Research Associate

Job Title: Research Associate – Climate Justice (Academic)

Organization: United Nations University (UNU)

Job Location: Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany UNU-EHS / UNU-VIE

Grade: PSA-3

Job description

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 Urban Futures and Sustainability Transformation (FAST) programme researches systemic transformation toward sustainability to inform and enhance policy. The programme seeks to understand complex realities by researching social, environmental and technological sub-systems, such as infrastructure provision, social security mechanisms and related good governance approaches, with a focus on their interlinkages and dependencies. In this way, the programme aims to advance system understanding and identify key leverage points for triggering change. The work is rooted in the understanding that sustainable futures require technological conversion coupled with social and environmental justice. This includes research into what lifestyles are desirable, affordable and just in a changing global environment, which in turn advances conceptual approaches to future well-being. A focus is on urban areas, which already see the effects of global change and are among its key drivers at the same time. Based on its own primary and transformative research, FAST will provide science-based advice for inclusive urban policy action. This includes the development of narratives of attractive futures, linking social justice to risk reduction, climate adaptation and mitigation. A central element of the programme is the Transformative Urban Coalitions (TUC) project, where new models of coalition building and governance are established and tested through catalyst projects in five “Urban Labs” in Latin America.

For detailed information, please visit: https://ehs.unu.edu/about/departments/urban-futures-and-sustainability-transformation-fast#overview.

Responsibilities 

Under the authority of the Vice-Rector / Director of the UNU-EHS and the direct supervision of the Head of the FAST programme, the successful candidate will be entrusted with the following tasks:

1. Contribute to FAST research, theory and policy development from a justice perspective

• Co-develop conceptual frameworks by advancing the uptake of justice in climate change adaptation and mitigation, risk reduction and urban development discourses;
• Contribute to ongoing work on urban sustainability transformation from a justice perspective;
• Co-develop new research activities in justice-related fields; drawing from emerging concepts and approaches such as just transition, infrastructure equity, adaptive social protection, and transformative governance;
• Explore innovative research methods to document social and environmental conflicts related to climate justice and contribute to feeding results to theory building and policy advice;
• Undertake related desk reviews and analyses, including data collection from scientific and grey literature

2. Contribute to transformation research activities

• Support the development of UNU-EHS/FAST strategic approach to transformation, with a focus on urban sustainability transformation;
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data and co-develop related mixed-method approaches;
• Conduct fieldwork and contribute to primary data collection as needed;
• Connect own research to international debates on climate justice;
• Contribute to reporting as needed;

3. Contribute to proposal writing

• Together with senior staff, look for funding opportunities; Conduct thorough research to identify potential funding opportunities from various sources, including government agencies, foundations, corporations, and other funding organizations. Stay up to date with the latest funding trends and opportunities in the relevant field.
• Contribute to writing proposals targeting different audiences, including donors, partners, policymakers, practitioners, the general public as well as UN agencies;
• Contribute to strategic networking by liaising with actors working on climate justice topics;
• Support the PI in tasks related to proposal writing (liaising with partners and donors, revisions as needed etc.).

4. Co-author research products and contribute to capacity-building and outreach activities

• Support and co-author scientific and policy publications;
• Elaborate alternative formats for presenting scientific results that are accessible to non-scientific audiences;
• Support the presentation of results at scientific and policy-relevant conferences;
• Contribute to developing capacity building materials, lead on components related to climate justice;
• Contribute to organizing project-related outreach events, including workshops and conference sessions.

5. Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Key Performance Indicators

• Quality development of innovative research approaches
• Timely and quality collection and analysis of relevant primary and secondary data
• Timely and quality preparation and submission of deliverables
• High quality engagement with project team and implementation partners
• Contribution to project, institute and UNU mission.

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

Qualifications

Education and certification

• Completed Master’s degree with high academic standing in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Climate Studies, Geography, or other relevant fields.

Experience

• Relevant work experience in the field of climate justice or transformation (1 year desirable);
• Familiarity with concepts and methods in climate, social or environmental justice is essential, familiarity with concepts and methods in transformation/transition research is an asset;
• Field experience from low- and middle-income countries, particularly regional experience from Latin America, is an asset;
• Familiarity with interdisciplinary research and strong methodological skillset for quantitative and qualitative empirical research is essential; experience in transdisciplinary projects is an asset;
• Statistics knowledge is an asset;
• Familiarity with writing project proposals is an asset;
• Excellent communication and writing skills (academic and non-academic);
• Other Desirable Skills: Team player with strong interpersonal and intercultural skills, initiative seeker, strong conceptual and drafting ability, interest in interdisciplinary and international work.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English both oral and written, is required;
• Proven working level knowledge of a second language, German, Spanish or Portuguese skills is an asset;
• Knowledge of another UN official working language 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 renewal subject to requirements and satisfactory work performance, 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.

Expected start date: As soon as possible

How to Apply:

To apply to UNU, you will not need an account. Instead, we ask that you:

• Fill out the UNU P11 form (please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organisations);
• provide a motivation statement (in the P11 form);
• provide a cover letter setting out how the qualifications and experience match the requirements of the position; 
• answer a few questions that are tailored to the position; and
• apply via the apply link.

You may wish to refer to the UN Values and Behaviours Framework for more information.

Application Deadline: 4 August 2023

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview, background checks and references.

Special notice

PSA holders do no hold international civil servant status nor are they considered a “staff member” as defined in the UN Staff Rules and Regulations.

UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply and become part of the organization. Applications from developing countries, and from women are strongly encouraged. Eligible internal applicants are also encouraged to apply.

UNU has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNU, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

Information about UNU rosters

UNU 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 UNU.

Scam warning

UNU does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Apply Now