Overview
This role provides strategic leadership and technical oversight for UNOPS' global safeguard frameworks, ensuring projects meet international environmental and social standards. It involves leading specialized units and promoting ESS implementation.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the overall ESS strategic framework and design the internal Environmental and Social (E&S) management system.
- Provide leadership, advisory support, and technical oversight on ESS implementation, monitoring, reporting, and due diligence.
- Lead ESS knowledge generation and the development of knowledge products and tools.
- Coordinate and collaborate internally and externally to promote ESS implementation.
- Manage the ESS, OHS, and SF teams, ensuring cross-team integration and timely execution of work plans.
- Lead the creation and update of a robust ESS policy framework.
- Integrate ESS standards into UNOPS' operational framework and services.
- Supervise ESS risk identification and mitigation.
- Provide authoritative advice, oversight, and quality assurance for ESS instruments.
- Guide technical discussion and consultation processes with affected communities, beneficiaries, and national governments.
- Lead oversight and support missions for high-risk projects.
- Oversee the project-level Complaints and Concerns Reporting Mechanism (CCRM).
- Oversee the creation of technical toolkits, digital platforms, and a knowledge repository.
- Spearhead ESS capacity-building and institutionalization initiatives.
- Follow ESS global trends and leverage data analytics for improved ESS monitoring and reporting.
- Represent UNOPS at high-level global events.
Required Experience
- A minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience, with at least three years in international leadership positions.
- Experience 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.
- Substantial experience in the development and quality assurance of environmental and social safeguards instruments.
- Demonstrated experience in the development of ESS policies, procedures, and management systems.
- Experience in leading ESS internal and external communication and outreach efforts and partnership building.
- Proven track record in leading multi-disciplinary and diverse technical teams.
- Field experience in developing countries.
- 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 is an asset.
Qualifications
• 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.
