610 Vues Partager Partager Partager Email


Biodiversity Finance Analyst

PNUD

Pretoria, South Africa
Biodiversity Finance Analyst (NPSA8)

Pretoria, South Africa

Job Identification
13501

Locations
Pretoria, South Africa

Posting Date
09/26/2023, 12:52 PM

Apply Before
10/11/2023, 04:59 AM

Job Schedule
Full time

Agency
UNDP

Grade
NPSA-8

Vacancy Type
National Personnel Service Agreement

Practice Area
Effectiveness

Bureau
Regional Bureau for Africa

Contract Duration
1 Year

Education & Work Experience
Master's Degree

Other Criteria
Bachelors Degree - 2 years experience

Required Languages
English

Vacancy Timeline
2 Weeks
Copy Link

Job Description
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The United Nations Development programme (UNDP) South Africa country office is looking for a qualified and experienced national expert in biodiversity finance to provide technical support in the effective implementation of the UNDP’s Biodiversity finance Initiative “BIOFIN”. The initiative aims to mobilize financial resources to enhance biodiversity conservation in South Africa. It is jointly implemented by UNDP and Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).

The UNDP - Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is a global partnership addressing the biodiversity finance challenges in a comprehensive manner. BIOFIN provides an innovative methodology enabling countries to measure their current biodiversity expenditures, assess their financial needs in the medium term and identify the most suitable finance solutions to bridge their national biodiversity finance gaps. BIOFIN provides support for country members to initiate national policy dialogues and a transformational process through a stepwise customizable approach to identify and mobilize the resources and policies required to bridge the gap between the current approach to financing biodiversity and that needed to successfully implement national biodiversity plans and achieve national biodiversity targets.

BIOFIN is currently in 41 countries globally including South Africa participating.  The global project, which began in 2012 is coordinated by UNDP through a global team supporting country implementation and the continuous improvement of the BIOFIN methodology. The   UNDP BIOFIN global   team   works   with interdisciplinary national teams, customizing the methodology to the national context in each country. The BIOFIN national team is made of UNDP, Government and other stakeholders including CSOs, NGOs, academia among others and works with the UNDP BIOFIN global team. 

BIOFIN South Africa already produced the Biodiversity Finance Plan including prioritized Finance solutions to implement in order to fill the Biodiversity Finance Gap in South Africa. BIOFIN South Africa is now implementing 4 of these finance solutions and already secured a budget for additional finance solutions (being identified and developed).

It is against this background that UNDP South Africa is looking for a Biodiversity Finance Analyst to provide technical guidance strategic partnerships, resource mobilization knowledge building among other tasks to increase financial and technical resources require for sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity.

Objective and scope of work

The core responsibility of the National Biodiversity Finance Analyst is to provide overall technical guidance at the national level to implement the identified Finance Solutions. The National Biodiversity Finance Analyst will work in close collaboration with the BIOFIN Project management Specialist (UNDP) National Project Coordinator of South Africa (DFFE), and other  National BIOFIN Team members, UNDP CO and the UNDP BIOFIN global team to assure the high-quality delivery of BIOFIN outcomes of the Finance Solutions implemented at the national level. 

The National Biodiversity Finance Analyst is expected to have good experience and to provide substantial technical expertise in assuring horizontal integration and consistency of workstreams/studies, as well as quality assurance of national products and processes throughout the duration of the project. S/he will provide sound technical expertise and implementation of finance solutions. S/he will support outreach activities to national (Private Sector, Financial institutions, 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.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Summary of key function:

Technical guidance (70%):

Develop/review and implement BIOFIN South Africa finance solutions, in coordination with national finance solution working groups and key experts at the global level, as well as the national level (with the BIOFIN National Project Coordinator at DFFE and BIOFIN Programme Management Specialist to support the implementation of the BIOFIN finance solutions). This may include a set of measures or activities addressing legal, institutional, entrepreneurial, financial, awareness, and capacity matters to put the BIOFIN results into action;
Provide technical leadership and support to the working groups and experts implementing the BIOFIN South Africa finance solutions, including reviewing reports for quality assurance, conducting necessary meetings, workshops, and field visits to support progress and guarantee the quality of work;
Contribute to the national dialogue on policies and measures that can improve the sustainable management and protection of South Africa’s natural resources.  
Strategic partnerships, promotion, and awareness (20%):

Work with the BIOFIN National Project Coordinator and Project Management Specialist to create strategic alliances with other partners on biodiversity finance;
Facilitate collaboration between partners and key stakeholders in the development/review of new finance solutions;
Provide opportunities for enhancing private sector collaboration on finance plans and hence coordinating where applicable task teams comprising of pubic, private and private stakeholders; 
Development of partnerships with the Private Sector, Financial institutions in biodiversity financing based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities;
Establish and maintain links with other national and international programmes, projects and priorities  (e.g. NBSAP, GEF programmes, and integration of national priorities such as the White paper on Sustainable Use).
Facilitating knowledge building and management (10%):

Creating high level advocacy on pertinent development policies instruments across the representatives of top echelon of the country’s stakeholders;
Advocating for UNDP with Financial Institutions and Private Sector counterparts; 
Develop and share knowledge on biodiversity financing for sustainable development;
Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
Organization of training for BIOFIN project stakeholders on biodiversity financing issues.
Institutional Arrangements

The Biodiversity Finance Analyst will report to the BIOFIN Project Management Specialist and will work in close collaboration with the whole Country Office team.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Result: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work;
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking;
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning;
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process;
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously;
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships;
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction and Strategy

Business Acumen
Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. Knowledge and understanding of the operational framework’s in the organization and;
Ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks.
Business Management

Customer Satisfaction/Client Management
Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs;
Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests; 
Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
Business Development

Knowledge Facilitation
Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.
Finance

Accounting (General)
Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, regulations, policies and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations.
Budget Management
Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.
Audit Risk Management
Ability to address audit issues raised in the course of an audit and propose solutions in order to ensure a true and fair audit opinion is achieved.
Financial Risk Management
Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management.
2030 Agenda: People 

Gender
Gender analysis and issues;
Gender mainstreaming;
Gender and institutional development.

Requirements:

Minimum education requirements:

 Advanced (Master’s) University degree or Bachelor's degree in Finance and/or Accounting, business administration, economics, environmental economics, environmental finance or a closely related field.
Candidates with professional accounting qualifications from an internationally accredited institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage. 
Candidates with no professional accountancy qualifications, but with degrees that major in accountancy and/or finance must complete the Finance Training and Certification Programme (FTCP), if recruited. 
Candidates satisfying the two above criteria are exempted from undertaking the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT).
Candidates with MBA or masters in finance with no accountancy qualification but with relevant experience must successfully undertake the UNDP Advanced Accountancy and Finance Test (AAFT) to be eligible for shortlisting.

Minimum years of relevant work experience:

Minimum 2 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in providing financial management services, and/or managing staff and operational systems;
Experience in sustainable finance, capital markets, banking (corporate finance), public finance, conservation finance or environmental finance.

Required Skills:

Experience in green finance,  particularly especially biodiversity finance; 
Exposure to operations of the financial sector i.e. banking, capital markets etc;
Strong analytical, writing and communication skills;
Ability to prepare publications, reports and presentations;
Ability to work with a multidisciplinary and multicultural team;
Strong motivation and ability to work and deliver under short deadlines; 
Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback;
Able to work independently with little or no supervision; 
Experience in dealing with international and national experts and institutions;
Evident exposure to environmental issues or biodiversity;
Experience in the use of computers and office software packages  (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems such as ERP financials and database packages.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

Previous experience or involvement in the BIOFIN Initiative would be an added advantage;
Familiarity with government and financial sector operations in South Africa strongly desired;
A self-starter with strong internal motivation, able to set up systems and procedures in a ‘start up’ environment; 
Commercially astute: A high degree of financial sector operations awareness; 
Flexibility: readily adapts to change, new products, systems, methods, and products;
Demonstrated ability to network and strike collaborative linkages;
Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is desirable.

Language

Fluency in English, with excellent writing, verbal communication, and presentation skill.
Professional Certificates

Professional Certificates · Any professional certifications in green finance, banking, ESG, Environmental finance, corporate finance, capital markets etc. is an added advantage.

Disclaimer

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Required Skills
Skills
A self-starter with strong internal motivation
Able to work independently with little or no supervision
Strong analytical, writing and communication skills
Strong motivation and ability to work and deliver under short deadlines

Postuler

Plus d'offres

Voir plus d'offres d'emploi