
Core Competencies:
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:
- Business Direction and Strategy – Strategic Thinking:
- Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks, and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
- Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP
- Business Direction and Strategy – Negotiation and Influence:
- Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations
- Business Management – Communication:
- Ability to 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 internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
- Business Management – Digital Awareness and Literacy:
- Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed
- Business Management – Customer Satisfaction/Client Management:
- Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
- Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
- Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
- Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
- Business Development – Knowledge Generation:
- Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
- Digital and Innovation – Data storytelling and communications:
- Skilled in building a narrative around a set of data and its accompanying visualizations to help convey the meaning of that data in a powerful and compelling fashion.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in economics or finance or social science or business administration or management or other related fields.
- Bachelor’s degree in combination with 2 years of qualifying experience can be taken into consideration in lieu of Master’s degree.
Experience:
- Minimum 2 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in the field of renewable energy or energy efficiency.
- Proven experience in finance, including budgeting and control of budget execution, attraction of funding, producing business plans and business operation analysis reports.
- Hands-on experience in developing architectures and designing financial instruments.
Assets:
- Working experience with ministries and/or other national institutions, and ability to work effectively with fellow partners and other groups at all levels.
- Working experience within the UN system in implementing development projects.
- Specialized training/certifications in financial analysis and budgeting, quality management or related sectors.
Languages:
- Fluency in Russian.
- Knowledge of Kazakh and/or English is an asset.
The following documents are required from the applicants:
- Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
- A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
- The hiring unit may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of candidates’ experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.
Disclaimer
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.
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