The Green Climate Fund (GCF)โa critical element of the historic Paris Agreementโis the worldโs largest climate fund mandated to support low-emission, climate-resilient development pathways. As an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), GCF contributes to the goal of keeping an average global temperature rise well below two degrees Celsius.
The Fund seeks to engage a Partnerships and Access Consultant to provide services for an initial 150 days over a 10 month period. While parts of the assignment may be able to be performed remotely, it is expected that due to the nature of this assignment at least 8 weeks within the 10 months will be spent in person with the team at GCF headquarters in Songdo, Republic of Korea.
Role
The Partnerships and Access Consultant will report to the Head of Policy and Strategy in the Office of the Executive Director. S/he will be responsible for preparing specific deliverables related to the development of a Partnerships and Access Strategy for consideration at the GCF Boardโs thirty-ninth meeting (B.39; July 2024), and related implementation tasks through to the Boardโs 40th meeting (B.40, October 2024).
Duties and responsibilities
Under the guidance of the Head of Policy and Strategy, and working closely with the Division of Country Programming and other teams across the Secretariat, the Partnerships and Access Consultant will:
โข Undertake diagnosis of GCFโs current partnerships structures, identifying the different categories of partnerships (eg national designated authorities/country focal points, accredited entities, executing entities, delivery partners, contributors, co-investors, knowledge partners etc), their purpose, the respective roles of GCF and its partners, required capacities and accountabilities, and associated modalities and arrangements; this may include semi-structured interviews and/or focus group discussions with both internal and external stakeholders;
โข Coordinate and facilitate discussions within the Secretariat to interrogate the current partnerships approach and its underlying assumptions, identifying known challenges, gaps and opportunities for improvement; and prepare summaries of findings;
โข Develop options, in close consultation with colleagues across the Secretariat and drawing on approaches of other institutions as relevant, for defining a partnerships model consistent with the Fundโs Governing Instrument, and that is responsive to GCF strategy, programming directions and fit for the Fundโs current state of maturity; and that also considers potential for regional presence;
โข Prepare assessments of the feasibility of implementing different partnership model options, considering inter alia pros, cons, trade-offs, alignment of incentives, policy and resourcing implications;
โข Design and support consultations with a range of stakeholders, including developing countries, accredited entities, and Board members and advisers;
โข Draft documents to support consultation with stakeholders and the Board, as well as a strategy document to be published for the Boardโs consideration at B.39;
โข Engage closely with collaborators across the Secretariat on iterative drafts of analysis and deliverables, including presentation and discussion with the Senior Management Team;
โข Develop an implementation plan for the Partnerships and Access strategy, including identifying policy changes required to implement the proposed approach;
โข Develop communications materials and guidance related to the implementation of the Partnerships and Access strategy and other related strategies (e.g. Accreditation Strategy), for example, guidance on the various types of partnerships that can be built with GCF; on GCF programming directions; and/or on the programming development and implementation competencies and capacities relevant to programming with GCF; and on building or strengthening capacities of relevant GCF partners.
Required experience and qualifications
โข A Master's (preferred) or Bachelor's degree in business administration, international relations, public policy, economics, law or a related field;
โข At least 13 years relevant work experience (with Masters degree) or 15 years of experience (with Bachelors degree), including proven expertise in institutional policy frameworks and partnership approaches for international organizations;
โข Knowledge of climate finance, and climate change / green growth / development policies and projects; and solid understanding of GCFโs mandate, business model and partnership approaches;
โข Strong track record developing analytical work and drafting strategies and/or policies;
โข Strong track record of facilitating consultations, both within an organization and with external stakeholders;
โข A collaborator with sound oral and written communication skills, organizational and planning skills, and ability to deliver outputs on time to strict deadlines;
โข Fluency in English is essential; knowledge of other UN languages an advantage;
โข Presence in South Korea is a plus.
โข The closing date for applications is 06 February 2024, 23:59 (KST). Application received after the closing date may not be considered.
โข Applications from women and nationals of developing countries are strongly encouraged.