National Ecosystem Coordination Expert at United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) – Abuja

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is recruiting a National Ecosystem Coordination Expert in Abuja for Project 240184, “Strengthening Cleantech Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Nigeria”. The assignment supports the Government of Nigeria, represented by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST), in implementing the project.

Project context

The project is establishing and operationalising the Nigeria Clean Technology Innovation & Delivery Unit (NCTIDU) as a federally anchored platform for coordinated policy execution, cleantech enterprise support, investment mobilisation, knowledge management and ecosystem visibility.

Building on GCIP Nigeria Phase I, the next phase strengthens the cleantech innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem through the establishment of NCTIDU; support for research commercialisation, enterprise acceleration, access to finance, skills development, policy implementation and ecosystem coordination; and strategic communication, knowledge management and partnerships.

The six-month inception phase will establish the institutional, operational and technical foundations for implementation. Workstreams include the administrative and legal establishment of NCTIDU within FMIST, technical preparation and stakeholder mapping, and coordination with GCIP Phase I and other cleantech initiatives. Key outputs include an NCTIDU Implementation Plan, institutional and sustainability strategies, resource-mobilisation and communication strategies, the first Annual Work Plan and Budget, and refined results, monitoring, gender-mainstreaming and environmental and social-management frameworks.

Key responsibilities

• Advise the Project Manager and support NCTIDU in preparing detailed work plans, budgets and monitoring-and-evaluation tools.
• Coordinate the execution, quality control and monitoring of assigned technical and ecosystem activities, working with the UNIDO team and national counterparts.
• Liaise with FMIST, the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and other government counterparts; provide technical updates and inputs to financial reporting and help resolve implementation bottlenecks.
• Attend project meetings, act as a technical focal point for ecosystem coordination and organise briefings and debriefings on progress, national and subregional developments, resource needs and priorities.
• Support preparation of terms of reference for national consultants and contractors and provide technical specifications for procurement, tender clarifications and technical evaluations in line with UNIDO rules.
• Provide technical guidance to the local project team and NCTIDU personnel, supporting knowledge transfer and institutional capacity.
• Identify initiatives and partnership opportunities, including with the private sector, and maintain links with GCIP Nigeria Phase I and other cleantech and private-sector development initiatives.
• Support operational planning and monitoring through indicators, baselines and reporting tools; monitor assigned activities and consolidate information from ecosystem partners.
• Provide inputs to administrative and financial monitoring and prepare progress reports, including biannual Project Steering Committee reports and annual consolidated reports.
• Prepare the final assignment report and support Project Steering Committee meetings, technical documentation, meeting records and follow-up on decisions.
• Maintain partnerships with national institutions, research organisations, incubators, private-sector actors, financing institutions and UN project partners, and facilitate stakeholder consultations.
• Identify good practices, success stories and lessons learned, support project communications and visibility, and prepare recommendations and handover information for continuity beyond the assignment.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Economics, Engineering, Sciences, Agro-industries, Environment, Business Administration or another relevant discipline. Alternatively, a first-level university degree or advanced technical-college diploma in a relevant field may be accepted with an additional five years of directly relevant professional experience.
• At least five years of professional experience coordinating national development or technical-cooperation programmes and projects.
• Experience providing technical advisory and coordination support to government institutions in cleantech, innovation, entrepreneurship or sustainable industrial development.
• Experience evaluating country needs, conditions and challenges.
• Knowledge of development agencies, donor communities, private-sector actors, government and relevant national institutions is desirable.
• Experience in stakeholder mapping, multi-stakeholder consultations, cleantech innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, incubation, acceleration, research commercialisation or links between enterprises and finance partners is desirable.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Ability to demonstrate UNIDO’s values of excellence, integrity, inclusion, humility and humanity, together with collaboration, evidence-based planning, delivery of results, continuous learning and adaptability.

Assignment details

Grade: ISA-NOC. Category: National Consultant. Contract duration: 108 working days over the contract period.