Project Analyst (NBCAP Viet Nam) (Open to Tier 1 & 2 applicants)

Job Description

Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:

• Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates)  
• Tier 2: Staff holding UNDP temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts and Expert and Specialist UNVs with host entity UNDP
• Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Background

UNDP’s mission is to support Viet Nam’s transformation to a sustainable and circular growth model where current and future generations of the country unite to contribute and benefit from its economic, social and natural advancement. UNDP seeks to expand the existing coalition and expertise to accelerate optimized resources management for sustained human development and economic growth and reduction of negative impacts on the environment, thus enabling Viet Nam to become a green and resilient country and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. 

Organizationally, the UNDP CO is divided into two main business tracks (programme and operations) and managed by a Senior Management team consisting of the Resident Representative, the Deputy Resident Representative, and the heads of the three main programme units, which are: (i) the Climate Change, Energy and Environment (CCEEU); (ii) the Governance and Participation; and (iii) the Inclusive and Equitable Growth Team. 

The six portfolios under the umbrella of the CCEEU are: i) Climate and disaster resilience; ii) Green and Low-carbon development; iii) Circular Economy and Waste/Plastic; iv) Natural Resources and Biodiversity; v) Climate – Health; vi) GEF’s Small Grants Programme.

Over the past years, UNDP has developed a strong and comprehensive Climate and Disaster Resilience portfolio of projects and technical advisory activities to support the Government of Viet Nam in the transition towards a low-carbon economy.

Viet Nam is a marine country, with over 3,000 islands and a coastline of more than 3,260 km shared by 21 out of its 34 provinces and cities. The marine economy is an important driving force for socio-economic development, environmental protection and international cooperation. Viet Nam is also home to some of Southeast Asia’s most extensive and biologically rich coastal ecosystems, particularly in the Mekong Delta and northern coastal regions . These ecosystems act as natural carbon sinks, sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide while simultaneously providing coastal protection, supporting biodiversity, and sustaining local livelihoods. However, Viet Nam also faces significant impacts from global climate change, with its coastal zones and low-lying river deltas at heightened risks of saline intrusion, droughts, coastal degradation and erosion, storm surges, typhoons, and floods .

Globally there is a rapidly increasing demand for blue carbon credits and projects to conserve and restore ocean and coastal ecosystems. However, few projects meet the requirements to receive investments or enter the blue carbon market. Recent research suggests that gaps in supply and demand are due to political, social, economic and scientific reasons. Furthermore, the co-benefits that result from blue carbon ecosystem conservation and restoration – such as jobs, food security and coastal protection – are not fully considered in existing initiatives, which underscores the need to unlock new ways to deliver and measure their value. Rectifying these challenges will require various interventions, including support and coordination of blue carbon actors across sectors alongside tailored, country-based approaches.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an independent international institution committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. The Forum’s Ocean Action Agenda and its Friends of Ocean Action launched the Blue Carbon Action Partnership (BCAP) at the Our Ocean Conference in March 2023. BCAP aims to scale blue carbon benefits through coordinated action to unlock finance, strengthen science and empower local communities. BCAP is supporting national governments in achieving their blue carbon ambitions and coordinating, communicating and connecting global stakeholders in blue carbon ecosystems at a global and national scale. The first National BCAP (NBCAP) was established in Indonesia in 2023 and the second NBCAP in the Philippines in early 2025.

The Forum, though the BCAP, is negotiating a Letter of Intent with Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) on the establishment of the third NBACP in Viet Nam. The NBCAP Viet Nam will serve as a nationally led multi-stakeholder cooperation platform that brings together diverse community members including the Government of Viet Nam, social organizations, the private sector and international development partners. It will facilitate initiatives and funding to scale and accelerate in-country partnership that address blue carbon action, while contributing to the nation’s progress towards achieving many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

From October 2025, UNDP Viet Nam will begin to prepare for taking on the role of hosting the Secretariat of the NBCAP Viet Nam, once established. UNDP Viet Nam is looking for a Project Analyst who will be mobilized as the Manager of the Viet Nam NBCAP Secretariat project at the Country Office.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Analyst will work under direct supervision of a Project Management Specialist in charge of Climate Resilience with overall guidance of the Head of CCEEU. He/she will liaise closely with the BCAP Secretariat at WEF, which provides strategic advisory to the NBCAPs, technical advisors, programme analysts, partnership and communications officers, supporting staff, BCAP leads and specialists, and the officials of the International Cooperation Department of MAE.

The Project Analyst has the following duties and responsibilities:

Provide effective management, quality assurance and implementation of activities and deliverables of the NBCAP Viet Nam project under the UNDP’s Financing Agreement with WEF and in agreement with MAE 

• Coordinating with relevant actors to conduct a baseline assessment and stakeholder mapping exercise that serve as the basis on which to develop an Action Roadmap for the NBCAP.
• Lead and ensure the planning and implementation of priority actions of the NBCAP in collaboration with the Government and key stakeholders of the NBCAP Steering Group and Task forces and aligned with the NBCAP Action Roadmap;
• Ensure the development and consolidation of the NBCAP membership, which will include a Steering Group and Task Forces and a wider NBCAP community;
• Lead and manage the NBCAP Secretariat team and relevant consultants to ensure the smooth day-to-day operations of the NBCAP Secretariat and the partnership;
• Lead the engagement with NBCAP community and ensuring the effective planning and implementation of NBCAP membership activities through meetings, technical workshops, and other formats of convening, overseeing the preparation of related meeting contents and logistics arrangements by the NBCAP Secretariat;
• Oversee the partnership communications and knowledge management for NBCAP to guarantee that the NBCAP serves as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange and translating commitment into action; 
• Manage and monitor the overall NBCAP’s progress to ensure the qualified and timely deliverables;   
• Coordinate the preparation of operational and financial reporting of the NBCAP Secretariat to BCAP Global Secretariat (including bi-weekly updates, knowledge exchanges, NBCAP quarterly reports, final reports) in line with the NBCAP Viet Nam Secretariat Financing Agreement between UNDP Viet Nam CO and the WEF;
• Collaborate in developing and reviewing reports and issue briefs for relevant stakeholders on blue carbon action;
• Review existing literature, studies, news, and events related to blue carbon action;
• Prepare technical content and moderate/facilitate discussion and dialogues on blue carbon action in Viet Nam, including country-level collaborations to develop science, policy and financial mechanisms for scaling blue carbon ecosystem restoration and conservation; and connecting blue carbon projects to the international market and other revenue generating mechanisms;
• Explore new opportunities to increase visibility of NBCAP and mobilize resources from NBCAP members and partners for achieving NBCAP’s objectives;
• Develop and ensure quarterly workplans for the NBCAP with inputs from the NBCAP community and approved by BCAP Global Secretariat.

Policy advocacy on blue carbon action

• Maintain relationships with government agencies, development partners, NGOs, and private sector representatives and organize relevant dialogues and events to gather inputs and promote collaboration to prepare for informing and advocating relevant policies
• Initiate relevant research to ensure evidence-based policy advocacy or law enforcement, ensuring stakeholder feedback is integrated and practical solutions are proposed
• Support the implementation of the studies/assessments and evaluation work for promoting blue carbon action.

Project Implementation & Resource Mobilization

• Collaborate with the project team and project partners to implement the project activities
• Perform regular assessment of project progress according to quarterly/semi-annual workplans stakeholders and amended actions; measure performance by using a soundly developed M&E framework;
• Taking advantage of NBCAP platform and its diverse stakeholders to identify potential opportunities for future years of the NBCAP
• Support the identification of strategic investment partners and investment opportunities for blue carbon action.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s).

• Organize training, workshops, and capacity building activities in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia.
• Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners.
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on project related issues. Support establishment of knowledge platforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area.
• Promote advocacy on development trends and opportunities to collaborate in coordination with the project partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff.

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

Competencies

Core competencies

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously:  LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner:  LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making 

People Management: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

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 Development          

• Knowledge Facilitation - Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Business Management           

• Project Management  - Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Communication - Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Partnership Management      

• Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding - Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms
• Resource mobilization - Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding requirements
• Strategic engagement - Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Policy, Sustainable Development, or other relevant fields is required, or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2years (with master´s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in multi-stakeholder partnership management and implementation of projects in such areas as environmental protection, blue carbon action, carbon accounting methodologies, ecosystem valuation or nature-based solutions.

Required skills             

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Desired skills  

• Knowledge and experience in design, management, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• At least 7 years of experience in project implementation and. in managing multi-stakeholder partnership(s), including government agencies, businesses, NGOs, development partners and academia. 
• Demonstrated experience in working and supporting innovation networks and/or promoting partnerships with the private sector.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating gender equality and social inclusion in project implementation. 

Required Languages

• Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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