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Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Specialist - P3 - [Open to Tier 0, 1, 2 Applicants]
Better Than Cash
Khartoum, Sudan
Posted on Apr 1, 2026
Tiered Approach
In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:
- Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
- Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
- Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
- Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.
Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations’ leading development agency working to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, strengthen governance, and address climate change. Through its presence in 170 countries and territories, UNDP supports governments and communities in building integrated and sustainable solutions that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In Sudan, UNDP operates under the Country Programme Document (CPD) 2025–2028, which is aligned with national priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The CPD responds to Sudan’s complex and evolving context, marked by conflict, economic instability, large-scale internal displacement, climate shocks, institutional fragility, and disruption of essential services. These compounded challenges have deepened poverty, widened inequalities, and weakened social cohesion across many states.
The CPD 2025–2028 prioritizes resilience-building, inclusive economic recovery, climate adaptation, strengthened governance systems, and durable solutions for displaced and vulnerable populations. UNDP Sudan works across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to ensure that emergency responses are linked to recovery pathways and longer-term development outcomes. The programme emphasizes area-based and community-centered approaches that integrate basic service restoration, livelihood support, institutional capacity development, and social cohesion.
Under the CPD framework, UNDP supports climate-resilient agriculture, renewable energy solutions, access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women’s economic empowerment, local governance strengthening, and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure. Special attention is given to gender equality, youth inclusion, and the protection of vulnerable groups, ensuring that interventions reduce exclusion and do not exacerbate existing risks or inequalities.
UNDP’s corporate Social and Environmental Standards (SES) require that all projects systematically assess environmental and social risks and opportunities. The SES framework ensures that adverse impacts are avoided, minimized, mitigated, and properly managed, while maximizing positive environmental and social outcomes. The standards cover environmental sustainability, biodiversity protection, climate risk, community health and safety, labor and working conditions, stakeholder engagement, gender equality, and grievance redress mechanisms.
In Sudan, all CPD-supported interventions apply the SES to ensure compliance with UNDP corporate policies and alignment with the safeguard requirements of development partners where applicable. Environmental and Social Management Frameworks (ESMFs), risk assessments, and mitigation plans are developed for relevant projects to guide design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative and direct supervision, the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Specialist is responsible for the implementation, oversight, monitoring, technical support, and reporting of safeguard requirements in accordance with UNDP policies. This role ensures that UNDP Sudan’s interventions under the CPD are environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, conflict-sensitive, and aligned with international best practices.
Position Purpose
The purpose of the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Specialist position is to ensure that all interventions implemented under the UNDP Sudan Country Programme Document (CPD) 2025–2028 comply with UNDP’s corporate Social and Environmental Standards. The position safeguards that environmental and social risks are properly identified, assessed, mitigated, and monitored, while promoting inclusive, gender-responsive, conflict-sensitive, and climate-resilient programming. The role contributes to strengthening the quality, sustainability, and accountability of UNDP’s recovery and resilience interventions across Sudan.
UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
Duties and Responsibilities
Strengthening the application of SES and related interventions, including the development of required tools
- Develop a SES Strategy for the country office aligned with the corporate guidelines and CPD 2026-2028 programme needs.
- Review and update SES as needed to respond to lessons learned, new information, and/or evolving policies and guidance used by UNDP, Responsible Parties and contract service providers.
- Work closely with UNDP Country Office, Responsible Parties and Contract Service Providers to ensure effective management systems are in place for implementation, including integration in Sudan Information Management System (SIMS).
- Develop and update site specific or intervention specific Environmental and Social Management Plan.
- Develop and implement Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment and/or Environmental and Social Impact Assessment tools to be used by the projects, particularly those involving construction, interventions in the fragile ecosystems, and large scale ecosystem-level interventions among others.
- Provide oversight to the project level Social and Environmental Screening Procedures undertaken at different stages of a project cycle.
- Support relevant Responsible Parties and Contract Service Providers to consider options to ensure SES is embedded in operating procedures, institutional arrangements and roles and responsibilities.
- Ensure sub-project screenings, assessments and management plans are tracked and available.
- Develop tailored SES operational tools and checklists as needed, including the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) based on the UNDP SES Toolkit
- Ensure that the interventions planned or implemented in politically and socio-culturally sensitive context have duly integrated conflict sensitivity analysis.
- Ensure SES measures integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, and conflict‑sensitive approaches, preventing unintended exclusion or elite capture.
Strengthen Country Office staff/ personnel and partner capacities and awareness related to SES and tools, and implementation and monitoring.
- Lead the SES Focal Team of the UNDP Sudan Country Office
- Develop and ensure implementation of a capacity development and training plan for the SES.
- Build capacities of UNDP Country Office staff, relevant Responsible Parties (including site supervisors, Responsible Parties’ managers at headquarters and branch offices, and sub-project site level), Contract Service Providers and Third-Party Monitors on a routine basis.
- Develop training and communications materials relevant for SES, including stakeholder response mechanism (SRM) and grievance redress mechanism (GRM).
- Support the state and community level GRM focal points, where relevant.
Ensure appropriate monitoring, reporting and evaluation related to the implementation of relevant SES.
- In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the CO, develop and implement detailed monitoring plan for SES and Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), including indicators and preparation of monitoring reports as per the programme and project risks logs.
- Support improved sub-project monitoring, recording and reporting, including tracking of incidents and response measures.
- Ensure effectiveness of grievance mechanisms (SRM and GRM) and that all grievances and responses are tracked and responded.
- Monitor and update the Risk Register / Risk Log.
- Work with Third-Party Monitoring Agents to ensure SES implementation is considered in monitoring activities.
- Review monitoring reports to ensure findings and lessons related to SES implementation are responded to.
Oversight and support compliance with SES requirements within the context of Sudan.
- Ensure corrective and preventive actions are identified and issues escalated as needed if there are potential compliance issues.
- Provide support and quality assurance function, including spot-checking screenings.
- Provide technical and advisory support to project management units, Responsible Parties and Contract Service Providers.
Manage Knowledge management and sharing.
- Collect lessons learned and case examples to facilitate learning.
- Present on UNDP Sudan’s experiences for SES implementation and take stock of lessons learned from portfolios.
- Participate in global, regional or national meetings related to social and environmental standards in humanitarian and development contexts.
- Supervise the organization of meetings, webinars, and other events on social and environmental standards issues.
- Provide specialized environmental and social safeguards related inputs to feed into UNDP knowledge and learning systems.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory / Managerial Responsibilities: None
Competencies
Core Competencies
Achieve Results - LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
Think Innovatively - LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
Learn Continuously - LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
Adapt with Agility - LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
Act with Determination - LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
Engage and Partner - LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
Enable Diversity and Inclusion - LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Business Direction & Strategy - Systems Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Business Management - Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity. Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.
Business Management - Results-based Management: Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.
Business direction and strategy - Effective Decision Making: Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.
Business development - Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.
Business Direction & Strategy - Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness - Effectiveness: Social and Environmental Standards
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Management, Social Sciences, Law, International Development, or relevant related fields is required, OR
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- A minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience implementing environmental and social safeguards, including occupational health and safety is required.
- Experience working in crisis contexts is a distinct advantage.
- Demonstrated experience supporting, advising and /or collaborating with public institutions on environmental and social safeguards is desired.
- Demonstrated experience in the field of monitoring and evaluation is desired.
- Relevant experience in producing various related reports, including environmental and social screenings, assessments and management plans is desirable.
- A proven ability to interact effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and roles, as well as with both local and national stakeholders and authorities, is desired.
Language:
- Fluency in oral and written English is required.
- Knowledge of Arabic language would be desirable.
Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Scam alert
UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.
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