Background
UNDP’s Global Environment Finance unit (UNDP-GEF) is based in UNDP’s Bureau of Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local governance of resources, including energy.
The Climate Aggregation Platform is a new UNDP-GEF project which, in partnership with the Climate Bonds Initiative, seeks to promote the scale-up of financial aggregation - asset backed securities - for small-scale, low-carbon energy assets in developing countries. The project aims to help build in-country pipelines of high-quality, standardised low-carbon energy assets and to develop new low-cost sources of financing, building awareness and trust with investors in this new asset class. In so doing, the project can contribute to improving the lives of citizens in developing countries, bringing about affordable, reliable and clean energy.
The CAP’s activities and value proposition will be formulated in terms of a global offer and an in-country offer:
- Global offer: global awareness raising, knowledge management products and a working group
- In-country offer: an initial three in-country initiatives (currently identified as Latin America, India and Kenya), each centered around (i) a showcase transaction, likely in partnership with a development bank and/or the private sector, and (ii) tailored market development activities from a menu of services, such as standardisation efforts and addressing tax/regulatory barriers.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is providing initial seed-funding to establish the CAP in the form of an initial USD 2 million grant. UNDP and the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), as a Responsible Party to UNDP, will implement the project, with an approximate 50/50 split of the initial USD 2 million GEF grant. The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), a member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, is a founding partner of the CAP and is providing co-financing for the in-country initiatives.
The consultant will assist with the project’s day-to-day (i) implementation, (ii) budget, (iii) administration, and (iv) knowledge management. All activities will be conducted in line with UNDP’s POPP. The consultant will work closely with other project team members, with staff at the Climate Bonds Initiative, with UNDP country offices, and with staff at UNDP-GEF, New York. The consultant will report to the Energy Finance Specialist, UNDP-GEF, New York.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will have the following responsibilities:
Support on implementation:
- Contribute day-to-day support to project implementation and ensuring conformity to expected results, outputs, objectives and work-plans;
- Closely coordinate, and maintain working-level contacts, with the Climate Bonds Initiative on project implementation;
- Assist the project team in pre-screening and performing basic research on new project initiatives and opportunities, including evaluating their financial aspects;
- Assist in preparing and reviewing draft reports, work plans, info packs and other materials;
- Assist in monitoring and evaluation, including preparing, gathering and tracking indicators, data and inputs;
- Maintain working-level contacts with project partners, including but not limited to donors, development banks, and private sector partners;
- Assist in drafting articles, press releases, speeches, letters, memos and other documents;
- Support and assist project team members, as and when needed.
Support to budget management:
- Assist in reviewing quarterly budgets, work-plans, and reports from the Climate Bonds Initiative;
- Review payment requests from vendors, completeness of supporting documents, assisting in obtaining necessary clearances and authorizations, and ensuring payments are effected promptly;
- Tracks the project budgets, commitments, and expenditures, and advises the project team of any adjustments that may be needed to comply with Project Documents and UNDP and GEF regulations;
- Assist in ensuring compliance with UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules and the Internal Control Framework;
- Maintain a financial and reporting calendar for the project, and assist in ensuring all financial and reporting deadlines are met;
- Assist in drafting budget proposals;
- Support the preparation of other financial reports, as required.
Support on administration:
- Assist with travel/mission arrangements and preparation of travel and expenditure claims;
- Support procurement processes, including preparing documentation for review, preparing draft reports and procurement plans, and requests for contracts /amendments as needed, etc.
- Assist in organizing events, workshops, round-tables and publication launches;
- Create and maintain project databases, including relationship databases;
- Establish a well-designed filing system and maintain files and documentation in good order;
- Draft routine correspondence and communications;
- Ensure flow of information and dissemination of materials amongst project team, Climate Bonds Initiative, and partners as needs be;
- Assist in other administrative tasks, as needs be.
Support on Knowledge Management
- Assist the project team in its efforts towards knowledge management and knowledge networking;
- Assist in coordinating the design, printing and dissemination of knowledge products.
Information on working arrangements
- The consultant must either be a US Permanent Resident, US Citizen or holder of a valid G4 visa at the time of their application and whose G4 visa has been acquired on account of their partner’s full time employment in the UN System based in New York or Washington, DC to be considered for this consultancy;
- The Project Support Consultant will work from UNDP’s offices in New York, USA;
- Estimated level of effort including travel days: 130 days;
- The consultant will be expected to work two and a half (2.5) days per week (part-time);
- The initial contract will be for one year, with the possibility of renewal in two subsequent years dependent on demand for services and good performance;
- Depending on the demand for services, for example from new funding or due to new in-country initiatives, there is the possibility that more days per week may be added, subject to the agreement of the consultant and UNDP;
- The consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
- UNDP will provide access to reliable internet, a landline, scanner/printer, etc. in its offices. The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop and mobile phone with calling and data plan;
- Payments will be made upon submission of a detailed time sheet and certification of payment form, and acceptance and confirmation by UNDP on days worked (with a “day” calculated as 8 hours of work) and outputs delivered.
Mission Travel:
- International mission travel might be required at least to Washington, DC, and London;
- Any necessary mission travel must be approved in advance and in writing by the Supervisor;
- The Advanced and Basic Security in the Field II courses courses must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
- Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director;
- Consultants are responsible for obtaining any visas needed in connection with travel with the necessary support from UNDP;
- The Consultant is required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/;
- The Consultant will be responsible for making his/her own mission travel arrangements in line with the UNDP travel policies;
- All travel expenses related to mission travels will be supported by the project travel fund and will be reimbursed as per UNDP rules and regulations for consultants. Costs for mission airfares, terminal expenses, insurance, and living allowances should not be included in financial proposal.
Competencies
Corporate:
- Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
- Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
- Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Communication:
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in a simple, concise and persuasive manner.
Professionalism:
- Ability to prioritize and manage time efficiently;
- Strong organizational, reporting and writing abilities;
- Ability to work and build partnerships with multiple stakeholders and partners across a wide range of disciplines;
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
- Ability to work under pressure and with various tasks;
- Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
- Actively works towards continuing personal learning acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.
Teamwork:
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative team and process.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Political Sciences, Science, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, Administration or other related fields (max 10 points).
Experience:
- At least three years of recent professional work experience in financial resources management, project management or administrative support functions (max 20 points);
- Experience at the UN, or at similar international or bilateral organizations, in the areas of procurement, budgets and finance will be an advantage (max 30 points);
- Experience in databases, accounting software and advanced excel will be an advantage (max 10 points);
- Experience in organizing events or workshops will be an advantage. Complex or high profile events will be a further advantage (max. 10 points);
- Experience in assisting with knowledge management activities will be an advantage (max 5 points);
- Experience working in UNDP-GEF will be an advantage (max. 5 points);
- Proficiency in computer software applications such as MS Word and MS Excel (max 5 points).
Language:
- Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English (max. 5 points).
Evaluation Method:
- Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated;
- Applicants will be evaluated according to a combined scoring method – where the technical criteria will be weighted at 70% and the financial offer will be weighted at 30%;
- The technical criteria (education, experience, languages [max. 100 points], technical test [max. 20 points] and interview [max. 20 points]) will be based on a maximum 140 points;
- Only the top 8 candidates obtaining 70 points or more from the review of education, experience, languages will be invited to the technical test;
- Only the top 4 candidates obtaining 14 points or higher in the technical test will be deemed technically qualified and will proceed to interview;
- Candidates obtaining 14 points or higher in the interview will deemed technically qualified and considered for financial evaluation;
- Financial score (max 100 points) shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal of those technically qualified;
- The financial proposal shall specify an all-inclusive daily fee. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal must additionally include a breakdown of this daily fee (including all foreseeable expenses to carry out this assignment);
- The applicant receiving the highest combined score and who has accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.
Documentation to be submitted
- Applicants must submit a duly completed and signed UNDP Personal History form (P11) to be downloaded from the below link;
- Applicants must reply to the mandatory questions asked by the system when submitting the application;
- Applicants must submit a duly completed and signed Annex II Offeror´s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) assignment to be downloaded from the UNDP procurement site.
Kindly note you can upload only ONE document to this application (scan all documents in one single PDF file to attach).
UNDP Personal History form (P11) required of all applicants:
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc.
General Conditions of Contract for the ICs:
Annex II Offeror´s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) assignment:
http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=39596