Germany: Stakeholder Engagement

Country: Germany
Closing date: 16 Sep 2014

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Background

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the focus of the political process to address Climate Change. The Convention secretariat supports the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol by a range of activities, including substantive and organizational support to meetings of the Parties.

The Executive Direction and Management (EDM) programme promotes the overall coherence of the work of the secretariat and its responsiveness to the needs of the Convention and Protocol bodies. EDM provides overall leadership and strategic guidance to the secretariat, liaises with presiding officers of the Convention and Protocol bodies and with high-level representatives of Parties and observers; undertakes analysis of emerging policy issues; coordinates the secretariat’s representational, outreach and public information activities; oversees the management of the financial and human resources of the secretariat and maintains the information flow for the whole secretariat.

Context

The coming 15 months require a concerted effort by the UNFCCC secretariat to help governments and key stakeholders prepare the ground for a new global climate change regime to be agreed at COP 21 in December 2015. In this context, the secretariat seeks two contractors to support the Chief of Staff in his efforts for a focused, well-coordinated and effective secretariat campaign to reach out to and engage all key stakeholders.

Objective of posts

Under the guidance of the Chief of Staff and in close consultation with other members of senior management, the two contractors will provide political and strategic advice on outreach to key stakeholders on the road to COP 21 in Paris. The contractors will be responsible for delivering the Executive Secretary’s outreach campaign, including liaising with external stakeholders, and support to the Executive Secretary’s missions. The overall objective of the team’s work is to maximize the focus and impact of the Executive Secretary’s outreach and her strategic relationship with leaders and influencers in the coming 15 months.

Each contractor will have a specific area of expertise that can be utilized in building and developing relationships with stakeholders from that sector. Please see the requirements for more details on the target sectors.

Responsibilities

• Actively engage in outreach and advocacy initiatives by sector;
• Build and maintain a network of key stakeholders from target group of stakeholders;
• Strengthen existing dialogues and cooperation with associations and non-profit groups with a view to broaden the scope of engagement;
• Plan and organize activities relevant to the Stakeholders Engagement such as meetings, teleconferences and webinars;
• Contribute to mission planning of the Executive Secretary including preparation of background documents, briefing notes and speaking points;
• Facilitate information sharing via Share point and/or customer relations management systems within the team and across the secretariat;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements and qualifications

Education: First level university degree in political science, economics, social sciences, environmental science, sustainable development, business studies, humanities or a related discipline.

Experience:

• At least three years of relevant experience in the areas of project management, climate policy and action.
• Experience with, or strong knowledge of, at least one of the following areas:

1. Cities and/or municipal or regional government
2. Institutional investment, financial services and/or insurance
3. Faith Communities, women’s leadership and/or environmental NGOs
4. Business and Industry
5. Experience in political and/or communication campaigns
6. Experience of working in an international setting is an asset.

Skills:

• Excellent and proven communication and drafting skills
• Network and coalition-building
• Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills
• Organization, time-management and prioritization skills

Language requirements:

Excellent command of English. Proficiency in other UN languages is an advantage

How to apply:

Candidates whose qualifications and experience match the requirements for this consultancy should use the on-line application system available at http://unfccc.int/secretariat/employment/recruitment.