Hydrogen Specialist, Kingston

## Hydrogen Specialist, Kingston - Organization:UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme Description of assignment title:Hydrogen Specialist Assignment country:Panama Duty stations:Kingston Expected start date:10/01/2026 Duration:3 monthsShort-term benefits and allowances Sustainable Development Goal:13. Climate action Volunteer category:Specialist UCoS from Apr2026 Work schedule:Full-time Number of Assignments:1 Mission and objectives: - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading environmental authority in the United Nations system. UNEP uses its expertise to strengthen environmental standards and practices while helping implement environmental obligations at the country, regional and global levels. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. - The green hydrogen generation technical potential in Latin America and the Caribbean is significant, estimated at 1,114 EJ of green hydrogen produced at a cost under USD 1.5/kg by 2050. Therefore, green hydrogen can be produced using the clean and renewable energy sources available in the region. Beyond the potential for its production, using hydrogen as an energy source can also result in a myriad of benefits for the region. The transport sector is the highest consumer of fossil fuels and the leading source of fossil-fuel-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions (15% of all regional GHG emissions in 2018). Diesel and gasoline are the main fuels used in transport, accounting for 83% of the total energy use. Hydrogen can be used for all transportation electrification, fuel cell electric cars, trucks, buses, forklifts, ferries and ships, and aircraft. Globally, some 8,000 fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) were sold in 2020. - The project "Advancing a Regional Approach to the Green Hydrogen Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean" aims to create the right conditions to promote the hydrogen economy through the exchange of experiences at a regional level, ending with the preparation of i) national strategic planning and ii) funding proposals that could be submitted to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other international financial sources. This project is being implemented in 7 countries in parallel. In this sense, it is required to hire a Hydrogen Specialist for Jamaica to develop the results, as explained below. This assignment is remote. The UNV will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation - Climate Change Division of Jamaica. The UNV will be supervised by the UNEP Programme Management Officer for Energy Efficiency for Latin America and the Caribbean. - This assignment aims to contribute to the implementation of the GCF Readiness project "Advancing a Regional Approach to the Green Hydrogen Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean" for Jamaica, by contributing to the creation of an interinstitutional working group to foster enabling conditions for a robust ecosystem of green hydrogen in the country. - Under the direct supervision of UNEP’s Programme Management Officer for Energy Efficiency of the Climate Change Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean Office, the UNV shall perform the following activities: - • Create, promote and maintain relationships with the national public, private and civil society actors for their involvement in the project. Actively seek feedback from all sectors on the proposals to be created. - • Organise the logistics and content of the meetings, with special attention to the appropriate involvement of all participants, considering the final objective of developing the strategic action plan on enabling regulations for green hydrogen derivatives and synthetic fuels. - • Attend to the needs of the national authorities and provide technical advice when required, ensuring their active involvement in the project. - • Attend meetings, calls, and guidelines provided by the Project Manager, the National Designated Authority (NDA) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation - Climate Change Division of Jamaica and the project's regional coordination team. - • Attend and collaborate with the coordination process for the strengthening of civil society and private sector initiatives. - • Encourage the participation and exchange of experiences and knowledge of government authorities, civil society and the private sector, promoting leadership on issues in which they have progress. - • Any other task required by the supervisor. - • The UNV will support the planning, organization, and facilitation of at least three meetings of the National Inter-Institutional Working Group on Green Hydrogen and other key stakeholders, preparing the necessary agendas, presentations, background documents, and other supporting materials. - • The UNV will coordinate with participating institutions to encourage active engagement and collaboration, document meeting discussions and agreed actions, maintain records of supporting materials and evidence, and contribute to the development and refinement of the Strategic Action Plan by compiling stakeholder inputs and supporting follow-up actions. - • Throughout the assignment, the UNV will provide regular updates to UNEP and contribute to project monitoring and reporting, thereby supporting the achievement of Output 1 of the GCF Readiness Project by strengthening national coordination, institutional collaboration, and stakeholder engagement for the development of Jamaica's green hydrogen sector. Output 1. Relevant country stakeholders have established adequate capacity, systems and networks to collaborate in the planning, programming and implementation of GCF-funded activities (outcome 1.3). Activity 1.1 (1.3.A.2). Conduct stakeholder engagement activities in the country to develop a strategic action plan for the national inter-institutional working groups. Activity 1.1.1. Plan and deliver at least three meetings for the agreement on the strategic action plan for green hydrogen by preparing the necessary support documents and engaging with all relevant actors. - There are no nationality requirements for remote assignments. Successful candidates will need to provide proof of citizenship, residency and/or right to work in their remote work location. In the case of refugees, candidates need to provide proof of their protected status in the country. Proof of address will also be required. Assignment requirements - English, Level: Fluent, Required - Spanish, Level: Fluent, Desirable Required education level: - Bachelor's degree in engineering, public policy, economics, energy, transport, urban planning, or a closely related field is required. Competencies and values: - • Planning and Organizing Skills and experience: - • Five (5) years of relevant work experience related to energy, transport, climate change, environmental policy and/or infrastructure projects or policies is required. - • International experience working and collaborating in the energy or transport sectors is desirable. - • Experience in renewable energy or decarbonization projects in Latin America and the Caribbean is desirable. - • Experience in the public sector is desirable. - • Knowledge of green hydrogen is desirable. The assignment will be carried out entirely remotely from the volunteer’s place of residence in Kingston, Jamaica. To be eligible for consideration in the selection process, candidates must be Jamaican nationals or foreign nationals holding valid residency status in Jamaica at the time of application. Area(s) of expertise: - Energy, Natural resources management, Climate change, environment