Result of Service

Deliverable 1: Inception report and workplan Deliverable 2: Draft national mapping and diagnostic assessment report Deliverable 3: Final national mapping and diagnostic assessment

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

2 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background The project “Policies for inclusive and digitalized power grids in countries with special needs in the ECE, ESCWA, and ESCAP regions” aims to strengthen national capacities to develop digital governance policies for the planning and management of integrated, resilient and inclusive power systems. The United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), a regional arm of the United Nations, spearheads this effort in collaboration with UNECE, and ESCAP. ESCWA’s mandate is to foster economic integration, promote sustainable development, and provide policy guidance and technical expertise across its member States. The project foresees the preparation of national mapping and diagnostic assessments, contribution materials and related analytical inputs to support the development of harmonized approaches for digital governance of power grids, including the integration of decentralized energy resources, interoperability with legacy systems, data governance, cyber resilience, and institutional coordination. Within this framework, ESCWA will commission a consultant to prepare an inception report and workplan, conduct a national mapping and diagnostic assessment of Iraq’s power-sector digitalization landscape, and prepare national inputs and contribution materials for relevant project activities. Objective The objective of this consultancy is to develop a clear, evidence-based assessment of Iraq’s power-sector digitalization landscape that supports ESCWA and national stakeholders in identifying priorities for more integrated, resilient and digitally enabled power grids. The consultancy will support ESCWA by:

Assessing the current status of power-sector digitalization in Iraq, including existing digital systems, institutional arrangements, data governance practices, cybersecurity measures and ongoing grid modernization initiatives.
Identifying key policy, regulatory, institutional, technical and capacity gaps affecting the use of digital tools for grid planning, operation, renewable energy integration, system reliability and demand-side management.
Providing practical, policy-oriented recommendations to inform subsequent project activities, capacity-building efforts and the development of harmonized approaches for digital governance of power grids. Duties and responsibilities Under the overall supervision of the Cluster Lead and direct guidance of Chief of the Energy Section and the Project Coordinator, at the Climate Change and Natural Resources Sustainability Cluster, the Expert will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Desk research, stakeholder mapping and inception planning
Review relevant national strategies, laws, regulations, policies and technical documents related to Iraq’s electricity sector, renewable energy integration, smart grids, digital transformation, data governance and cybersecurity.
Review relevant project documents, ESCWA guidance and international best practices on power-sector digitalization and digital governance in the energy sector.
Prepare an inception report and workplan, based on the provided template, outlining the methodology, stakeholder engagement approach, data needs, timeline and expected inputs from national counterparts. 2. National mapping and diagnostic assessment
Conduct a template-based mapping and diagnostic assessment of Iraq’s power-sector digitalization landscape, drawing on desk review, consultations and available data.
Assess key digital systems, initiatives and governance arrangements, including SCADA, energy management systems, smart metering, data platforms, cyber-resilience, institutional mandates and coordination mechanisms.
Identify priority gaps, opportunities and actionable recommendations to inform subsequent project activities, capacity-building materials and policy discussions. 3. Supporting regional and international project activities
Prepare a slide deck, speaking notes and supporting materials for (virtual or in person) participation in the project’s inaugural meeting, to be held within the framework of IFESD.
Revise and finalize the national mapping and diagnostic assessment, incorporating relevant feedback, lessons learned, good practices and insights emerging from the forum, as well as comments received from ESCWA and relevant national counterparts.
Prepare a short feedback note after IFESD capturing key messages, lessons and implications for Iraq’s power-sector digitalization priorities. 4. Validation, coordination and revisions
Coordinate with ESCWA on stakeholder outreach and validation, noting that ESCWA will lead formal communications with national counterparts as appropriate.
Support consultations with relevant Iraqi institutions, including the Ministry of Electricity, to validate findings and refine recommendations.
Revise all deliverables based on comments from ESCWA, national counterparts and relevant project partners, ensuring that outputs are clear, evidence-based and submitted in editable formats.

Qualifications/special skills

A master’s degree in energy policy, electrical engineering, power systems, economics, public policy, digital transformation, data governance, cybersecurity, or a related field is required. Note: All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. At least 7 years of relevant professional experience in electricity-sector policy, power-system planning or operation, smart grids, energy-sector digitalization, and/or data governance, cybersecurity, renewable energy integration, electricity regulation, or related areas is required. Experience in Iraq’s electricity sector, including work with government institutions, regulators, utilities or development partners, is required. Experience in stakeholder engagement, consultation processes, and delivery of high-quality outputs under tight timelines is required. Familiarity with SCADA, EMS, smart metering, renewable energy forecasting, data interoperability, cybersecurity and digital governance in the energy sector is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required. Note: "Fluency" equals a rating of 'fluent' in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of 'confident' in two of the four areas.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Expert on Iraq’s Digital Governance for Integrated and Smart Power Grids