Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a leading organization for sustainable development within the UN system, acting as an integrator to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP's policy work spans from local to global levels, supported by its Global Policy Network (GPN), which brings together technical expertise across various domains to support the organization's strategic goals. The 2022-2025 Strategic Plan emphasizes UNDP's commitment to eradicating poverty, supporting countries in their SDG pathways, and advancing the Paris Agreement. Within the Global Policy Network, the Nature, Climate Change, Energy, and Waste (NCE&W) Hubs focus on integrated governance approaches and nature-based solutions to reduce poverty, strengthen livelihoods, mitigate conflict, and promote resilient governance systems.ย
Biodiversity finance tools have become crucial for achieving biodiversity and sustainable development goals. Effective finance solutions can help countries meet national and global biodiversity targets. Biodiversity Finance Plans, supported by the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)ย www.biofin.org, are recognized as essential tools for addressing the biodiversity finance gap. The Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022, includes targets for resource mobilization and national biodiversity finance plans. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has created a program to help countries design national Biodiversity Finance Plans. These plans involve analyzing a country's economy, mapping existing financing mechanisms, identifying harmful subsidies, and assessing public and private expenditures for biodiversity. The plans aim to increase funding, phase out harmful finance flows, and improve expenditure effectiveness. The program also facilitates knowledge sharing and provides technical support to country teams.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Biodiversity Project Lead & Finance Specialist will oversee and manage all in-country activities, ensuring the development and implementation of a comprehensive work plan and budget within established timelines. This role requires leading an effective national team and fostering strong partnerships. The Project Lead will collaborate closely with the technical team, including an Environmental Policy Expert, a Biodiversity Finance Specialist, and a Project Support Associate, to establish and maintain implementation mechanisms and technical working groups. They will ensure that all planned workshops, technical studies, and other activities are organized promptly and meet the expected quality standards.ย
The Biodiversity Project Lead & Finance Specialist is expected to bring senior-level experience and substantial technical expertise to ensure the horizontal integration and consistency of workstreams and studies. They will provide advisory services and quality assurance for national products and processes throughout the project's duration. Responsibilities include contributing to the production of the Policy and Institutional Review, the Biodiversity Expenditure Review, and the Financial Needs Assessment. Additionally, the Project Lead will lead the preparation of the Biodiversity Finance Plan and oversee the identification and implementation of finance solutions as needed.
The Biodiversity Project Lead & Finance Specialist will also be responsible for outreach activities to national stakeholders (government, donor delegations, academia, etc.) and relevant international stakeholders. This includes preparing synthesis reports, policy briefs, press releases, and briefing notes for the government, UNDP, and other entities.
Key duties and responsibilities:
Provide strategic technical direction and leadership.ย
In consultation with the UNDP Country Office andย Global Project Management and Technical Support Unit (GPMTSU).ย elaborate/revise the work plan and budget and submit draft workplans/budgets timely; Supervise the work of national experts and institutions to ensure outputs are delivered on time, within the set budget, and to high quality standards; facilitate, guide and monitor the work of the national team; Oversee the work of the Project Support Associate to ensure administrative requirements and budgets are managed and executed in a timely and appropriate manner and within UNDP and donor rules and regulations; Organize all relevant project workshops in a consultative manner, involving a wide variety of biodiversity finance stakeholders, including the government, private sector, NGOs, donors and academia;ย Discuss with the Ministries of Finance, Environment and other key stakeholders the establishment of a national Steering Committee and follow up on the formal establishment and regular convening of the Committee and develop meeting reports to be shared with Steering Committee, the UNDP CO and GPMTSU;ย Maintain regular communication with Ministries of Environment and Finance for the development and completion of all reports and products; Liaise the project processes and products with relevant national planning biodiversity and finance relevant processes, such as NBSAP updates and Global Biodiversity Framework implementation; Ensure a timely identification of risks in implementation at the national level and communication to the GPMTSU; Organize regular meetings of the national team and monthly calls with the Technical Advisor from the GPMTSU; Ensure participation of national team members in regional technical calls;ย Participate in regional and global meeting organized by the GPMTSU.Provision of top-level technical advisory
Act as principal technical contact for the project implementation with GPMTSU with regards to all questions and issues that arise during national implementation;ย Leverage balanced experience to advance our tripartite stakeholder approach, ensuring effective collaboration and communication across financial, public, and private sector; Provide key technical leadership on all finance issues and assure horizontal integration and consistency of workstreams/studies; Provide overall guidance and quality control for the four main deliverables of the project and provide technical support to the national project team to complete all the deliverables of the BIOFIN methodology, in a consistent and high-quality manner;ย Ensure drafts of all work are sent to the global Technical Advisor and GPMTSU regularly to provide backstopping and assure feedback is adequately integrated into national reports; Research and write the sections on subsidies and financing incentives in the PIR according to the guidance provided by the GPMTSU and written guidance documents (especially the BIOFIN Workbook);ย Provide technical support for the data collection, analysis, and conclusions of the BER; Support the data collection, modelling, quality checking, and validation of the FNA.Lead reporting, communication, and monitoring and evaluation for the project.
Signal any delays in national deliverables compared to the workplan to the UNDP Country Office and the GPMTSU;ย Lead project monitoring, reporting and evaluation at national level, draft monthly and quarterly reports for review by the lead expert and submission to the global BIOFIN team;ย Coordinate the development of workshop reports for the inception workshop and all technical workshops;ย Review all technical reports as required;ย Ensure alignment of national work with global methodologies such as the BIOFIN workbook and others;ย Liaise with relevant initiatives and programmes in UNDP and other organizations in support of the execution of the project, including BIOFIN, the NBSAP support programme; the GEF 7 Early Action Support Programme, the Nature Hub, and other organizations and initiatives;ย Review the final reports of the national Policy and Institutional Review, Biodiversity expenditure Review, Financial Needs Assessment and Biodiversity Finance plan; Develop with the collaboration of the rest of the team members, of at least one brief overview publication per year, press releases, and web and media products.Support strategic partnership building and resource mobilization
Establish and maintain a strategic understanding of and engagement with all the relevant institutions, including establishing contact and developing strategic partnerships with other UN agencies, government institutions, donors, NGOs, IFIs, the private sector, academia, civil society and other stakeholders and beneficiaries at the national, regional, and local levels; Participate in meetings with donors, prepare and deliver presentations of project results, and follow up with relevant counterparts if requested by the supervisor; Implement resource mobilization strategies to achieve project outcomes that include facilitating liaisons with potential financing agencies and institutions to strengthen relationships and raise funds;ย Identify new funding opportunities for furthering the project ideas.Contribute to knowledge management and information sharingย
Organize training for the project personnel to enhance their capacities in the technical matters of the thematic area of the project; Identify, evaluate, synthesize, and document lessons learned and best practices directly linked to the project goals and activities; ย Develop knowledge sharing materials and respond to related queries; Contribute substantively to knowledge networks and communities of practice within the thematic area of the project.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangement
At the global level, this global umbrella programme will be supported by a Global Project Management and Technical Support Unit (GPMTSU). At the national level, the project will be implemented through a National Project Management Unit (NPMU), led by a full-time dedicated Project Lead/Sustainable Finance Specialist, supported by a Finance Analyst a ย Project Associate, and a consultant, such as an Environmental Policy consultant, and others, as needed. The NPMU should be co-located with appropriate government agency(ies) in principle working side by side with government staff. A dedicated technical advisor by GPMTSU will be available to support each countryโs work. Similar to the global level, the Project Lead is the senior most representative of the NPMU and is responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the project onย behalf of the Implementing Partner, including the mobilization of all project inputs, supervision over project staff, responsible parties, consultants, and sub-contractors. The Project Lead typically presents key deliverables and documents to the appropriate national governance mechanism and to the GPMTSU for their review and approval, including progress reports, annual work plans, adjustments to tolerance levels and risk registers.ย
Competencies
Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impactย
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problemsย
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demandsย
Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaborationย
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
2030 Agenda: Planetย ย ย ย
Natureย Ecosystems and biodiversity: Biodiversity FinanceBusiness Direction and Strategy: System Thinking ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
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 systemBusiness Managementย : Partnership Management
Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civilsociety and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
Partnership: Private sector resource mobilization
Ability to identify, develop and manage partnerships that leverage private sector technical expertise and resources.ย Ability to identify, develop and manage partnerships that leverage private sector technical expertise and resourcesGeneral (across the functions)ย Project Management ย ย ย
Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goalsFinance: Financial Planning and Budgeting
Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP's long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and reporting.Procurement: Procurement Management ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external sourceRequired Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (A masterโs degree or equivalent) in Environmental Finance, Development Finance or Environmental Economics with Public Finance Expertise or a closely related field is required. Or A first-level university degree (bachelorโs degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
Minimum of 5 yearsโ (with mastersโ degree) or 7 years (with bachelorโs degree) of professional experience at the national or international level in the implementation of environment/biodiversity/finance projects is required;Required Skills
Experience in gathering and processing data and information;ย Proven track record of use of key software packages (MS Office).Desired Skills
Prior experience with UNDP project management would be an asset;ย Demonstrated experience in applying environmental or biodiversity related policies is highly desirable; Experience in managing work teams and supervising technical assessments, reports and technical documents is desirable;ย Comprehensive experience and knowledge of financial sector operations and capital/financial instruments is an advantage;ย Experience in advancing aย tripartite stakeholder approach, with a focus on financial, public, and private sectors is desirable.Required Languages:
Fluency in English and in one of the local languages (Mandinka, Fula, Wolof)ย is required.Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.ย
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.ย
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.ย We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
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