Green Transportation Analyst, Short-term contract

On 23rd of June 2022, the European Council granted the Republic of Moldova the status of EU candidate country which is a substantial achievement, but which comes with great responsibilities and obligations. One of such obligations is the “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity” which includes Chapters of the environment and climate change acquis. In this sense, meaningful reform is expected in view of European Green Deal targets. 
UNDP Moldova takes due account of this endeavor and work towards putting in place the enabling conditions for a green transformation in Moldova through a combination of cross-sectorial decision-making in joint stakeholder platforms, capacity building measures, general education and awareness raising, dissemination of best policy practices, information sharing and networking, as well as pilot-testing green-transition related solutions and other activities, to ensure that the green transition concept is well understood and implemented.
The established enabling conditions and the investments into green-transition solutions will respond to the key development challenges that the country is currently dealing with such as climate change, environmental pollution, and the energy crisis.
It is well acknowledged that Moldova is highly vulnerable to climate change, given the limited resources and institutional capacities to address the climate change impacts. It is also due to the heavy reliance on the agricultural sector, water scarcity and other geographical factors. Currently the country is advancing with the national adaptation planning, including in the agricultural sector, aimed at putting in place proper intuitional, technical, and budgeting capacities in the context of climate change, however significant gaps remain in embarking of the sectors into achievement of the long-term adaptation targets.   
Environmental degradation is also posing a major threat to Moldova’s development agenda as its economy relies greatly on natural resources which leads to their overexploitation and pollution. Inadequate waste management practices and outdated practices and technologies in the key sectors of the economy also contribute to environmental degradation and pollution. Mainstreaming of the green agenda into the country’s economic activities is taking place slowly. 
Moldova is in line with the global trend of continuously growing urbanization, with the proportion of the population living in urban areas expected to rise from 47% in 2010 to 60% in 2030 (UN Habitat). Cities are increasingly and significantly contributing to the main drivers of global environmental degradation. The municipalities have the greatest impact on air quality and are responsible for more than 50% of total air pollution in Moldova. 
From energy security perspective – Moldova is highly dependent on imported energy sources and rely mostly on the use of fossil fuels. In addition, inefficient energy supply and consumption across all sectors exacerbates the situation. Until recently being 100% dependent on Russian gas import, the country is actively seeking diversification of energy supplies after the war of aggression in Ukraine. Improvements both in energy efficiency and in the development of domestic resources – including renewable energy resources – for strengthened sustainability, competitiveness, and energy security rank high on the political agenda. The energy sector is also the main source of GHG emissions in the country.
In 2022, the European Council bestowed EU candidate status upon Moldova, signaling a pivotal juncture in EU-Moldova relations. This milestone underscores the need for closer alignment of Moldova’s national legislation with EU regulations. As Moldova embarks on its journey toward EU accession, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assumes a critical role in supporting the Moldovan government.
In a decisive move, the Moldovan government approved the National Action Plan for Moldova’s EU accession for the period 2024-2027 through Government Decision No. 829/2023 (HG829/2023). This comprehensive plan outlines strategic objectives, policy reforms, and institutional enhancements necessary to meet EU standards. UNDP actively collaborates with Moldovan authorities to ensure the effective implementation of this ambitious roadmap.
In December 2023, the European Council took a momentous step by initiating negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the EU. These bilateral discussions will shape the future of Moldova’s integration process. UNDP recognizes the significance of these negotiations and stands ready to provide invaluable support.
One of the project focuses is the transport sector and it aims at supporting the policy planning frameworks to promote sustainable and inclusive urban mobility. 
The evaluation of the implementation results of the Transport and Logistics Strategy for 2013-2022, approved by Government Decision No. 827/2013, revealed numerous systemic deficiencies in the development of the transport system. Recent regional and global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the security crisis in the region triggered by the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, have posed a serious stress test for the transport system. This has been particularly evident through the energy system shortages, the blockade of Black Sea ports, and the pressure created by the transit of goods to and from Europe, as well as the movement of displaced persons.
The key challenges in the transport sector that require urgent and decisive responses from Government side are the following: 
•     Challenges related to connectivity with neighboring countries. 
•     Challenges regarding transport infrastructure. 
•     Challenges regarding human capacities. 
•     Challenges related to the environmental pollution and GHG emissions.
•     Challenges regarding digitalization of the sector.
•     Logistics Challenges.
•     Public Transport Network Challenges.
•     Road Safety Challenges.
•     Challenges in Transposing the EU Acquis in the Transport Sector into National Legislation.
The above provides an overview of the challenges that Moldova is facing in the transport sectors were addressed within its new Mobility Strategy 2030, approved in 2024. 
The Green Transition project's interventions in the area of green transportation and green mobility aim to significantly enhance Moldova's capacity to transition towards a more sustainable and efficient transportation system. The project recognizes that transportation plays a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving overall energy efficiency.
Under the project, one of the key activities involves developing a policy planning framework to promote sustainable and inclusive urban mobility. This will contribute to the overall green transition by aligning the country's transportation policies with environmentally friendly goals. These will provide innovative solutions to support the transition to greener transportation systems, considering Moldova’s socio-economic conditions, and the government's green economy aspirations.
The project also targets the development of sustainable mobility and transportation systems as part of a broader pipeline of projects under Moldova's Green Economy Programme. The focus here will be on promoting energy- and resource-efficiency through transport systems, integrating them into Moldova's green transition framework, and addressing urban mobility challenges.
Alongside this, the project will support the EU accession process by providing consultancy for the alignment of national legislation with EU directives and regulations. This effort will facilitate Moldova’s integration into the European framework and enhance its compliance with international standards. Currently, the country is engaged in the RM-EU bilateral screening process, during which further legal transposition requirements will be established, ensuring a comprehensive approach to meeting EU standards in the field.
Additionally, it sets the groundwork for pilot initiatives in greener transportation. These initiatives, supported by feasibility studies and stakeholder consultations, will help to create the necessary conditions to implement innovative, eco-friendly transport solutions that align with Moldova's long-term green transformation goals.
Among others, the project will pilot innovative sustainable mobility solutions aligned with Moldova’s National Mobility Programme and Action Plan. The activities will include testing intelligent transport systems, incentivizing the renewal of vehicle fleets, and exploring the development of biofuels. These measures are intended to reduce emissions and enhance mobility within urban areas.
By integrating these interventions, the project will facilitate a transformative shift towards greener transportation and mobility solutions in Moldova, ultimately contributing to the country’s sustainability and climate change mitigation goals.

Scope of Work

The Green Transportation Analyst on Green Transition’s primary responsibility is to assist Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development (MIRD) in planning and executing its green transportation-related agenda, with a particular focus on assisting MIRD in effective implementation of the EU accession process.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Green Transition Policy and Legal Development Manager, in close coordination with the Project Manager and UNDP Climate Change, Environment and Energy (EECC) Cluster representative, and in collaboration with other team members, including the International Transport Policy Specialist, the Transport Analyst on Green Transition’s will conduct and implement the following tasks (but not limited to):

1. Legislative Analysis and Alignment
-    Conduct an in-depth analysis of the current legislation in the transport sector, with a particular focus on green transportation and sustainable mobility commitments and laws that need to be developed.
-    Evaluate the extent to which local legislation aligns with Regulation (EC) 1370/2007. Identify if there is a need to supplement or amend the existing legislation to support green transportation goals. Develop the legal acts required for alignment of the national legislation with Regulation (EC) 1370/2007.
-    Review local public procurement legislation concerning the awarding of Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts, ensuring alignment with green transport initiatives.
-    Identify other relevant legislation for PSO contracts, including traffic safety regulations, and determine any necessary amendments.
-    Analyze funding mechanisms in the transport sector, identifying legislative and institutional gaps that hinder financing for green transportation initiatives.
-    Propose and develop specific legal acts identified as result of the above-mentioned reviews/evaluations, thus ensuring alignment with green transport initiatives. 
2. Support the Policy Development Process
-    Evaluate the existing transport policy framework to determine the extent to which green transportation is incorporated, and provide recommendations for enhancing policy planning in this area. 
-    As result, propose and develop a  Roadmap for Green Transportation that outlines the policy, legislative, institutional, and regulatory support needed for the transition to green transport. 
-    Provide guidance on modernizing the transportation system, with a focus on decarbonization, the adoption of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), and the integration of digital and data-driven policy approaches to enhance efficiency and sustainability, in line with he EU best practices. 
-    Advise on the development and promotion of the multi-modal transportation systems, ensuring seamless connectivity between different transport modes, while leveraging digital innovation and sustainable urban mobility solutions to improve accessibility and reduce environmental impact, in line with the EU best practices. 
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3. Public Service Obligations (PSO) and Procurement
-    In collaboration with the International Transport Policy Expert, design a comprehensive Public Service Obligation (PSO) model that balances concessioning profitable routes with subsidizing less profitable ones, ensuring equitable and efficient public transport services across the country.
-    Assist the Ministry in conducting a comprehensive analysis of existing public transport routes, assessing their performance, coverage, and financial viability.
-    Support the development of a Pilot Project on the elaboration of Public Service Obligations (PSO) in the transport sector.
-    Determine the necessary licensing procedures for bus operators in line with green transportation standards.
-    Identify and outline relevant technical regulations related to the conformity assessment of buses to meet green transportation requirements.
4. Institutional and Stakeholder Coordination
-    Facilitate cooperation between the MIDR, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization on the topic of green transition.
-    Actively participate and provide inputs in the Working Group on Green Economy and Sustainable Development to promote institutional support for green transportation.
-    Conduct donor mapping in the green transportation sector to identify funding opportunities, key actors, and ongoing initiatives.
-    Support in building synergies among government institutions, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to enhance coordination and maximize impact.
-    Develop a repository of transport related initiatives to track donor-funded interventions and national programs, ensuring complementarity and efficiency.
-    Support in advocating for investments in smart and sustainable infrastructure, including energy-efficient transport networks. 
-    Support in identifying programmatic entry points in the green transportation area for further resource mobilization. 
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5. Contribute to the operational processes
-    Provide on-demand consultation to the project team on sectoral transport issues to ensure alignment with green transition objectives. Prepare relevant briefs, policy papers, etc and contribute to concept notes and project proposals.  Assisting in the development of Terms of Reference (ToR) for studies, experts, pilot initiatives etc.
-    Supporting evaluation procedures.
-    Lead the implementation of the identified pilot projects.

By fulfilling these responsibilities, the Green Transportation Analyst will play a critical role in ensuring that the Green Transition Project actively support Moldova in advancing the green transportation related agenda.

Key Results:

The key results have a direct impact on the overall successful achievement of the green development agenda and to deliver transformative reforms as part of the EU candidacy effort. Accurate analysis and presentation of information enhances UNDP’s position as a strong development partner. The information provided facilitates decision-making of the Project Board, the Beneficiary and UNDP management. 
    
Institutional Arrangement

The Green Transportation Analyst will work under the supervision of the Policy and Legal Development Manager and the Project Manager and will ensure the provision of development services and products commensurate with the scope of the Programme and assigned area of responsibility of the highest quality and standards to national and local counterparts and clients through applying HRBA and GE approaches.

The Green Transportation Analyst will work in close cooperation with the Green Transition project team for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex project/project-related issues and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

Core Competencies

Achieve Results:    LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work

Think Innovatively:    LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking

Learn Continuously:    LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning

Adapt with Agility:    LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process

Act with Determination:     LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously

Engage and Partner:    LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:    LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Business Management  - Project Management

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

  Business Direction & Strategy - System 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 - Communication    

    • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
      Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

      Business Management - Monitoring&Evaluation    

      • Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
         

        Business Management - Working with Evidence and Data

        • Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making
           

          Business Management - Customer Satisfaction/Client Management 

          • Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. 
            Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests.
            Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

            Required Skills and Experience

            Min. Academic Education    

            •    Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in environment/climate science, transport, legal, public administration other closely related fields is required, or 
            •     A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master`s degree.
             

            Experience:    

            •     A minimum of 2 years (with a master’s degree) or 4 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressively acquired experience in implementing transport policies, public administration, capacity building, institutional and/or legal development or other areas relevant to the assignment.
            •     Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.

            Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:
            •     Previous experience in development assistance or related work for NGOs, academia, a donor organization, development partners, UN Agencies is an asset.
            •     Previous experience of working with Ministry of Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Ministry of Environment and or Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization
            •     Previous experience in promotion of green transition and green economy in the context of institutional development and capacity building
            •     Prior experience with UNDP consultancy and/or project implementation;
            •     Familiarity with EU transport regulations and green transition policies is an asset.
            •     Demonstrated specialized professional experience in engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, including public, private, local public authorities (LPAs), central public authorities, mass media, etc., in the context of institutional development and capacity building
            •     Previous experience in development assistance or related work for NGOs, academia, a donor organization, development partners, UN Agencies is an asset
            •     Ability to deal with people with tact and diplomacy;
            •     Ability to achieve results and deadlines in a timely manner, maintaining a high standard throughout.

            Required Language(s)   

            •     Fluency in English, Romanian and Russian.
            •     Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language is an asset.
             

            Professional Certificates:    

          • Additional training and certification in project management and/or business administration would be an advantage.