Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

As the largest single operational and financial UN player in the field of environmental sustainability, UNDP is widely recognized as a global leader in supporting governments to sharpen policy, access finance and develop capacity for the management of biodiversity and ecosystems for sustainable development and poverty eradication. UNDP’s work on nature has as an overall strategic objective to maintain and enhance the goods and services provided by biodiversity and ecosystems in order to secure livelihoods, food, water and health, enhance resilience, conserve threatened species and their habitats, and increase carbon storage and sequestration.

UNDP is expanding its efforts to engage private sector in biodiversity financing, contributing to the overall objective of redirecting global finance flows from nature negative to nature positive, as a prerequisite system change for achieving the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among other approaches, it entails work with private sector entities to structure debt instruments and program corresponding revenue stream at country and landscape level, for investment in nature. This work builds on the existing country-driven opportunities but requires professional support with respect to structuring emerging blended finance instruments and supporting country teams in planning bankable conservation portfolios.

Institutional Arrangement

• The incumbent will work from home;
• The incumbent will report to, and be directly supervised by, the Senior Nature Economist;
• The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The incumbent will be responsible for providing her/his own workstation (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

Scope of Work

The Nature Investment Specialist will lead in the construction of transactions that involve blended finance mechanisms (debt, equity, concessional capital), overseeing complex project preparation in multiple countries. The Specialist will work with country offices directing country teams in preparing landscape conservation plans and underlying business and conservation projects. This will include advice on key performance indicators. S/he will be responsible for management and coordination of activities in the assigned subject area, including supervision of assigned staff, reporting to Senior Nature Economist at BPPS. S/he will work closely with UNDP Regional Technical Adivosrs and country teams, as well as, with relevant colleagues from Nature, Climate and Energy Unit (NCE) and UNDP Financial Sector Hub (FSH) ensuring integrated support. The incumbent will contribute to the development of strategies and action plans for UNDP to engage in external partnerships, communications, and resource mobilization in the area of landscape-level nature investment.

The Nature Investment Specialist will be expected to carry out the following tasks:

Innovation, Strategic Leadership, Policy Dialogue and Advocacy (15%)

• Provides strategic leadership for development and implementation of nature investment opportunities in particular countries and landscapes based on fiscal and economic rationale and analysis of conservation threats and strategies.
• Ensures that key decision-making activities, representational functions and major deliverables on the subject matter as planned each year, are coordinated and implemented in a strategic manner.
• Coordinates with other counterparts across UNDP offices, UN entities and groups to ensure effectiveness of collaboration in programming and implementing initiatives on the subject matter.
• Advises UNDP management on nature-related risks and safeguards with respect to UNDP’s own or delegated investment projects, screening on demand relevant investment plans to ensure their net zero or positive nature influence.
• Delivers strategic advice to UNDP country offices on programming opportunities in the area of nature investment.

Partnership Development and Resource Mobilisation (35%)

• Leads on design and implementation of partnerships and resource mobilization in the area of nature investment, based on the principles of landscape-approach and community engagement,
• Coordinates nature investment opportunities with the work of the h TNFD (Taskforce on nature-realted financial disclosures).
• Proposes approaches for embedding nature into activities of banks, pension funds, other investment institutions.
• Supports UNDP units and management in advocacy and partnership discussions in the area of nature investment.

Management of Nature Investment Projects (40%)

• Provides oversight of nature investment portfolio, including projects on tiger bonds and jurisdictional forest credits, managing personnel assigned for the programme,
• Acts as lead international advisor to country teams working on preparing landscape conservation and business plans and key performance indicators for them,
• Develops and oversee implementation of projects, non-project work-plans and budgets assigned to him/her, monitors delivery and takes corrective action.
• Oversee monitoring and evaluation of assigned projects, as well as safeguard protocols, and ensures available resources for M&E, ensuring that appropriate methodology and guidance are applied in line with the results-based management approach for maximum institutional effectiveness.
• Facilitates management of country office demand for, and prioritization of, nature economics matters ensuring timely and high-quality programmatic support.
• Engages with Regional Hubs and Country Offices to address any programme opportunities or operational issues in the subject matter area.
• For all assigned projects, oversee preparation of reports, including project financial status, analysis of income, allocations, budgets, expenditure and delivery rates.

Knowledge Management & Communication (10%)

• Oversees implementation of the communications and advocacy strategy in the area of nature investment.
• Oversees the preparation of annual reports (project and non-project as stipulated by UNDP and donors), and quality assures strategic presentations and other communications material in the subject matter area, for use in external briefings and on the external website.

• Keeps abreast of major institutional initiatives and political events relevant to the subject matter of nature economics, providing advice and guidance to relevant UNDP colleagues on necessary actions and decisions.
• Facilitates regular information sharing and planning across the different teams within BPPS on opportunities and coordination in the area of nature investment.

Competencies

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA