Partnership Climate Finance Specialist

Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment has worked with line ministries to identify a long list of projects supporting NDC implementation. The Government is now seeking the support of a Climate Finance Specialist to work in-country to develop a subset of these projects to access international and domestic sources of public and private finance, and structure finance for investment in these projects, and build the capacity of civil servants, supporting line ministries to develop their own project concept notes and ensuring lasting capacity in-country through knowledge transfer to government officials. The Specialist will also be required to provide expert insights on climate finance and external negotiations to the ministry. 

The roles and responsibilities will include:  

• Identifying a pipeline of projects
• Support the Government to prioritize a subset of projects for development over the short term;
• Prepare a project pipeline by conducting a preliminary assessment of potential investment projects from the existing longlist and provide recommendations on them in accordance with the requirements of global climate funds and MDBs;
• Guide and oversee the preparation of the draft project concept papers (to be further developed into full concept papers by the respective MDBs) by local project preparation staff for climate resilient investment projects that MDBs are interested in co-funding with international climate funds, such as the GCF etc.;
• Assist the government in preparing concept notes to access financing for unfunded priorities in the updated NDC, National Adaptation Plans, Technology Needs Assessments and Long Term-Low Emission Development Strategy;
• Review the structuring and technical analysis of project concepts and proposals developed by the Ministry of Environment;
• Analyze financial data and use financial projections to design and recommend suitable financial structures;
• Perform financial, economic, and regulatory analysis or any relevant (pre-) feasibility assessment throughout project concept and design stages in collaboration with the country teams and government counterparts;

Tracking and analyzing funding opportunities:

• Identify and track funding opportunities relevant to the NDC implementation as well as climate-resilient and low-carbon sectoral projects and programs;
• Facilitate the mobilization of financial and technical resources for the implementation of NDC, NAP, TNA , and LT-LEDS, including the identification of implementing agencies and partners for the developed project concepts;
• Ensure that project concepts meet the requirements of possible funders, global climate funds, MDBs, as well as bilateral and multilateral development partners, or a combination of those listed here (e.g., multilateral development partner seeking funding from a global climate fund);

Coordination and communication with key stakeholders :

• Support the strengthening of coordination among different agencies and national ministries to accelerate projects through the investment pipeline;
• Work closely with the Ministry of Environment to participate in external negotiations and discussions with donors, MDBs, Climate Funds, etc.;
• Engage with partners in the country to link needs to financial resources in accordance with the NDC, NAP, TNA, and LT-LEDS, including by providing the government’s inputs on the alignment of partners’ country strategies with priorities and gaps identified in the above policy documents;

Capacity building, knowledge and learning:

• Design and facilitate in-country capacity building efforts to support transfer of skills and knowledge to local staff in relevant ministries and government offices;
• Build the capacity of civil servants and supporting line ministries to develop their own project concept considering the requirements and criteria of the international climate funds and MDBs;
• Strengthen capacities by mentoring and training relevant members of staff on developing bankable projects.
• Identify capacity needs related to climate financing for implementation of NDC, NAP, TNA and LT-LEDS;
• Liaise with the Support Unit to access and/or feed into global knowledge products relevant to project development, financing, and resource mobilization;
• Assist the Support Unit in the identification and dissemination of information on best practices and lessons learned from in-country engagement;
• Fulfill other tasks when needed.

Institutional Arrangement:

• The climate finance advisor will be embedded in the Department of Climate Change, General Directorate of Policy and Strategy under the Ministry of Environment. As the leading entity of the national climate agenda, Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment coordinates activities related to the fulfilment of climate commitments, including the Nationally Determined Contributions. He/she will support the focal point of the Partnership in climate finance-related issues.  The embedded facilitator will implement all tasks under the direct supervision of the Partnerships Development Senior Manager and in collaboration with the NDC Partnership Focal Point in the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. He/she will also work in close collaboration with the NDC Partnership Support Unit. He/she will need to bring his/her own laptop to the ministry’s duty station.
• This is a retainer national vacancy/position for twelve 12 months period based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for a maximum of 220 working days.

Education/Experience/Language requirements:

Education:

• An advanced degree (Masters or higher) in business, finance, law, public policy, public finance, sustainable development, environment management, or a similar relevant field.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline in combination with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

Required:

• At least 5 years of experience working in international development and development finance with a track of structuring, design and implementation of projects in climate change mitigation and adaptation, particularly in energy, waste, agriculture, forestry and other land use, and industry.
• Familiarity with access modalities, project management frameworks, and investment criteria of MDBs and prominent global climate funds such as the GCF, IKI, MAF, GCF, GEF, and/or AF.
• Willingness and ability to commit to in-country work and travel as required and where possible.

Asset:

• Knowledge about the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, NDCs and SDGs;
• Experience in mobilizing resources for the implementation of NDCs.
• Experience in accessing and structuring finance for climate investments, including technical and financial development, particularly those that engage the private sector and development institutions.

Language:

• Proficiency in English is required.
• Excellent language skills in Khmer in writing, speaking, and reading is required.

Source:  https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=27768#1