JPO in Sustainable Energy, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation, UNECE

JUNIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER PROGRAMME (JPO) Chiffre Nr. 2026-2-36

I. General Information 

Post Title: JPO in Sustainable Energy, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation

Sector of Assignment: Economic and Environmental Affairs

Organization/Office: United Nations / Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), Sustainable Energy

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Duration: Two years with possibility of extension for another year. The extension of appointment is subject to yearly review concerning priorities, availability of funds, and satisfactory performance

Please note that for participants of the JPO-Programme two years work experience are mandatory! Relevant work experience can be counted. In order to assess the eligibility of the candidates, we review the relevant experience acquired after obtaining the first university degree (usually bachelor’s degree).

II. Supervision

Title of Supervisor:

Economic Affairs Officer

Content and methodology of supervision:

Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will work jointly with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO and his/her supervisor. The specific activities under the Work Plan might be adapted based on the change of the priorities of the Division.

Evaluation: The United Nations Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serve as a primary platform to evaluate of the JPO’s performance. The supervisor will hold weekly meetings with the JPO to mentor and provide guidance for the activities included in the Work Plan.

III. Duties and Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Junior Professional Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Full System Cost of a Resilient and Carbon Neutral Electricity System. 

This is an activity mandated by the UNECE Group of Experts on Cleaner Electricity Systems. Achieving net zero in the UNECE region will require a rapid shift toward low- and zero-carbon electricity, deep electrification, and a flexible, resilient grid; however, electricity remains carbon-intensive, heavily reliant on fossil fuels, and the grid is not ready for large-scale renewables. Overreliance on Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for planning misses broader system costs—such as balancing variability, ensuring grid resilience, and managing risks—making a more comprehensive framework essential to deliver reliable, clean, and sustainable power.

Specific duties, responsibilities and outcomes will include:

• Support the coordination of the UNECE Group of Experts on Cleaner Electricity Systems on enhancing the understanding of the full system cost of a resilient and carbon neutral energy systems. This will include drafting briefing notes and contributing to the technical papers prepared by the UNECE expert community, including those related to energy transition and climate mitigation and adaptation.
• Build multi-stakeholder partnerships and organize joint activities to raise the awareness about the need for a full energy system cost approach This approach integrates multiple different cost to provide a more complete understanding of the trade-offs in electricity system planning and emphasize the importance of a balanced energy mix combining variable renewable energy, dispatchable resources, and firm capacity to ensure resilience, affordability, and carbon neutrality.
  
  
  

2 Support UNECE’s sustainable energy related work in Central Asia. The Division is leading two flagship activities in Central Asia: (i) Water–energy nexus in Central Asia. UNECE Water Convention, the Group of Experts on Renewable Energy are working closely on raising awareness about water and energy nexus across Central Asia. In Central Asia the water, energy, food and ecosystem sectors are tightly interlinked, with upstream demand for hydropower and downstream demand for irrigation generating competing claims on the shared waters of the Aral Sea basin, notably the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers. The nexus approach helps basin-sharing countries jointly identify intersectoral resource-management issues and propose more sustainable and collaborative ways of developing and stewarding water, energy, land and environmental resources, thereby enhancing water, energy and food security, increasing resource-use efficiency, reducing trade-offs and protecting ecosystems while fostering transboundary cooperation; and (ii) Energy connectivity in Central Asia. UNECE and ESCAP are helping countries in Central Asia to build their policy design capacity to enhance energy security and energy system resilience through energy connectivity. Enhanced regional energy connectivity and a resilient and integrated grid enables countries to: (a) improve energy security by connecting countries or sub-regions which have energy deficit with markets that are in surplus, (b) enhance economies of scale of large green infrastructure projects translating into lower overall system investment and operating costs; (c) allow effective and larger integration of renewable energy into an interconnected system that is more inclusive, flexible, effective, reliable, diversified, and decarbonized over time.

Specific duties, responsibilities and outcomes will include:

• Support UNECE's work on the water–energy nexus in Central Asia and the facilitation of multi-stakeholder dialogues among riparian countries. This will include organizing workshops in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and undertaking missions to UNECE member States, either alone or as part of a team.
• Support UNECE’s and ESCAP’s work on energy connectivity in Central Asia. This will include supporting the development of country specific briefs and regional multi-stakeholder dialogues with the aim to share best practices and lessons learned.
• Support UNECE’s work on renewable energy. This will include support to: renewable energy data gathering and analysis exercises; policy advice given through UNECE Renewable Energy Hard Talks with a specific focus on access to and management of critical raw materials; and organization of workshops and other activities to achieve the renewable energy target of SDG7 in Central Asia and other UNECE countries.
  
  

3. Support UNECE’s work on Just Transition, Gender Equality and Youth Engagement.
UNECE is helping countries to attain just energy transition. A “just transition” is an integrated approach to sustainable development, which brings together social security and progress, environmental protection, and economic success into a framework of democratic governance. Effective “just transition” strategies require a holistic approach as well as local, bottom-up participation of all affected stakeholders and commitment by the governments to guarantee their buy-in. This is a cross-cutting activity that will be integrated across the work of the UNECE expert community. The aim is to create a socially equitable and inclusive energy transition and to have a positive impact on the livelihoods of vulnerable groups, such as women and girls. Activities under this workstream are designed to help countries adequately prepare for just energy transition and develop initiatives that, amongst others, improve energy security; design and implement regionally interconnected, resilient, and sustainable energy systems; and develop and mainstream gender-sensitive policies on energy access.

Specific duties, responsibilities and outcomes will include:

• Support UNECE’s work on a just energy transition. This will include supporting activities, such as workshops or webinars on just energy transition, as well as gender equality, organized by or in cooperation with the Division’s expert groups. Perform other related duties as required, including a variety of administrative tasks necessary for the final delivery of the Division's work on sustainable energy and just transition.
• Lead and coordinate the activities on youth engagement under the UNECE energy community. This will also include support of the UNECE initiative for technical universities in Central Asia to foster the next generation of energy experts and deliver on a just energy transition.
• Coordination of the UNECE Young Working Group on Energy Systems, a dynamic platform for young professionals to engage in innovative and forward-looking discussions and contribute to shaping sustainable energy policies and accelerate energy transition across the UNECE region.
  
  
  
  

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:
Master’s degree in Economics, Environmental Sciences, International Relations, Sustainability, or Social Sciences.

Work experience:

A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in the energy sector, environmental sustainability or energy-related policymaking.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French and/or Russian is an advantage. 

Other skills:

Experience with development of websites and visual communication tools, such as Photoshop or Adobe Reader, is an advantage.

UN competencies:

PROFESSIONALISM: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.

Workforce Diversity

The United Nations believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.

V. Learning Elements

On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have/be able to…

• Develop content and background material for workshops and policy dialogues.
• Draft briefs on topics related to energy transition.
• Write UN-style policy analysis and assessment reports.
• Shape the agenda on energy transition in the UNECE region.
• Coordinate multi-stakeholder consultations.
• Develop strategic partnerships across international organizations.
• Identify opportunities for new project and draft project proposals.
• Build network and learn from leading energy transition experts from the region.
  
  
  
  

VI. Background Information

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations. It counts 56 member States on three continents: Europe, North America and Asia. UNECE was established in 1947 to promote pan-European economic integration. After the Second World War, this was deemed “essential to the maintenance of peace”. This mandate is as relevant today as ever. 

For the past 76 years, UNECE has helped countries to convene and cooperate to develop norms, standards and conventions. These include 59 inland transport conventions and legal instruments, five environmental conventions and 12 protocols, 480 standards and regulations for trade facilitation, more than 100 agricultural quality standards, location codes for international trade, a classification system for energy, standards for energy efficiency in vehicles and buildings, smart city indicators, statistical standards and the classification of forest products. These norms are global public goods that are freely available to all countries, citizens and companies. They are used by more than 100 countries around the globe. These norms, standards and conventions help countries implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This JPO will be in the Subprogramme 5 on Sustainable Energy at UNECE, which is to ensure secure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of the energy sector. 

UNECE’s Committee on Sustainable Energy is one of three intergovernmental bodies in the entire UN Development System dedicated energy and has been assisting member States on this subject for twenty-nine years. It is the longest standing body on energy in the UN Development System and has been recognized as a platform that encourages open, inclusive and honest dialogue on often controversial energy issues through regular engagement with member States and stakeholders from private and public sectors. Member States have dedicated five expert groups to natural gas, methane, cleaner electricity systems, renewable energy and natural resource management. The JPO will have access to vast network of experts that are leading the work on energy transition across the UNECE region.

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