Duties and Responsibilities

 Provide strategic technical direction and leadership.

• 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;
• Organize 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 of 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 of 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;
• Organize regular meetings of the national team and monthly calls with the Technical Advisor from the GPMTSU;
• Ensure participation of national team members in regional technical calls;
• Participate in regional and global meeting organized by the GPMTSU.

 Provision of top-level technical advisory

• 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. 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).

Lead reporting, communication, and monitoring and evaluation for the project

• 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.

Support strategic partnership building and resource mobilization.

• Establish and maintain a strategic understanding of and engagement with all the relevant institutions, including establishing contact and developing strategic partnerships with other UN agencies, government institutions, donors, NGOs, the private sector, academia, civil society, and other stakeholders and beneficiaries at the national, regional, and local levels;
• Participate in meetings with donors, prepare and deliver presentations of project results, and follow up with relevant counterparts if requested by the supervisor;
• Implement resource mobilization strategies to achieve project outcomes that include facilitating liaisons with potential financing agencies and institutions to strengthen relationships and raise funds;
• Identify new funding opportunities for furthering the project ideas.

Contribute to knowledge management and information sharing in the UNDP country office.

• Organize training for the project personnel to enhance their capacities in the technical matters of the thematic area of the project;
•  Identify, evaluate, synthesize, and document lessons learned and best practices directly linked to the project goals and activities. Develop knowledge sharing materials and respond to related queries;
• Contribute substantively to knowledge networks and communities of practice within the thematic area of the project;
• Develop and carry out a personal learning plan.

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

The Project Lead and Sustainable Finance Specialist will be under the direct supervision of the SLED Team Lead. 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 Lead/Sustainable Finance Specialist, a Finance Specialist supported by a part time Project Support Associate, and consultants, such an Environmental Policy consultant, and others, as needed. The NPMU should be co-located with appropriate government agency(ies) in principle working side by side with government staff. A dedicated technical advisor by GPMTSU will be available to support each country’s work. Similar to the global level, the Project Lead 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, responsible parties, consultants, and sub-contractors. The Project Lead 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.

UNDP shall be entitled to intellectual property and other proprietary rights over all materials that have a direct relation to the project.

UNDP is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including individuals with disabilities and those from diverse gender identities and expressions. We believe that a diverse team strengthens our organization and brings innovative ideas, and we actively support equal opportunities for all applicants.

If you require any accommodations due to a disability during the application or interview process, please let us know. We are happy to provide reasonable adjustments to ensure an accessible and equitable experience.

• Experience in gathering and processing data and information is required;
• Experience in managing work teams and supervising technical assessments, reports and technical documents is required;
• Knowledge of key software packages (MS Office) is required.

• Prior experience with UNDP projects would be an asset;
• Prior experience and knowledge in environmental or biodiversity related policies is highly desirable;
• Familiarity with the functioning of the government of Sierra Leon would be an asset;
• Prior experience in building strategic partnerships with multiple stakeholders is an asset.

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of any other Sierra Leonean language is desired.