Programme Advisor, IPSA 12 Short-Term - UNCDF - Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR)- Home-Based

The UN Capital Development Fund assists developing countries in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by employing grants, loans, and guarantees, first and foremost for the least developed among the developing countries. As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact where the needs are greatest—a capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate—to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.

 Within its mandate, UNCDF hosts the secretariat functions of the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR), a blended finance global instrument dedicated to mobilizing action and financial resources to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems. The GFCR UN Global Team (UNGT), a cross-functional and multi-UN Agency team provides management and coordination, as well as technical and operational expertise to conduct GFCR Grant Fund day-to-day activities. The UNGT also supports the GFCR Executive Board and implements its financial decisions, and coordinates actions with the wider GFCR coalition. Leadership and secretariat functions of the UNGT are provided by and hosted by UNCDF.

 The advertised position is to support the programming workstream of the GFCR. GFCR programmes are led by lead implementers (e.g., UN Agencies or NGOs) called Convening Agents. Programmes deploy a blended finance approach to leverage investment and sustainable revenue streams for coral reef conservation and restoration, reef-positive livelihoods and to strengthen resilience of coastal communities. 

• Conducts reviews of programme proposals and concept notes, providing input on strategic and operational aspects of the documents to ensure that the programme strategy reflects the GFCR blended finance approach to coral reef conservation in line with the Theory of Change. 
• Along with the Programme Analyst, conducts scoring evaluation of programme proposals and concept notes.
• Ensures compliance of programme proposals and concept notes with GFCR policies and standards, including Safeguards and Gender policies.

b)           Programme Portfolio Management Support

• Provides guidance and input into program proposal and concept note templates, as well as refining evaluation criteria and scoring.
• Identifies programmatic risks and provides systematic inputs to the Risk Registry.
• Supports programme implementation progress including co-leading programme reporting.
• Drafts memos and presentations for submission to Board Members.

c)           Partnerships Development

• Provides technical advice and support to investment and implementing partners on all programming aspects and supporting documentation, as needed.
• Identifies linkages with existing initiatives for marine conservation, development finance, and the private sector; which are relevant to GFCR Programmes.
• Liaises with UNEP and UNDP to ensure complementarity with GFCR monitoring and evaluation and knowledge sharing activities.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Programme Advisor will report to the Deputy Director of the GFCR and work in coordination with the Programme Analyst.

Contract duration:

• 130 days within 1 year.

Minimum Education requirements

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in Marine Ecology, Environmental Science, Marine or Environmental Policy, and/or other relevant field, or
• Bachelor’s degree with additional two (2) years of experience in lieu of Master’s Degree.

Minimum years of relevant work experience 

• Minimum seven (10) years experiences (12 years with Bachelor’s Degree) on marine conservation, or other efforts on sectors related to the environment, marine conservation initiatives, conservation sustainable development financing (including blended finance mechanisms), climate change, blue economy, at national or international level. 

Required skills 

Proven experience providing technical guidance to governments in developing countries, including SIDS, on marine biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and management including coral reefs ecosystem is required.

Demonstrated experience with conservation finance and/or blended finance related to environmental conservation, including the Ocean is required.

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

• Demonstrated experience with design and implementation of multi-sectoral and sectoral programmes and projects at different scales is desired.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and maintaining strategic global partnerships is desired.
• Prior experience working with international organizations is desired.

Required Language(s) 

• Fluency in written and spoken English. 
• Working knowledge of another UN language (French and/or Spanish) is considered an asset. 

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

a)           Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

b)           A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

c)           Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.