Category Manager (Energy)

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)FamilyUNOPS IICA22024-02-01January 26, 20241. General Background

UNHCR annually procures and delivers approximately $1 billion worth of goods and services. Mitigating the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on forcibly displaced people and their hosts, supporting their resilience by preserving and rehabilitating the natural environment in displacement settings, and minimizing the environmental footprint of humanitarian assistance, are imperative for UNHCR to fulfil its mandate.

Since 2022, by implementing its Operational Strategy on Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (2022-2025), UNHCR aims at improving the sustainability of the end-to-end supply chain, including planning, sourcing, contents, manufacturing processes, procurement, delivery, and lifecycle management of relief items to provide humanitarian assistance.

The Supply Management Service (SMS) within the Division of Emergency, Security and Supply (DESS) is implementing this innovative strategy placing a specific focus on sustainable procurement, with a lifecycle view of “Value for Money” in specifications, evaluation criteria and contract management of goods and services.

SMS is committed to the following outcomes by 2025:

• Specifications for relief items and generators updated and improved for environmental sustainability. Continue expanding to other products.
• Environmentally sustainable (recycled, recyclable, biodegradable or sustainably sourced) contents of UNHCR’s relief items are increased by 20%.
• Proportion of plastic in relief items packaging reduced by 20%.
• Energy efficiency from generators used by UNHCR increased by 20% in 70 target country operations with intensive supply operations.
• Aggregate GHG emissions from the production and delivery of relief items and other standard product item assistance to refugees and displaced populations reduced by 20%.
• 70 country operations targeted with supply waste management services (full loads, recycling, re-purpose, safe disposal).
• Geographic distribution of Global Frame Agreements for 8 relief items expanded, with 25% reduction in source markets concentration.
• CO2 emissions from international freight reduced by 10%.
• Average stock duration on hand (inventory ageing) in country operation warehouses reduced by 25%.

In the context described above, this broad agenda calls for bold and organization-wide thinking, as incremental improvements no longer suffice.

The purchase of energy-using products, equipment and services can have a significant impact in the Organization’s overall carbon footprint. Therefore, UNHCR is looking for an expert who will support the procurement of energy-efficient goods and services to meet the energy needs of Persons of Concern in a safe and sustainable manner, to focus on the product lifecycle quality management and to ensure that the energy necessary for UNHCR's response is clean and renewable.

The following are some of the goods and services which are part of the energy-related procurement undertaken by UNHCR to support refugees, host communities and other Persons of Concern:

• Solar lanterns
• Solar cookers
• Solar streetlights
• Generators/renewable energy solutions
• Fuels
• Lighting devices (indoor and outdoor)
• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
• Building and construction design (i.e. warehouses)


2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

To address the issues related to sustainability and further develop a green transformation of the goods and services, SMS/DESS in 2024 is planning to:

• Support the procurement of energy-related goods and services with a focus on reducing their environmental impact (including but not limited to carbon footprint).
• Provide guidance and technical support to staff on their procurement requests of energy-related goods and services.
• Conduct market research reports for specific energy-related goods and services.
• Develop sustainability evaluation methodology for the selected energy-related goods and services.
• Verify suppliers’ eligibility and proposals for energy-related product compliance with sustainable selection criteria where requested.
• Coordinate with other category managers (transport, plastic and textile items, Consultancy
services, etc..) analysis of procurement request from HQ, regional and field operations as well as other UN agencies.
• Collaborate with leading industry experts to learn and integrate sustainable practices into UNHCR's supply chain.
• Cooperate with other humanitarian organizations in achieving sustainable development goals.
• Support calculation of carbon emissions of Scope 3 activities (including procurement of energy-related goods and their transportation) to identify, measure and reduce carbon footprint.
• Guidance on end-of-life management practices (e-waste treatment, reusability, repairability, and recyclability of energy-related products) for UNHCR operations.
• Involvement in recycling programs (both, local and global) for the energy-related goods procured by UNHCR.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and procedures related to procurement, supply chain management, and sustainability.

The incumbent will contribute to further embed sustainability in UNHCR’s supply chain, ensuring technical knowledge of sustainable and efficient energy solutions and practices, and promoting increased adherence to sustainability of procurement and of regular coordination with other Units in addition to other daily activities guided by Head of Unit.

This position is located within SMS in Budapest, Hungary. The position requires close collaboration within the different Units in SMS. The position will also engage with counterparts in the field and regional Bureaux, and stakeholders across UNHCR’s Divisions, in particular the technical Units in DRS.


3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

The incumbent will report to the Head of Unit, who will monitor the progress of following major activities and milestones:

• Development of technical specifications and detailed baselines for the procurement of sustainable energy-related goods and services as requested.
• Development of sustainable evaluation criteria for the selection of bids as well as update the sustainability evaluation methodology for procurement goods and services under this category.
• Provide technical support to staff towards more sustainable outcomes across different energy-related goods and services including waste management practices (e-waste).
• Manage product category assortment, including assortment planning, selection, and optimization.
• Collect data and monitor market trends of energy-related goods and services, assessing alternative products, and pricing to identify opportunities, and so informing UNHCR relevant sourcing decisions.
• Stay updated and monitor market dynamics, including end-user preferences, industry trends,
regulatory changes and emerging technologies relevant to the category so as to be able to adjust the category strategies accordingly.
• Support data collection for measuring carbon emissions of the two categories of Scope 3: 1) procurement of goods and services (LCA) and 2) Transport and distribution.
• Analyze purchasing and inventory data and key performance indicators to identify opportunities for improvement and make data-driven recommendations.
• Draft and update market analysis reports.
• Collaborate with the Global Sourcing Section to negotiate and maintain favorable contractual terms and pricing in relation to the products under the responsibility of the category manager.
• Review and analysis of requests from global, regional, and local UNHCR operations, divisions, and relevant units in compliance with the developed specifications for sustainable energy-related goods and services.
• Provide guidance and support to cross-functional teams within DESS, and including Country Operations and Regional Bureaux, to ensure the successful execution of category strategies.
• Monitor inventory levels and ensure alignment with forecasts, working closely with the Inventory and GSM teams to minimize stock-outs and overstocks.
• Conduct regular performance reviews of products and suppliers to ensure they meet quality standards and expectations.


4. Qualifications and Experience


a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)

• University degree in Engineering, Environmental Management or Sustainable Development or equivalent degree (desirable postgraduate).
• Proven system analysis and technical writing skills and ability to articulate complex system requirements.
• Strong commitment to environmental preservation, circular economy, and sustainable development
• Strive to live up to high ethical and professional standards.
• Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.


b. Work Experience (List number of years and area of required work experience. Clearly distinguish between required experience and experience which could be an asset.)

• Minimum of 6 years of experience at the professional level in progressively responsible functions, specializing in renewable energy; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
• Experience with sustainable/renewable energy solutions/projects and/or CO2 emission reduction project(s) and/or environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG).
• Relevant experience in developing market research reports for energy-related goods and services.
• Familiarity with the latest sustainable processes/technologies/products in the energy sector.
• Understanding of sustainable and efficient energy practices and tools
• Understanding of related subjects such as economics, natural resource management, climate and energy policies.


c. Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies, or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies)

• Proven experience in category management or related roles
• Experiences in working for humanitarian organizations/International organizations/NGOs/Public Sector/Academia
• Knowledge of market research techniques and familiarity with market research tools.
• Strong commitment to environmental preservation, circular economy, and sustainable development.
• Strong knowledge in renewable energy sector
• Desirable knowledge on standards such as: ISO 50001- Energy Management, ISO14001 Environmental Management system and/or Verasol certification
• Strive to live up to high ethical and professional standards.
• Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills, with proven ability to lead and communicate project results both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Advanced knowledge of a second UN Official language.
• Proficiency in MS Office

 

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This position doesn't require a functional clearance