NDCP Climate Investment Advisor (Technical Specialist - Environmental) – Lesotho (Retainer Homebased)

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).

The embedded Climate Investment Advisor will provide strategic economic advisory support to facilitate the development of Lesotho’s NDC Implementation Plan and NDC Investment Plan. The Advisor will play a critical role in enhancing the country’s institutional capacity to achieve its climate and sustainable development goals, with a particular focus on economic planning, resource mobilization, and investment strategy development.

Key Responsibilities

The Climate Investment Advisor will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to:

1. Coordinate and Ensure Quality Control

   • Lead the coordination and quality assurance of the NDC Implementation Plan and NDC Investment Plan.

   • Ensure that these plans align with national climate priorities, sustainable development objectives, and NDC targets.

2. Oversee economic aspects of climate investment

   • Provide strategic guidance on the economic dimensions of climate investments.

   • Ensure the integration of high-level economic planning and alignment with Lesotho’s NDC targets and broader policy frameworks.

3. Support recruitment processes

   • Develop comprehensive terms of references (ToRs) for hiring a consortium of experts.

   • Prepare requests for proposals (RFPs) and oversee the recruitment process to ensure the development of cost-effective and robust NDC Implementation Plan and NDC Investment Plan.

4. Facilitate climate finance mobilization

   • Coordinate efforts to secure domestic and international climate financing.

   • Engage with private sector stakeholders and multilateral funding entities to explore and leverage funding opportunities.

5. Strengthen Institutional Capacities

   • Build capacity within government institutions to enhance their ability to plan, prioritize, and implement climate action plans effectively.

   • Provide training and support to relevant ministries to improve decision-making processes related to climate investment planning and mobilization.

6. Engage Stakeholders

   • Foster alignment and coherence among key national and international stakeholders.

   • Build broad-based support for the implementation and financing of NDC actions through stakeholder consultations and partnerships.

7. Monitor Progress and Ensure Accountability

   • Assist the Government in tracking progress toward NDC implementation goals.

   • Develop mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of mobilized resources

• Master Degree preferably in climate change, economics, finance, natural resources, livelihoods, environmental sciences, or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree in related discipline in combination with an additional 2 years (7 total) of relevant work experience is required.

Required: 

• At least 5 years of multi-sectoral professional experience, including experience working with or within climate funds and/or Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), with a proven track record in climate finance activities across diverse, multi-cultural environments.

• At least 5 years of substantial experience in business development, capital raising, and/or developing public-private partnerships or similar.

Assets:

• Proven expertise in developing project proposals, including designing financial strategies for capital improvement projects.

• Demonstrated experience managing relationships with senior leaders and high-level audiences.

• Hands-on experience working with government stakeholders on national and/or regional climate change policy development and implementation.

• Experience working across multiple global contexts, with a deep understanding of international policy debates and challenges in climate finance and economics.

• Familiarity with the GCF/NDC Partnership Climate Investment Planning and Mobilization Framework, using it as the guiding instrument for implementing the specified tasks.

• Proficiency in English 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. 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.