Antecedentes

Over the past decade more than 1.5 billion people have been affected by disasters that have cost at least US$ 1.3 trillion. Climate change, weak governance, and an increasing concentration of people and assets in areas exposed to natural hazards are driving disaster risk upwards, especially in poor and fragile countries. UNDP’s support to countries on climate change and disaster resilience is shaped by three important global agreements: The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

UNDP works with countries to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance a long-term goal of risk-informed zero-carbon development. At the same time, we work together with partners to adapt to the impacts of climate change, enhance access to clean energy, reduce the risk of disasters and, where needed, support resilient disaster recovery. Taken all together, these efforts are the path towards sustainable development that is risk-informed, zero-carbon and resilient.

UNDP’s work integrates issues of climate, disaster risk and energy at the country level, focusing on resilience building and ensuring development remains risk-informed and sustainable. To do this we assist governments in systematically and comprehensively delivering on risk-informed development through the communication, reduction and management of risk.

To support the achievement of UNDP’s strategic plan outcomes, as well as global agendas i.e. Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Sendai Framework of Actions for DRR and the sustainable development goals, the UNDP Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction team (CDT), under the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) focuses on four thematic areas:

  • Disaster Risk Reduction
  • Climate Change
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Sustainable Energy

There is a team in Geneva that leads on integrated areas across external engagement, insurance, investment and private sector work across disaster, climate and energy. This team plays an increasingly key role in connecting global processes and platforms for investment and financing with UNDP’s large climate portfolio, with very strong links with the expanding NDC Support Programme, which increasingly is central to UNDP’s engagement with countries on climate action.

An advisor is required to play a pivotal role in developing and implementing both a global and country focus of the NDC programme that increasingly leverages both global opportunities and UNDP’s large portfolio across finance, investment and climate action. 

Deberes y responsabilidades

The financing and investment advisor will lead on the work to develop and implement a standardised engagement on NDC financing and engagement, including providing technical assistance and investigating investment opportunities, playing a critical role to connect country-level priorities to global opportunities and challenges.

Reporting

The Climate Financing and Investment Advisor will be based in UNDP Geneva within the BPPS directorate and CDT team. For administrative and contractual purposes, the consultant will report to the Special Advisor for External Engagement, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction of UNDP Geneva with a secondary reporting line to the manager of the NDC Support Programme.

Tasks and deliverables

  • Lead on the global-facing element of the NDC investment and financing work of UNDP, creating a single point of entry for global and regional resources available to country offices and country partners. This will involve the following:
    • Creating a network of resources, expertise and investment opportunities across private and public sector actors that can increasingly be deployed to deliver on NDC country priorities and commitments, and working to leverage this network to support country financing of their Paris Agreement and related commitments;
    • Assisting in the identification of relevant experiences on NDC investment and financing that can help UNDP advise countries;
    • Compiling lessons learned from countries on financing approaches for advocacy and  global dissemination
  • Provide investment and financing support to designated local experts and counterparts across and beyond government in partnership with NDC Support Programme country focal points. This will involve:
    • The development of a standardised model for our support to countries, built around the development  and delivering on an investment and financing plan of action for all countries selected;
    • Development and implementation of a set of training and related resources for both UNDP Country Offices and our country clients, bringing the expertise of internal and external partners through webinars, guidance documentation, training of trainers and more.
  • Support the overall alignment of UNDP’s financing and investment work, working beyond the NDC Support Programme to leverage UNDP’s wider climate/environment and investment/financing portfolio and expertise. This will include:
    • Supporting the development of a standard narrative for UNDP’s financing and investment offer for climate action, and both its internal and external articulation;
    • Proactively develop financing and investment initiatives that link UNDP’s broad portfolio (from climate and environment and energy through to SDG investment and financing) to its NDC work, and vice versa;
    • Support communications for the team, in collaboration with other colleagues in New York, and where appropriate support resource mobilization efforts.
  • Undertake preparatory and follow-up work for meetings and prepare documentation for records and support the management of the work by contributing to document management, retrieval and overall good practice;
  • Any other tasks required by the team. 

Competencias

Communication

  • Excellent personal and professional communication and presentation skills, with strong organisational abilities;
  • Ability to represent UNDP in important settings, both in terms of organisation and advocacy.

Teamwork

  • Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to lead and gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour;
  • Ability to build trust through operating with transparency and creating an open, positive and enabling environment;
  • Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Technical Competencies

  • Knowledge of climate, insurance, investment and development concepts on a technical level;
  • Strong familiarity with financing and deal facilitation platforms, ideally across both private and multilateral sectors;
  • Ability to make compelling and clear presentations in PowerPoint;
  • Strong Excel skills;
  • Strong administrative skills with the ability to manage several projects at once, including prioritising one against another;
  • Ability to pay great attention to detail and exercise sound judgment;
  • Self-motivation and ability to self-manage when needed.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education

  • Advanced University degree in economics, finance, international relations, or development-related area of study or a first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience.

Experience

  • At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in development finance, investment, insurance, climate change, disaster risk management, partnership programme development, fundraising, and/or relevant fields;
  • Demonstrable experience in areas of investment in development settings and conducting technical capacity building;
  • Demonstrable private sector experience, especially in an investment or financing context, with proven experience at the country level;
  • Management or project experience in the UN, World Bank or other multilateral agency, and proven ability to engage at a senior level with donors and member states;
  • In-depth experience of working on project and programme development and implementation related to mitigation, energy, adaptation, investment, private sector or similar;
  • Experience acting in a coordination role in preparedness or response, for the UN, World Bank or other multilateral agency;
  • Administrative experience in acting in a Secretariat or similar role highly regarded.

Languages:

  • Exceptional written and oral English skills;
  • Working knowledge of another UN language desirable.

Other:

  • The consultant will be office-based and will be provided with an office desk and a computer in the UNDP Geneva office.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

The following documents should be submitted:

  • Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP; http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780
  • Personal CV and P11 http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc, indicating all your past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) and at least three (3) professional references;
  • A motivation letter of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment is required for this assignment. A description of how you have played a similar coordination/secretariat role in the past will be highly regarded. Supplying an example of a work product you have developed previously would be advantageous to your application;
  • Financial Proposal indicating an all-inclusive daily fee in USD. The financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period (e.g. living expenses, fees, health insurance, vaccination costs, visa costs, travel to duty station costs, taxes and social security and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).  If you are employed by an organization/company/institution, and you expect your employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing you to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), you must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. The interested candidates should provide their financial proposal on all-inclusive daily fee basis for requested services with detailed breakdown. Payments shall be made to the consultant based on a duly completed time sheet and deliverable report on monthly basis.

Applicants must apply online and submit all above to mahmood.zahir@undp.org, with the following subject heading: “82897 - Climate Financing and Investment Advisor Global" by the deadline for this vacancy. Applications received without a financial proposal and applications received after the deadline will be rejected.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Candidates will be evaluated using a combined scoring method with the qualifications and methodology weighted at 70% and the financial proposal weighted at 30%.  Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49% (out of 70%) points on the technical qualifications and Interview part will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria for evaluation of qualifications and methodology (70% points maximum):

  • Relevance of University degree (5% points);
  • Experience acting in a programmatic or project activities, ideally for the UN, World Bank or other development agency (15% points);
  • Experience working in either financing, investment, private sector, insurance and/or relevant fields (20% points);
  • Excellent oral and demonstrated written communication skills in English (5%points).

All candidates who score over 31.5% from this first phase will be invited to interview, where a maximum of 25% points will be potentially added.

Criteria for financial evaluation (30 points maximum):

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: p = y (µ/z)

  • Where p=points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
  • y=maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
  • µ=price of the lowest priced proposal;
  • z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Annexes to the TOR