Climate Finance Advisor (Home base Retainer) - Freetown, Sierra Leone

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity (LiD) Grant Facility is also based here.

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, bringing together more than 260 members, including more than 140 countries, developed and developing, and more than 120 institutions to deliver on ambitious climate action that helps achieve the Paris Agreement and drive sustainable development. Governments identify their NDC implementation priorities and the type of support that is needed to translate them into actionable policies and programs. Based on these requests, the membership offers a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance and funding. This collaborative response provides developing countries with efficient access to a wide range of resources to adapt to and mitigate climate change and foster more equitable and sustainable development. The NDC Partnership Support Unit is jointly hosted by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC). For this project, the Consultant will be contracted through UNOPS.

Sierra Leone’s NDC 3.0 underscores the importance of climate finance as a key enabler of national climate ambition, highlighting the need to strengthen systems for mobilizing and managing climate-related resources. The Ministry of Finance (MoF), through its Climate Finance Unit, plays a central role in integrating climate considerations into fiscal policy and public financial management. However, targeted capacity is required to enhance coordination, refine climate budget tagging (CBT) approaches, strengthen financial analysis, and deepen engagement with development partners and climate funds.

The Embedded Climate Finance Advisor will support ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional systems and processes for climate finance within the MoF. This includes contributing to the transition toward a more structured and progressively automated CBT framework integrated within IFMIS, while supporting coordination across ministries and partners, improving data quality and oversight, and reinforcing institutional capacity. The role will complement existing partner initiatives, including those supported by the World Bank and FCDO, to ensure sustainability and government ownership.

The Advisor will be embedded in the Ministry of Finance and will work under the day-to-day leadership of the Deputy Director and Head of the Climate Finance Unit, with strategic oversight from the Chief Economist. The Advisor will report to the NDC Partnership Country Engagement Specialist and collaborate closely with national institutions, the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone (EPA-SL), the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, development partners, and other key stakeholders.

Overall, the assignment contributes to strengthening the Government’s ability to effectively manage and coordinate climate finance, while improving systems, processes, and institutional collaboration.

• This is a retainer national vacancy / position for twelve 12 months, maximum of 220 working days, with possibility of an extension depending on satisfactory performance and on availability of funds. 

• This is a Homebased position, meaning that the incumbent will not work from a UNOPS office but from the government facilities. Therefore, the incumbent will need to use his/her own laptop and software. 

• As this is a Local Position, in order to be eligible, the incumbent should be a national of Sierra Leone or have a valid residence and work permit in Sierra Leone. 

• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Climate Finance Advisor will provide technical advisory and coordination support to the Ministry of Finance’s Climate Finance Unit, with a focus on strengthening systems for managing and tracking climate finance. The role will support the implementation of NDC 3.0, the NAP, and future LT-LEDS processes by enhancing institutional capacity, improving coordination, and advancing tools such as climate budget tagging within IFMIS, while facilitating engagement with government and development partners.

1. Climate Finance Landscape and Gap Assessment

• Mapping of domestic and international climate finance sources and instruments, including eligibility and terms.
• Identification of climate financing gaps and constraints, highlighting structural, regulatory, or capacity-related barriers; and
• Prioritized investment recommendations, offering actionable guidance to inform climate finance strategy design.

2. Climate Finance Mobilization Roadmap

• A roadmap that defines priorities, roles, and a time-bound coordination plan for climate finance mobilization and partner engagement. The roadmap is accompanied by:
• Stakeholder engagement plan outlining roles, responsibilities, and communication strategies for key partners.
• Technical briefs (3) detailing strategic financing pathways, including readiness windows, project preparation facilities (PPFs), and domestic financing instruments (building from point of the first output).

3. CBT/IFMIS Transition Coordination Pack

• A practical coordination pack to support the transition from ad hoc climate tracking to a permanent, automated climate budget tagging system (CBT/IFMIS), comprising:
• Functional requirements and specifications for CBT, including alignment with the established data taxonomy.
• Governance and SOP note outlining procedures for tagging and reporting
• First-cycle tagging Quality Assurance notes identifying data quality issues and recommended corrective actions.

4. Institutional Capacity Building & Knowledge Transfer (A targeted capacity building program for the Ministry of Finance/Climate Finance Unit and priority Ministries, Departments, and Agencies) 

• Capacity needs diagnostic for a concise assessment identifying priority gaps and training requirements.
• Training curriculum and materials covering finance tracking, CBT governance, financing pathways, and fiduciary standards.
• Design and delivery of the mentoring and training plan for Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and the Budget Bureau to ensure effective adoption.

5. Partner Alignment & Coordination Inputs

• Coordination matrix mapping ongoing and planned partner support (e.g., World Bank, FCDO, readiness windows), with clear roles, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Linkage notes demonstrate how the Advisor’s work complements existing efforts, including readiness support, project preparation facilities (PPFs), and technical assistance.
• Quarterly coordination summary documenting progress, decisions, and follow-up actions to maintain alignment across stakeholders.

6. Technical Assistance for Climate Budget Tagging, Institutional Capacity, and NDC-Aligned Planning

• Deliver a clear, actionable roadmap to strengthen climate budget tagging, institutional capacity, and the integration of NDC priorities into national planning and budgeting systems, enabling effective tracking, alignment, and financing of NDC implementation.

7. Advisory / QA Notes on Climate Finance Instruments & Processes

• A set of brief advisory notes (four per year) providing quality assurance and guidance on key climate finance topics, such as readiness, pipeline governance, finance MRV, and fiduciary/ESG standards, prepared upon request to support MoF/CFU decision-making

Required

• Master’s degree or equivalent in finance, economics, climate policy, environmental economics, or any other relevant field of study with 5 years of relevant experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience (7 total) may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. 

Required

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in climate finance and/or public financial management, including advisory roles with Ministries of Finance/Planning.
• Working knowledge of climate budget tagging, climate finance tracking systems, and green public financial management (PFM) reforms; experience collaborating with IFMIS teams
• Demonstrated understanding of the climate finance landscape, including a wide range of funding sources from public, private, and international streams.

Desired

• Familiarity with UNFCCC processes including Subsidiary Body and Conference of Parties (COP), NDC and experience on government climate change processes
• Experience of other national contexts that contribute to climate finance mobilization 
• Ability to foster formal and informal networks to strengthen cooperation between agencies, including Government, private sector participants, NGOs and other stakeholders.

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• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
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• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
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