UNOPS

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners by providing quality servces, integrated solutions and management support through strategic, cost-effective and results-oriented approches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

WEC Background

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support.  

 WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country-specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.  

The NDC Partnership

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition, bringing together more than 260 members, including more than 140 countries, developed and developing, and more than 110 institutions to deliver on ambitious climate action that helps achieve the Paris Agreement and drive sustainable development. Governments identify their NDC implementation priorities and the type of support that is needed to translate them into actionable policies and programs. Based on these requests, the membership offers a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance and funding. This collaborative response provides developing countries with efficient access to a wide range of resources to adapt to and mitigate climate change and foster more equitable and sustainable development. The NDC Partnership Support Unit is jointly hosted by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC). For this project, the Consultant will be contracted through UNOPS.

Ethiopia’s fast urban growth is creating major opportunities for economic expansion, job creation, improved housing, and better public services, but it is also increasing cities’ exposure to climate risks such as flooding, heat, drought, water scarcity, land degradation, infrastructure damage, and pressure on urban systems. These challenges threaten lives, assets, productivity, and the long-term value of public investment. In this context, the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure Development has a critical role in steering Ethiopia toward climate-resilient, low-carbon, and increasingly smart urban development. Its mandate covers urban planning, infrastructure, housing, public works, environmental sustainability, and transport services, placing it at the center of efforts to make cities more resilient and livable.

The government is already advancing green and smart urban development through corridor development, urban renewal, parks, green corridors, improved public spaces, and stronger planning systems in Addis Ababa and major regional cities. At the same time, Digital Ethiopia 2030 is promoting smarter city management through digital transport systems, environmental monitoring, city dashboards, planning tools, smart electricity, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. These efforts create practical entry points for implementing Ethiopia’s Nationally Determined Contribution through urban resilience, low-emission infrastructure, climate-resilient housing, integrated urban water management, nature-based solutions, and improved urban services.

National programs and partner support are helping expand this agenda, including climate-smart urban infrastructure, climate-sensitive local planning, and capital investment planning for urban local governments. Despite this progress, important gaps remain. Many priority interventions are not yet developed into finance-ready projects, climate finance opportunities are not fully pursued, and institutional capacity for fundraising, planning, and proposal development remains limited. A Senior Advisor is therefore needed to mobilize climate finance, strengthen institutional and municipal capacity, support implementation of sector climate priorities, and help the Ministry build a stronger pipeline of bankable urban investments.

The Advisor will work closely with senior government leadership, regional bureaus, and key partners to translate Ethiopia’s NDC and climate resilient urban green infrastructure and integrated water resource and waste management priorities into finance-ready projects, while providing technical backstopping for implementation across urban green and smart infrastructure and integrated water resource and waste management initiatives. A strong emphasis is placed on capacity building, system strengthening, and improving coordination, monitoring, and learning within the urban sector.

Senior Climate Resilient Urban Development Advisor will report directly to the NDCP Country Engagement Specialist and maintain a close working relationship with the Ministry of Urban Infrastructure and Development and other relevant government ministries, departments and agencies responsible for climate action, planning, project development, and implementation. Collaboration will also extend to the Ministry of Planning and Development, specifically the Climate Policy, Analysis and Mainstreaming team, as well as the NDCP In-Country Facilitator, Climate finance and Climate policy advisors' team, with participation in joint planning and review sessions. Regular updates on assignment progress, alignment with Netherlands-supported initiatives, emerging policy and strategic developments in the Urban sector, key financing opportunities, and potential issues affecting Netherlands support or investment decisions will be provided to relevant departments, teams, and sector coordinators within the Netherlands Embassy.  

• This is a retainer national vacancy / position for twelve 12 months, maximum of 220 working days, with possibility of an extension depending on satisfactory performance and on availability of funds. 

• This is a Home based position, meaning that the incumbent will not work from a UNOPS office but from the government facilities. Therefore, the incumbent will need to use his/her own laptop and software. 

• As this is a Local Position, in order to be eligible, the incumbent should be a national of Ethiopia or have a valid residence permit in the country.

• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Senior Climate Resilient Urban Development Advisor will independently provide strategic and technical support to the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure Development. This role focuses on mobilizing climate finance, developing high-quality investment pipelines, strengthening institutional capacity, and supporting the implementation of climate-smart urban infrastructure and waste management priorities, adapting existing policies to meet emerging needs within Ethiopia's Nationally Determined Contribution.

Required

• Master’s degree or equivalent, preferably in Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Infrastructure Planning, Climate Change, Environmental Engineering, Architecture, Development Finance, Project Planning, Public Policy, or another closely related field.
• Bachelor's degree in related discipline with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience (total 7 years) may be accepted instead of an advanced university degree.

Desired

• PhD in urban planning, green or climate smart infrastructure development, Integrated waste management or storm water management

Required

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in urban climate resilience, climate finance, infrastructure investment planning, smart or green urban development, project preparation, fundraising, or closely related areas.
• Strong understanding of climate finance architecture and donor requirements, with practical experience engaging multilateral climate funds, development banks, bilateral partners, philanthropic organizations, or private investors.     
• Proven experience in institutional capacity building, including delivery of training, mentoring, development of tools and guidance materials, and support to public institutions or municipalities in fundraising and project development.
• Good knowledge of climate-resilient urban development, low-carbon infrastructure, flood and heat resilience, waste management, urban service systems, green infrastructure, municipal implementation challenges, and practical smart-city applications in developing-country contexts.

Desired

• Demonstrated experience in preparing high-quality concept notes, project proposals, investment cases, and financing packages for climate, urban development, infrastructure, municipal services, or resilience-finance institutions, supported by strong analytical, writing, coordination, negotiation, facilitation, and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Experience working with development partners, climate funds, bilateral programs, or multi-stakeholder urban resilience and infrastructure initiatives.
• Previous experience supporting government ministries, municipalities, or urban development institutions in Ethiopia or similar contexts.  
• Knowledge of Netherlands-supported urban and infrastructure initiatives and their relevance to Ethiopia’s climate-smart urban agenda

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.