Senior Officer, Carbon Pricing Unit / Program Manager, MATS

PURPOSE

The Senior Officer will be part of the Carbon Pricing Unit (CPU) team, ensuring synergy and alignment of MATS program activities and oversee effective and efficient planning, delivery and reporting of program outputs. S/he is also responsible for operational aspects of the program including effective management of internal and external resources, consultants, and partners, and for providing oversight to financial and administrative processes, ensuring compliance with donor agreements and GGGI regulations. S/he will also need to communicate and coordinate the cross-pollination of ideas and knowledge between country programs, and units under the scope of the program. Formally, this coordination will take the form of outputs provided to the knowledge sharing and readiness activities of the CTP but also through informal routes of team meetings, etc.  

The Senior Officer will oversee:

• Technical assistance in the implementation of CPUs initiatives and projects of country members projects. Ensuring capacity building, liaison among projects related to CPU indicators, and being a facilitator of the origination of carbon projects.
• The management of MATS program, delivering results and quality assurance.
• Technical guidance and support to country members on regards to the usage of the Carbon Transaction Platform (CTP). 

As a member of the program managers group of CPU, s/he is expected to support in helping to expand the unit and the CTP both through outreach and visibility activities, creating partnerships and leading the development of proposals, both independently and with country teams.

ENGAGEMENT

The CPU Senior Officer shall report to the Head of the CPU, building effective networks with the other program managers in CPU, country teams, donors, and partner organizations to sustain relationships and build frameworks for expanded collaboration. S/he will manage a small team, currently 1 direct staff, 1 secondary line staff and interns with expectations of expanding these numbers. S/he is also expected to manage external consultants, both individual and consulting firms as part of program delivery. For the MATS program, s/he is expected to lead or direct stakeholder engagement by collaborating with the government agencies, development partners, NGOs and relevant private sector players to ensure effective delivery of the program outputs. S/he will advise management about opportunities, risks, and new technologies to improve design and effectiveness of the program. In addition, the CPU Senior Officer will ensure that experiences and best practices are documented and shared across the organization.

DELIVERY

The CPU Senior Officer is expected to organize work outputs to support optimal delivery through adapting procedures and his/her responsibilities may include but not be limited to the following:

• Advice and Manage the implementation of a multi-million dollar program including team mobilization and management, financial management, donor engagement and project delivery across several countries.
• Deliver program outputs on time and within budget, covering highly technical areas related to Article 6 and carbon trading in accessible ways, while maintaining high quality standards.
• Develop strategy for the program’s evolution and deliver on that strategy.
• Develop and manage overall program workplans and budgets.
• Develop and deliver capacity building programs for public and private sector stakeholders.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of program status, aligning to donor requirements and priorities across all programs managed.
• Coordinate activities in each country and across different work packages.
• Manage quality of outputs generated by GGGI internal focal points, and external resources.
• Ensure outputs delivered conform to CPU and GGGI guidelines.
• Analyze program risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Lead communication/outreach efforts aligned with the whole program priorities.
• Support to identify and pursue potential further funding streams to assist delivery of program and unit outcomes.
• Actively participate and lead initiatives to raise the profile of CPU both internally and externally.
• Mentor staff and build their capacity in carbon pricing and trading, related skill sets and general project management.
• Contribute to further activities related to GGGI’s Carbon Pricing work.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s or doctoral degree relevant to climate action, carbon markets, and/or environmental policies design.
• Sound knowledge of carbon markets and international carbon pricing/trading, particularly under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
• Preferably at least 8 years of experience in international and country-level work experience
• Experience in managing multi-year projects is highly preferred.
• Proven track record in project management, including planning, reporting and financial management.
• Experience in multi-country coordination an advantage
• Well established networks among key individuals and organizations related to carbon pricing, capacity building and mitigation project origination an advantage
• Sound managerial skills with proven capacity to recruit, manage and motivate project team members in complex, highly decentralized and matrixed organizational settings an advantage

FUNCTIONAL

• A clear interest and desire in the areas of green growth / carbon mitigation, commodity / financial markets.
• Strategic thinker and solutions-oriented, with good ability to multitask and work in a matrix environment.
• Comfortable in quickly absorbing new knowledge and confidently developing new approaches in areas outside of direct experience.
• Ability to initiate, review, synthesize information and produce high quality written reports (in English).
• Ability to establish priorities in a time-sensitive environment and meet deadlines with strong attention to detail.
• Comfortable to work in a team and shows strong interest to communicate with others
• Convincing written and oral communication and presentation skills in English, to prepare material for the governments both in written format and in person. 
• Solid skills using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams)
• An excellent command of spoken and written English. Knowledge of Spanish or French is an asset.
• Calm, diplomatic, positive, able to effectively work under pressure in a challenging context with a diverse and dispersed set of stakeholders.

CORPORATE

• Project management: Proven ability to independently plan and complete projects that deliver quality outcomes in a timely and inclusive manner.
• Proactive nature: Demonstratable ability to produce initial guiding material to lead a project and share knowledge.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to deliver products or presentations that are concise, easy to understand and influential.
• Innovative: Ability to apply knowledge and experience in new contexts and environments.
• Influencing change: Track record of engaging effectively to secure buy in, underpinned by strong listening, trust building, influencing, facilitation and negotiation skills.
• Team player: Capacity to be selfless team member, to operate across organizational boundaries, and maintain a resilient, positive, and results-focused mindset in a dynamic environment.
• Promotes an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect, and partnership.

Note: The position will initially be based in Seoul (at least for initial training and handover) with a move to Luxembourg if preferred once the signed host country agreement has been ratified (expected July 2023). A further GGGI office location could be considered for the successful candidate. Please indicate if you have a specific country preference and/or experience in your Cover Letter when submitting the application.

ABOUT US 

The Paris Agreement provides a comprehensive framework for signatory Parties to reach an ambitious commitment to limit the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C, and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C in a cooperative manner. This framework covers a number of instruments including cooperative approaches under Article 6 which allows for the potential development of international carbon transactions.

The Carbon Pricing Unit (CPU) of GGGI is a global leader in Article 6 international carbon trading technical assistance, implementing several programs related to preparing countries for, and supporting the scaling up of trading. By opening these markets and the resultant flow of transactions it is envisaged a robust and reliable global price for carbon can be established, something many areas of the private sector have long called for as a way to motivate the transformational change needed to achieve the ambitious goals of Paris. GGGI’s Article 6 programs provide technical assistance to support member and partner governments towards their first international carbon trades in the Paris era. GGGI’s programs, through the framework of the Carbon Transaction Platform (CTP), the main delivery vehicle of the CPU, support the design of projects and policies for pilot transactions and the strengthening of institutional frameworks required for their implementation. In addition, the CTP will also manage carbon funds on behalf of government buyers that will purchase the international carbon units.

In 2019 GGGI signed a funding agreement with the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) related to scaling up international carbon trading, as envisaged under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This program, called the “Mobilizing Article 6 Trading Structures” (MATS) Program, aims to support carbon transactions under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. Accordingly, the program involves a blend of policy, institutional and capacity development support to host countries, as well as project preparation, analysis and documentation to support underlying emissions reduction projects. The MATS Program launched in early 2020, with activities delivered in Nepal and Cambodia. The program is now scaling up to add activities in further countries.

GGGI is seeking a senior level program manager to join the dynamic and groundbreaking Carbon Pricing Unit. The team is used to working in a frontier space, innovating and collaborating both internally and externally. It is recognized as a world leader and works regularly with global experts to progress implementation on the ground through its unique position of trusted advisor to GGGI’s member countries.  

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.