Project Assistant (PSA-2)

About UN University (UNU)

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU’s work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals’ full breadth, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe. For more information, please visit http://unu.edu.

United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS):

UNU-EHS, established in December 2003, is part of the UNU system, a worldwide network of Research and Training Institutes. Its mission is to advance human security through knowledge-based approaches to reducing vulnerability and environmental risks. For more information, please visit www.ehs.unu.edu.

The Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII) is hosted at UNU-EHS and is a research-to-policy and practice innovation lab. MCII aims to support and ultimately influence policy making processes that enhance resilience and protect livelihoods of vulnerable communities, through pioneering risk management and risk transfer solutions (e.g. insurance mechanisms) in combination with other approaches to manage climate related risks. For detailed information, please visit: https://ehs.unu.edu/about/departments/the-munich-climate-insurance-initiative-mcii#overview.

Climate Risk Analytics: The Risk analytics teams entails a portfolio of projects by MCII, relying on quantitative methods to better understand and inform on climate risk. The main goals for strategic impact are i) to establish analytics to support decisions in adaptation and risk management, ii) to define the “smart mix” of climate response options, including climate risk insurance and to iii) further operational concepts of improved climate risk management also through academic collaborations.

Responsibilities

Under the authority of the Director of UNU-EHS, the guidance of the Head of MCII Division, and the supervision of the climate risk analytics team lead, the successful candidate will be entrusted with the following tasks:

1. Support the Climate Risk Analytics (CRA) team in their daily duties, e.g.
   1. Conduct desk research on project-relevant issues,
   2. Assist the team in the production of GIS products
   3. Organize and document team meeting effectively
   4. Support the drafting of graphics, maps, reports, and scientific publications
2. Contribute to Outreach Strategy Implementation
   1. Participate in the development of new research proposals to enhance project outreach
   2. Draft and revise publications, reports, brochures, etc. ensuring clarity and alignment with outreach objectives
3. Assist in the preparation of side events and workshops
   1. Assist in the preparation of online and abroad side events and workshops
   2. Communicate with participants before and after events (online and in person)
   3. Draft agendas, organize catering, facilitate note taking and provide translation support if required
   4. Support social media postings for the team’s activities, and coordinate with the UNU-EHS comms team.
4. Support any other duties as may be assigned or required in the CRA project team.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and quality delivery of inputs for the respective projects
• High quality and level of engagement with project implementation.
• UNU-EHS/MCII and the team CRA are seen as a reliable and trustworthy partner by research partners, governments, donors, and civil society.

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion —Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity
• Integrity — Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards
• Humility — Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others
• Humanity — Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate — Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyze and Plan — Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact — Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and Develop — Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and Innovate — Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways

Education and certification

• Master’s degree in Geography, Development Economics, Sustainability Studies, Risk Management, Insurance, or a related field with a background in insurance and/or climate adaptation

Experience

Required Qualifications:

• Experience (1 year desirable) in the area of Climate Change Adaptation, Geography, Environmental Science, Climate Risk Management, International Cooperation or similar;
• Initiative seeker with an interest to professionally expanding into new ways of applying and disseminating quantitative climate risk analysis;
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.

Desired Qualifications:

• Knowledge of quantitative analysis tools and languages (e.g. SPSS, STATA, R, Matlab, Python) is an asset;
• Previous working experience with the Economics of Climate Adaptation (ECA) and CLIMADA is an asset;
• Experience in working with local communities, cooperative in developing countries is an asset;
• Experience with valuation of assets, damage functions or adaptation measures in data scare environments is an asset;
• A good understanding and/or experience in technical and organizational disaster risk reduction and -management and climate change adaptation is an asset;
• Knowledge of data visualization tools such as Tableau or PowerBI is an asset;
• Experience in project management in coordinating with a broad range of actors is an asset

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.
• Knowledge of German is an asset

Remuneration

The successful candidate will be employed under a national PSA contract. UNU offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary, commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the candidate. Benefits include 30 days annual leave and a health insurance scheme.

UNU is not liable for any taxes that may be levied on the remuneration you receive under this contract. Payment of any such taxes remains the sole responsibility of PSA holders.

Duration of contract

This is a full-time employment on a twelve (12) months Personnel Service Agreement (PSA) contract with possibility for extension subject to satisfactory work performance, budget availability, and institutional requirements, with the combined duration of appointments not exceeding six (6) years. The mandatory age of retirement for PSA holders is 65 years.

This post is open to applicants from all countries and UNU will aid the successful applicant in securing a work visa for Germany, as necessary. It is, however, a locally recruited post and no relocation allowances apply. The duty station will be Bonn, Germany.