NDC Partnership Climate Finance Specialist (Technical Specialist - Environmental) - Cambodia - Retainer

WEC Background: 

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support. 

WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country-specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements,  such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The NDC Partnership: 

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries and institutions collaborating to drive transformational climate action through sustainable development. In 2015, the world endorsed the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Nations signal their commitments to the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - each country’s strategy to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience against the negative effects of a changing climate. The Partnership advances the goals of the Paris Agreement by bringing together nearly 200 countries and institutions in new ways to accelerate NDC implementation and enhance ambition over time. The Partnership’s work through 120 partners supporting almost 80 countries produces many examples of impact, lessons learned and ideas for the future. The Partnership is governed by a Steering Committee, co-chaired by two country representatives. The Partnership’s work is facilitated by a Support Unit based at World Resources Institute in Washington DC and the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. UNOPS supports the NDC Partnership and its Support Unit through the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC).  

Country Context:

Cambodia has been a member of the NDC Partnership since 2019. The country’s updated NDC seeks to decrease emissions by 41.7 percent from the business-as-usual scenario by 2030, with half of that reduction concentrated in the Forest and Land Use Sector (FOLU) and the rest primarily in the energy, agriculture, industry, and waste sectors. Cambodia’s updated NDC also has a strong adaptation component. The NDC update process was conducted with a bottom-up approach involving 16 line ministries and was supported by the NDC Partnership Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP) delivered in part by UNDP and the World Bank. The work’s outcomes led to the identification of 130 mitigation, adaptation, and enabling actions across all sectors - forming Cambodia's Partnership Plan - of which 119 were highlighted as priorities. A number of partners are supporting the implementation of the Partnership Plan, including FAO, Germany, GGGI, IRENA, IUCN, Japan, SNV, UNCDF, UNDP, UNESCAP, and UNICEF. Additionally, the World Bank and the UK supported the Government of Cambodia in developing a Long-Term Strategy for Cambodia's Carbon Neutrality (LTS4CN) linked to the NDC. The NDC Partnership continues to support Cambodia on its NDC implementation, including by supporting coordination and resource mobilization.   

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:  

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.

• 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.

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.

• Proficiency in English is required.

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

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.