Technical Specialist, Technology Localization (Retainer)

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development. UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources. 

UNOPS Global Portfolios bring together a range of expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and expert teams operating across regions, we lead complex, multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, peacebuilding and climate action.

We work in close collaboration with the UN family, governments and other local and international partners. Our work ranges from supporting mine action in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected contexts, to expanding access to healthcare and clean water, to helping protect the environment.

From Geneva, UNOPS strives to facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade.

UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

UNOPS provides quality services, integrated solutions and management support to UN agencies, initiatives and partners in a strategic, cohesive, cost-effective and results-oriented manner. Geneva is also home to UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Regional Office.

Sustainable Energy for All has a global mandate to accelerate progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. Hosted by UNOPS, we work at the intersection of energy, climate and development, partnering with governments and organizations worldwide to end energy poverty, double energy efficiency, significantly expand renewable energy and combat climate change.

Our vision is a world where everyone, everywhere, can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet, powered by sustainable energy. We promote this vision by pushing for higher ambitions, stronger policies, greater finance flows, increased localization and green jobs, and faster results toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind. 

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Since then, our CEO has served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of nine global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), sustainable energy (SEforALL) humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR.

This position is located within the Green Industrialization team at SEforALL supporting the development of local energy transition technology value chains in emerging economies. Within the programme, SEforALL implements several initiatives, including the Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (REMI) and the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South. Launched in 2024, the critical minerals workstream aims to develop state-of-the-art data and analytics to guide decision-making and facilitate south-south cooperation enabling countries to attract investments in local minerals processing and refining, and build forward linkages with manufacturing for energy transition technologies. The minerals workstream is expanding to cover additional in-country activities with a focus on the African continent, including strengthening engagement of regional value chain development.

Under the direct supervision of the Principal Specialist, Renewable Energy, this role serves as a technical resource to support SEforALL’s deepening country-level activities on localizing renewable energy and energy efficiency technology value chains with an initial focus on solar PV and electric mobility. As a member of the Green Industrialization team, the Technical Specialist will bring technology-specific expertise on manufacturing and assembly, materials and skills needed, standards and regulations, market sizing and industry readiness assessment, and contribute to key components of developing a localization roadmap framework and implementation. This is a part-time retainer role, expected to contribute an average of up to 12 days per month.

Localization Roadmap Frameworks

• Develop and design the technical methodologies for building national-level localization roadmaps for solar PV and electric mobility, including the technical parameters for component-level market sizing and industry complementarity.

• Establish technical benchmarks and evaluation criteria to assess the readiness of existing industries and identify firm-level capability gaps for integration into global energy transition technology value chains.

• Draft technical inputs for industrial policy measures and specialized skill-development requirements based on specific manufacturing barriers identified during the framework design process.

• Coordinate the technical deployment of localization frameworks in pilot countries, managing the application of roadmap methodologies and ensuring rigorous data validation at the national level.

Research and Data Analysis

• Contribute in developing and maintaining analytical tools designed to evaluate the competitiveness and socio-economic impacts of domestic assembly and manufacturing.

• Perform detailed component-level market assessments and quantitative analysis to identify domestic capability gaps and forward linkages with manufacturing for energy transition technologies.

• Utilize quantitative modeling tools to simulate the technical implications of demand- and supply-side industrial policy interventions on domestic assembly viability and investment attractiveness.

• Function as the technical subject matter expert on local value chain development, producing data-driven research and providing technical input to strengthen the evidence base for the Green Industrialization programme.

• Align domestic industry capability data with the technical appraisal requirements of international financing institutions to facilitate the development of investment-ready localization roadmaps.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise with government, industry, and financing institutions to secure primary industrial data and validate the technical accuracy of findings related to local minerals processing and refining.

• Organize and facilitate multi-stakeholder technical workshops to build consensus on roadmap findings and validate localization pathways with diverse national and international actors.

• Translate complex research outputs into actionable technical guidance for policy-makers and industry leaders to support the practical implementation of national industrial strategies.

Required

• An Advanced Level Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Engineering, Public Policy, Energy, International Relations, Natural Resources or a related field. 
• A First Level (Bachelor’s Degree) in Economics, Engineering, Public Policy, Energy, International Relations, Natural Resources or a related field with an additional two years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree. 

Required

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in industrial policy and renewable energy.

• Experience in solar PV or electric mobility manufacturing and value chain development.

Desired

• Experience working with governments, regional bodies, industry associations, or international organizations on strategies for catalyzing green industry value chains.

• Proven ability to synthesize technical findings into policy recommendations and reports.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
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• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.