Readiness Programme Manager

Grade: IS-5
Deadline: 18 February 2024 (11:59 PM KST)
Job Category: International
Salary: USD 145,000 net (plus attractive benefits, that include the following allowances (as applicable): Relocation, dependency, housing, education assistance and home country travel.

Introduction
The mission of the Green Climate Fund is to assist developing countries to respond to climate change while bringing prosperity to their people.

Established in 2010, the GCF invests in transformational climate projects in the developing world. The Fund makes an ambitious contribution to global climate action and channels significant financial resources into developing countries to help build low-emission and climate-resilient societies. It is country-driven and undertakes actions that reflect the circumstances of each country concerned and its national aspirations. The GCF is a key enabler of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Since its establishment, the GCF has approved 216 projects in 129 countries and has committed USD 12.0 billion in climate finance. In addition, it has built up an extensive program to support developing countries to identify their needs, in particular, those who are most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

The GCF’s diverse workforce is advancing its mission from its headquarters in South Korea. Our talented staff makes unique contributions to the Fund, enriching the institution through their combined expertise and professional commitment.

Position Objective
The Readiness Programme Manager (hereafter Manager) provides technical and intellectual leadership in the design and delivery of readiness programme as a foundational input to the GCF’s programming cycle. As part of the Division of Country Programming (DCP), s/he works under the supervision of the Coordinator: Policy and strategy Lead to ensure readiness quality and consistency across all regions thereby establishing and maintaining operational and programmatic integrity of readiness support. The Manager works closely with Delivery Partners (Delivery Partners) and service providers to maintain impactful relations, while establishing standards, holding partners accountable for quality delivery and results orientation. The Manager has 3 overarching results areas: (i) Readiness Standards and Quality Assurance, (ii) Accountability Mechanisms for Delivery Partners, (iii) Delivery and Programming cycle coherence.

Purpose
Readiness Standards and Quality Assurance (40%)

• Establish readiness as a foundational input in the GCF programming cycle, ensuring that it operates at the area of convergence between country climate priorities and GCF programming targets as articulated in the strategic plan.
• Lead operationalization of the Readiness Strategy and modalities through the implementation instruments, including standard operational manual and Readiness Guidebook. Provide oversight and guidance for intra- and interdivisional teams.
• Lead a structured awareness raising / communication campaign to provide stakeholders with ample information on readiness operational modalities and expected results and impact.
• Ensure results orientation and alignment of the readiness support with country climate goals and GCF programming objectives.
• Lead readiness brand awareness efforts and positive perception through improved efficiency and access to readiness resources as well as quality assurance and results-driven focus of readiness support.
• Lead readiness standards and quality assurance mechanisms, strengthening success areas, identifying quality gaps, and defining improvement measures.
• Undertake a continuous review of readiness cycle for efficiency, results, and impact. Propose streamlining of stages to eliminate duplication and non-value adding stages, promote value addition and quality enhancements at every stage.
• Reinforce in-built results strengthening approaches, ensuring that deliverables are consistently guided by intended results.
• Lead updating of guidance notes, and templates ensuring that these establish coherence and maintain quality throughout the cycle. Ensure that templates and guides strengthen results orientation through integration of results matrices.
• Leverage the capacity building strength of readiness to support countries’ raise climate ambitions while supporting NDAs and DAEs build technical competencies for programming and preparation of bankable projects.

  Engagement
  Accountability Mechanisms for Delivery Partners (30%)

  • Lead negotiation of Readiness Framework Agreements and Grant Agreements with Partners ensuring that GCF policies and institutional requirements are upheld.
  • Institutionalize and lead assessment of readiness proposals based on a structured assessment of technical and financial offers, including an expert panel.
  • Provide oversight on instruments for DP accountability, specifically deliverable-based payments that promote accountability and ensure Delivery Partners meet established quality standards in the development and implementation of readiness support.
  • Bolster measures to improve readiness proposal submission and processing, ensuring Delivery Partners observe requirements for speed, efficiency, results’ focus in engagement with countries at every stage of the cycle.
  • Integrate measures to ensure Delivery Partners produce high quality concept notes with a strong continuum potential into funding proposals approved by Board, continuously seeking ways to improve and optimize review processes and times.

    Delivery
    Delivery and Programming Cycle Coherence (30%)

    • Uphold Board approved criteria in the allocation of readiness resources ensuring requisite split between capacity building, pipeline development as well as knowledge and learning. Ensure these criteria guides commissioning of readiness support by Regional Desks.
    • Leverage the policy and institutional frameworks workstream under readiness to support countries in creating enabling policy and regulatory environments for climate financing.
    • Lead utilization of readiness to build a pipeline of investments informed by country needs and empirical evidence. Facilitate frontloading of technical input and climate science during readiness origination laying foundations for quality concept notes and funding proposals as deliverables. Establish clear linkages between readiness and GCF-2 programming targets, ensuring intentional deployment to meet country needs and GCF targeted results.
    • Promote the use of readiness to leverage country bred knowledge systems and comparative advantages to guide programming, benefitting from civil society, indigenous people’s formations.
    • Provide technical guidance to Regional Desks during origination to ensure readiness integration and alignment with various GCF programming workstreams.
    • Guide development of multi-country / multi regional readiness proposals to feed into the origination of multi country / multi-regional projects benefitting from transboundary partnerships.
    • Guide Regional Desks to leverage readiness to establish two track public / private sector programming.

      Requirements (Education, experience, technical competencies required of the job)

      • A Masters Degree or higher qualification in Sustainable Development, Engineering, Climate Finance, Natural Sciences, Investment Planning, and related fields. A minimum of eleven (11) years of relevant work experience in developing countries and/or in a multilateral programming environment or Bachelor’s degree plus two (2) more years of experience.
      • Demonstrable track record in the conceptualization and successful management of technical assistance and capacity building programmes in the developing countries.
      • A track record in institutionalizing program integration and coherence amongst various institutional workstreams
      • Experience in building and maintaining mutually beneficial partner relations
      • A solution-orientation mindset and experience in establishing partner accountability mechanisms
      • Demonstrated technical leadership and programming experience in areas of GCF mandate.
      • Demonstrable track record in mitigation, adaptation sectoral programming and delivering results
      • Fluency in English and knowledge of another United Nations language is an advantage.
        

        The closing date for application is 18 February 2024. Applications submitted after the deadline may not be considered.

        *The person assessed by the Selection Panel as most suitable for the position will be proposed for appointment. Selection among short-listed candidates will also take into account performance at interview, appropriate testing, and references.

        Applications from women and nationals of developing countries are strongly encouraged.