Biodiversity Financing Officer

Over the past two decades, Cambodia has realized exceptional rates of economic growth averaging over 7% prior to the pandemic, with persistent declines in poverty and rapid improvements in human development. Yet Cambodia faces several development challenges. Pressures stemming from Cambodia’s rapid progression as a Middle-Income Country (MIC) have tended to be resource and carbon-intensive, resulting in environmental challenges and natural resource depletion. Moreover, the country is facing the impact of climate change. As Cambodia is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are opportunities for a more sustainable and resilient development pathway.

UNDP Cambodia has been playing an important role in supporting the development and implementation of environment and climate change-related policies and strategies of the Royal Government of Cambodia. The current priorities of the Nature, Climate, and Energy programme include: 1) Turn climate commitments into action; 2) Increase access to electricity and promote sustainable energy solutions; 3) Promote nature-based solutions to enhance natural resource management and reduce deforestation; and 4) Advance Cambodia’s transition to a circular economy. UNDP has a solid project portfolio to deliver on these priorities and an active pipeline to expand it and grow the partnership base.

Under the third priority, biodiversity finance is one of the key areas of work for UNDP. The Country Office is implementing different initiatives (such as BIOFIN) to help the country scale up public and private investments in nature. UNDP Cambodia is therefore looking for a Biodiversity Financing Officer to technically support these efforts.

The Biodiversity Financing Officer will be supervised by Environment Policy Specialist and will work closely with other colleagues from UNDP Cambodia Country Office, UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub, UNDP BIOFIN team, consultants, and partners. 

The incumbent may be required to undertake field missions to various provinces of Cambodia where applicable to conduct project-related activities or meetings, stakeholder engagements, and monitoring purposes. Any travel related to the official performance of duties will be covered by the UNDP project.

The incumbent may also be required to take on other programmes/projects/initiatives within the scope of TOR depending on the workload at the time.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Provide quality technical guidance and support to biodiversity finance activities.
• Contribute to UNDP’s programming and pipeline formulation related to biodiversity finance.
• Support knowledge management and awareness of biodiversity finance.
• Monitor and report on progress in implementing project activities and achieving the targets set.

Details of Key Functions:

Provide quality technical guidance and support to biodiversity finance activities.

• Provide technical guidance to all project staff, consultants and project executing partners on biodiversity finance.
• Carry out analyses that are relevant for the programme/project portfolio.
• Provide technical inputs to working documents, studies and technical reports related to biodiversity finance.
• Provide technical inputs to relevant project reports.
• Prepare talking points, Op-ed, statements, speeches and other inputs for presentations by senior staff on biodiversity finance issues.
• Provide support to capacity building programs by designing themes and specific topics and structuring courses tailored to the background of participants, with a focus on enhancing key stakeholders’ understanding of biodiversity finance.
• Facilitate expert group meetings, panels, round tables, training seminars, workshops related to biodiversity finance.
• Contribute to national dialogues on policies and measures on biodiversity finance.

Contribute to UNDP’s programming and pipeline formulation related to biodiversity finance.

• Advise the UNDP Country Office on creation of new partnerships, mobilize finance resources for biodiversity conservation and natural resources management.
• Advise the national counterparts on creation of new partnerships, mobilize finance resources for biodiversity conservation and natural resources management.
• Facilitate UNDP’s team to formulate project concept notes, project proposals and full project documents including information materials in consultation with relevant stakeholders among others. 
• Facilitate in creating and maintaining strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain links with other national and international programmes and projects including UNDP-GEF projects.

Promote t knowledge management and awareness on biodiversity finance.

• Facilitate the process of creating and raising level of awareness of Country Office biodiversity finance related activities.
• Prepare communication material to promote the BIOFIN (and other projects) best practices, results and impacts.
• Prepares issue briefs and knowledge management materials on issues relating to biodiversity finance.
• Generate knowledge products such as best practices and lessons learnt for knowledge sharing.
• Identify good practices and lessons learned that could contribute to improving the management of UNDP initiatives, projects, and programs.
• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

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

• Review the results framework and update the indicators, baselines, and targets of the assigned portfolio. Develop clear strategies and an effective system for data collection, means of verification, and information sharing and reporting. 
• Monitor implementation and progress in achieving goals and targets in accordance with the established quality criteria and UNDP rules, regulations, and standards. Identify, analyze, and take adequate measures to manage emerging issues, problems, and risks. Conduct field visits to project location sites. 
• Liaise with the Finance team to ensure administrative requirements, budgets and use of financial resources are managed and executed in a timely and appropriate manner and within UNDP and donor rules and regulations. 
• Prepare corporate, donor and government reports in line with the reporting schedule and UNDP and donor requirements. 
• Ensure proper operational and financial closure of the project.

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

Impact of Results 

• The key results have an impact on the overall effectiveness and efficiency of UNDP biodiversity finance activities in the country, including short, medium and long-term planning, improved business results, and client services. They also impact on increasing Governments’, partners’, and civil society and communities’ awareness and knowledge of biodiversity finance. Accurate analysis, presentation and knowledge sharing promote timely positioning and readjustment of UNDP programme management.

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. 
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. 
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion:   LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination. 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy    

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management 

• Partnerships 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.
• Monitoring: Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

2030 Agenda: Planet     

• Nature, Climate and Energy: Ecosystems and biodiversity: biodiversity finance; conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, land, forests and oceans (advantage)

2030 Agenda: Partnerships        

• SDG Finance: Innovative finance