Head of Environmental, Social standards and Sustainability
Job Highlight
This is an excellent opportunity to lead and shape UNOPS' environmental and social sustainability efforts on a global scale. The position offers a unique platform to influence policy, drive innovation, and ensure that UNOPS projects contribute to sustainable development while meeting the highest international standards. You will work with a diverse team of experts and engage with key partners to advance UNOPS' commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
The Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG) provides policy, standards guidance and support in three UNOPS service lines of Project Management, Infrastructure and Financial Management Services (Grant Support and Fund Management). IPMG leads the design and implementation of a project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) system centered around the needs of UNOPS partners, beneficiaries and frontline personnel. IPMG also drives UNOPS efforts to leverage sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure and maximize local capacity through grant support management to achieve sustainable development. Through thought leadership, we aim to position UNOPS with its partners, foster innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development, and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes speeding up the implementation of urgent infrastructure and scaling up infrastructure service delivery, particularly in relation to climate action and energy. Our delivery approach to project management, infrastructure and grant support management prioritizes development needs, empowers institutions and communities, builds partners’ capacity, champions gender equality and social inclusion and reduces environmental impact. IPMG translates policy into practice by providing strategic direction, standards and oversight, while facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity-building for UNOPS teams globally.
Role Purpose
The Head of Environmental and Social Sustainability (ESS) will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for UNOPS' global safeguard frameworks, ensuring that all projects meet or exceed the ESS requirements of major international partners. This role involves leading three specialized units, developing and implementing ESS policies, providing advisory support, fostering capacity development, and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to promote ESS implementation.
Core Responsibilities include:
Required
Experience Requirements
This is an excellent opportunity to lead and shape UNOPS' environmental and social sustainability efforts on a global scale. The position offers a unique platform to influence policy, drive innovation, and ensure that UNOPS projects contribute to sustainable development while meeting the highest international standards. You will work with a diverse team of experts and engage with key partners to advance UNOPS' commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
- This vacancy is looking to fill a full-time open-ended position. However, as the contract modality for this Vacancy Announcement is an International Individual Contractor Agreement, UNOPS may also use the results of this recruitment process to offer a full-time short-term, or a retainer (contract for intermittent work, subject to budget availability and business needs) contract.
The Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG) provides policy, standards guidance and support in three UNOPS service lines of Project Management, Infrastructure and Financial Management Services (Grant Support and Fund Management). IPMG leads the design and implementation of a project, programme and portfolio management (P3M) system centered around the needs of UNOPS partners, beneficiaries and frontline personnel. IPMG also drives UNOPS efforts to leverage sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure and maximize local capacity through grant support management to achieve sustainable development. Through thought leadership, we aim to position UNOPS with its partners, foster innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development, and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes speeding up the implementation of urgent infrastructure and scaling up infrastructure service delivery, particularly in relation to climate action and energy. Our delivery approach to project management, infrastructure and grant support management prioritizes development needs, empowers institutions and communities, builds partners’ capacity, champions gender equality and social inclusion and reduces environmental impact. IPMG translates policy into practice by providing strategic direction, standards and oversight, while facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity-building for UNOPS teams globally.
Role Purpose
The Head of Environmental and Social Sustainability (ESS) will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for UNOPS' global safeguard frameworks, ensuring that all projects meet or exceed the ESS requirements of major international partners. This role involves leading three specialized units, developing and implementing ESS policies, providing advisory support, fostering capacity development, and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to promote ESS implementation.
Core Responsibilities include:
- Strategy & Framework: Leading the overall ESS strategic framework. Designing the internal Environmental and Social (E&S) management system and aligning with the World Bank ESF and other international development partners, such as KFW, ADB Safeguard Policies.
- Technical Oversight: Providing leadership, advisory support and technical oversight across HQ units and field offices on aspects related to ESS implementation, monitoring, reporting and due diligence in UNOPS projects.
- Capacity development, knowledge and Learning: Leading ESS knowledge generation and the development of knowledge products and tools leveraging technology and digital tools for capacity building, learning, ESS implementation and in support of evidence-based decision making
- Coordination, communications, advocacy and outreach: Coordinating and collaborating internally and externally to promote ESS implementation; Advocate for UNOPS ESS policy in global events, and ensure alignment with international partners and stakeholders.
- Strategic leadership and management
- Team leadership: Manage the ESS, OHS and SF teams, ensuring cross-team integration and the timely execution of work plans.
- Policy development: Lead the creation and regular update of a robust ESS policy framework grounded in UN norms and aligned with key partners like the World Bank (ESF), KFW, and ADB. Guide the engagement with affected communities and stakeholders to inform ESS policy updates and ensure practical applicability.
- Operational integration: Integrate the ESS standards into UNOPS broader operational framework and services, including in infrastructure, procurement and project management, specifically strengthening coherence with the Climate Action Programme.
- Risk and accountability: Supervise ESS risk identification and mitigation, including the development of an accountability mechanism and tracking system for legal and reputational risks.
- Technical Oversight and Advisory Support
- Implementation & quality assurance: Provide authoritative advice, oversight and quality assurance for ESS instruments, screening assessments, and management plans across field operations.
- Stakeholder engagement: Guide technical discussion and consultation process with affected communities, beneficiaries, and national governments.
- Compliance and monitoring: Lead oversight and support missions as well as proactive reviews for high-risk projects to ensure strict compliance.
- Grievance redress: Oversee the project-level Complaints and Concerns Reporting Mechanism (CCRM), leveraging digital platforms to enhance accessibility and efficiency.
- Capacity building and knowledge management
- Tool development: Oversee the creation of technical toolkits, digital platforms, and a knowledge repository for best practices and case studies.
- Internal and external capacity development: Spearhead ESS capacity-building and institutionalization initiatives across UNOPS units and in regional and country offices for UNOPS personnel, partners, and local stakeholders.
- Data analytics and global trends: Follow ESS global trends, updates and procedures of international development partners for alignment and synergy. Leverage technology and spearhead data analytics for improved ESS monitoring, reporting, and evidence-based decision-making.
- Coordination, advocacy and representation
- Internal coordination: Establish an ESS Community of Practice (COP) and coordinate with other service lines (Procurement, Infrastructure, Project Management) and the Climate Action Programme.
- External alignment: Coordinate with other UN agencies and international financial institutions (IFIs) to align standards and apply integrated frameworks in joint projects.
- Global advocacy: Represent UNOPS at high-level global events to promote sustainable project implementation and showcase the organization's commitment to due diligence.
Required
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in environmental management, public policy, social sciences, development studies or related fields with 12 years of relevant experience OR
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 10 years of relevant experience is required
Experience Requirements
- A minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience (a minimum of three years must be in international leadership positions) across environment, climate change, social sustainability with a focus on environmental and social standards (ESS), monitoring and evaluation, and/or ESS risk management within International Finance Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, UN or International Development Organizations is required.
- Substantial experience in the development and quality assurance of environmental and social safeguards instruments, including conducting oversight visits as necessary, addressing capacity and compliance gaps, or providing advice on managing grievance cases is required.
- Demonstrated experience in the development of ESS policies, procedures, and management systems. This includes knowledge generation, the development of policy briefs, reports, or background papers for evidence-based policy making and ESS institutional integration is required.
- Experience in leading ESS internal and external communication and outreach efforts and partnership building is required.
- Proven track record in leading multi-disciplinary and diverse technical teams is required.
- Field experience in developing countries is required.
- MDB Expertise: Extensive experience implementing World Bank Environmental and Social Standards (ESS1-10) is a strong asset.
- Work experience in fragile and conflict-affected countries is an asset.
- Experience in translating complex technical safeguard data into compelling narratives for external partners and donors is a strong asset.
- Knowledge of international good practices in environmental, social and climate standards & guidelines (e.g. the World Bank’s ESF, the IFC Performance Standards, Paris Agreement alignment, ILO labor conventions, and other IFI, MDBs and International development organizations) is an asset.