Energy Specialist

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the leading UN organization advancing sustainable development globally and in Ethiopia. As a key integrator within the UN system, UNDP plays a central role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP operates at global, regional, and country levels, combining international expertise with local knowledge to deliver practical solutions and impactful advocacy.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) have the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS's staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP's Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP's development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2026-2029, four strategic objectives – prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience and healthy planet – define the organization’s strategic direction, powered by three accelerators: digital and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation; gender equality; and sustainable finance.

The central purpose of the Rome Centre is to ensure the effective implementation and further development of the strategic partnership between UNDP and the government of Italy across the objectives of sustainable development and in doing so advancing the broader partnership between UNDP and G7 and G20 countries.

The Rome Centre focuses on the critical policy areas of youth engagement in climate action, energy for development and climate finance.

At the core of UNDP’s work is the Global Policy Network (GPN), which mobilises world-class technical expertise to support six signature solutions: energy, poverty alleviation, democratic governance, resilience, environmental sustainability, and gender equality.

The UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition (the “UNDP Rome Centre”) is the key platform for the strategic engagement between UNDP and the Italian Government. It focuses on the critical areas of climate finance, youth engagement in climate action, and energy development. These objectives are pursued through the effective implementation of its three main programs: PISTA (Platform for Investment Support and Technical Assistance), Energy for Growth Initiative, and Youth for Climate.

The “Energy for Growth in Africa” initiative is a key part of this broader strategy, launched in collaboration with the G7 to build on the Italy-UNDP Energy Partnerships initiative. This programme identifies clean energy projects in Africa that face difficulties securing financing and provides support through de‑risking instruments, making them more attractive to international investors. By pooling and vetting these projects, the initiative reduces perceived investor risk through scale effects and leverages concessional catalytic capital to maximize private sector investment.

The initiative is tasked to operate in 10 African countries – Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tanzania, Rwanda, Tunisia and Zambia – with plans for further expansion. It focuses on markets with limited access to commercial finance and coordinates with G7 and other multilateral efforts to integrate complementary actions, streamline funding, and enh