Project Analyst, BIOFIN

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 Montenegro 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 Analyst 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 Project Manager/Analyst, Environmental Policy Specialist, Finance Specialist and Project Support Associate.

The Project Analyst will work closely with the technical team of UNDP Montenegro office designated to take the role of Environmental Policy Expert, Biodiversity Finance Specialist and 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 of 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.

Key duties and responsibilities:

Ensure Effective 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 mandated for 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 mandated for 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.
• Ensure gender mainstreaming of all project related processes and outputs.
• Ensure participation of national team members in regional and global technical calls on regular basis.

Provide Technical advisory support

• 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. Provide 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 write, 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).

 Monitor and report on progress in implementing project activities and achieving the targets set

• 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.

Ensure effective implementation of the project 

• Maintain regular communication and provide advisory support to identified institutional partners in their endeavours towards efficient administration.
• Organize teamwork within the project consisting of consultants, prepare and assign tasks, monitor progress and motivate hired pool of experts.
• Ensure that work plans are prepared and updated on time and reflect project objectives and outputs.
• Ensure timely coordination and implementation of recruitment of individual consultants.
• Ensure that procurement of goods and services under covered projects is undertaken in an optimal quality manner.
• Monitor implementation progress and ensure quality and timely reporting to project partners.
• Ensure the establishment and maintenance of complete accounting records of all project activities (budget, commitments, expenditures, income); ensure proper follow up in relation to project expenditures, approval, and financial reporting;
• Be responsible for all assets purchased and used under the portfolio.
• Monitoring of the resources being spent i.e., approve requisitions in Quantum and certify/confirm receipt of goods and services.
• Assistance in identifying relevant sources of expertise and funds for project/activity implementation.
• Implementation of action plans and assigned tasks including the field visits to monitor progress on a regular basis.
• Review official documents and communications, including drafting routine correspondence, facsimile, memoranda and reports from oral instructions, previous correspondence or other available information sources, in accordance with the standard office procedures.
• Advice respective Team Leader on potential adjustments of actions and procedures in light of changing requirements, issues, risks and needs.
• Regular monitoring of the relevant events and/or subjects in the local media.

Facilitate knowledge sharing, communication, and advocacy

• Ensure visibility of included projects by keeping target public informed about Project objectives, results/achievements and their impact on the recipient communities.
• Ensure that outputs produced by the projects are adequately communicated in partnership with relevant institutions and donors.
• Contribute to the learning and knowledge sharing within UNDP and among external partners at the country, regional and global levels.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.   

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 Project Analyst, a Finance Specialist, Environment Policy Specialist supported by a part time Project Support Associate, and consultants, as needed. The NPMU will be located in the CO premises. A dedicated technical advisor by GPMTSU will be available to support each country’s work. Similar to the global level, the Project Analyst 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 (project assistant), responsible parties, consultants, and sub-contractors. The Project Analyst 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.

• 2030 Agenda – Nature, Climate and Energy
  • Ecosystems and biodiversity: Biodiversity Finance
• Business Management – Partnership Management
  • Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Partnership Management – Resource Mobilization
  • Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements
• 2030 Agenda: People – Gender
  • Gender Mainstreaming
• Business Management – Project Management
  • Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Business Direction and Strategy – Effective Decision Making
  • Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.
• Business Management – Communication
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
  • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.