Sustainable Finance Project Specialist

undp - Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe | 2024-09-30 23:33:21

 
 
Background

 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.  
 
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
  • UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in UNDP’s Strategic Plan. 
  • UNDP`s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan highlights our continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries in their pathways towards the SDGs and working towards the Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP`s Nature, Climate Change, Energy, and Waste (NCE&W) Hubs promote and scale up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.
  • In recent decades, biodiversity finance tools and solutions have demonstrated their importance for achieving biodiversity goals and broader sustainable development objectives. Improved choice, design and implementation of effective, well-tailored finance solutions will strengthen countries’ chances of achieving national and global biodiversity targets. Biodiversity Finance Plans have become increasingly recognised as a relevant tool to help countries to identify and fill the biodiversity finance gap, including through the work of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative www.biofin.org. In December 2022, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework. This included numerous targets with relevance for financing. Target 19 on resource mobilisation includes reference for countries to design and implement national biodiversity finance plans. 
  • The GEF created a global programme to support countries to design a national Biodiversity Finance Plan. A Biodiversity Finance Plan includes a systems analysis of a country`s economy including to map existing financing mechanisms, subsidies with potential harmful impacts on nature, drivers of biodiversity loss and gain, public and private expenditures committed towards biodiversity objectives and a country`s national financial needs for biodiversity. The biodiversity finance plan itself consists of a series of actions with the aim to significantly scale up available funding, green or phase out harmful finance flows and improve the effectiveness of available expenditures. The programme allows for active sharing of experiences across countries and includes a knowledge sharing platform and the provision of continuous technical support to country teams.
  • The implementation of the project in São Tomé and Príncipe falls under the GEF8 Umbrella programme for the development of the first National Biodiversity Finance Plan. The overall implementation of the project will be led by the Project Lead/Senior Finance Specialist with the support of a technical team and in coordination to a government project director and the National Steering Committee. 
  • For the implementation of the GEF8-BFP Umbrella program at the national level, UNDP is recruiting a national team composed of a Senior Finance Specialist (Project Lead), a Project Support Associate, a Policy Expert and a Biodiversity Finance Specialist.

3.    Scope of Work 

The Sustainable Finance Project Specialist (“Project Lead”) will be responsible for the overall supervision and management of in-country activities, ensuring a proper workplan and budget is in place and implemented within set timelines, with an effective national team and strong partnerships. 

Under the supervision of UNDP CESA Portfolio Manager, the Project Lead will work closely with the technical team of an Environmental Policy Expert, a Biodiversity Finance Specialist and a Project Support Associate, to ensure implementation mechanisms and technical working groups are established and meet regularly, that all planned workshops, technical studies and other activities are organised in a timely manner, and that they meet expected quality standards. 

He/she is expected to have senior experience and to provide substantial technical expertise in assuring horizontal integration and consistency of workstreams/studies, as well as advisory services and quality assurance of national products and processes throughout the duration of the national project. He/she will be responsible for relevant sections the production of the Policy and Institutional Review, the Biodiversity Expenditure Review and the Financial Needs Assessment. He/she will also lead the preparation of the Biodiversity Finance Plan and will oversee the identification and implementation of finance solutions as requested. He/she will also specifically be responsible for outreach activities to national (Government, donors` delegation, academia, etc.) and relevant international stakeholders, and the preparation of synthesis reports, policy briefs, press releases and briefing notes for Government, UNDP etc.

Duties and responsibilities:

Project Management

  • Oversee the identification, selection and supervision of national consultants and experts, in close collaboration with the UNDP Country Office, Senior Finance Expert and the Global Project Management and Technical Support Unit (GPMTSU). 
  • Write/revise terms of references for national BIOFIN team members.
  • In consultation with the UNDP Country Office and GPMTSU 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.
  • Organise 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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.
  • Organise 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. 
  • Participate in regional and global meeting organized by the GPMTSU.

Technical Tasks and Responsibilities 

  • Act as principal technical contact for the project implementation with GPMTSU with regards to all questions and issues that arise during national implementation. 
  • 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. Technical support to the national project team to complete all the deliverables of the BIOFIN methodology, in a consistent and high-quality manner. 
  • 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 develop 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) 
  • 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.
  • Develop a Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP) according to the guidance provided by the GPMTSU global BIOFIN team and written guidance documents (especially the BIOFIN Workbook)

Reporting/Communication/M&E

  • Signal any delays in national deliverables compared to the workplan to the UNDP Country Office and the GPMTSU. 
  • 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. 
  • Coordinate the development of workshop reports for the inception workshop and all technical workshops. 
  • Review all technical reports as required. 
  • Ensure alignment of national work with global methodologies such as the BIOFIN workbook and others. 
  • Liaise with relevant initiatives and programs 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. 
  • 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.

4.    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, each country will have, as a requirement and as part of the National Project Management Unit (NPMU), a full-time dedicated Sustainable Finance Project Specialist, a Finance Specialist supported by a part time Project Support Associate, and consultants, such 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. Until dedicated space is made available, the NPMU will seat in UNDP São Tomé and Príncipe’s premises. 

A dedicated technical advisor by GPMTSU will be available to support each country’s 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 on 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. 

Competencies

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Thematic Area

Name

Definition

Business Direction & Strategy

Strategic Thinking

Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions;

 

Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

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

General (across the functions)

Project Management 

Ability to manage projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results

 

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

 

2030 Agenda: Planet

Nature, Climate and Energy

Ecosystems and biodiversity: Biodiversity Finance

Partnerships

Resource mobilization and partnerships

 

Ability to identify, develop and manage partnerships that leverage private and public/donor resources to benefit the same goals of the area of work.

Finance

 

Financial Planning and Budgeting

 

Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning

process, drawing and management of team budgets

 

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

Ability to understand the procedures for the acquisition of goods, services or works from an outside external source

 


 
Required Skills and Experience

 
Education:
  • Advanced university degree (master`s degree or equivalent) in environment, natural resources management, biodiversity, economics, business, finance or related field is required, or 
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:

Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible relevant experience at the national or international level  in project management preferably in the areas of biodiversity/ sustainable finance projects


Experience in managing work teams
Experience in developing, supervising and providing technical backstopping for technical assessments, reports and technical documents. 
Knowledge of key software packages (MS Office)

Knowledge of the BIOFIN methodology
Experience in gathering and processing data and information.
Proven Ability to draft reports for donors/partners
Knowledge in environmental or biodiversity related national policies is highly desirable. 
Experience working/supporting Ministries in biodiversity / sustainable finance projects’ implementation, developing positive work relationship.

Prior experience with UN agencies/projects would be an asset.

Fluency oral and written Portuguese and English

 

Disclaimer
 Please (apply)/(complete the online P11 form) in the language in which the vacancy is published. Applications in another language are discouraged.
Please copies of your diplomes & ID card or passport & work permit for non national
 
Applicant information about UNDP rosters

 
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  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.

 
Non-discrimination

 
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

 
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. NPSA are recruited locally .

 
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