Programme Analyst, IPSA 8 - UNCDF - GFCR- Home-Based

General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.

UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and 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.

As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, UNOs, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector.  By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders.  UNCDF’s work is focused on six priority areas, including:

•                     Sub-national and local infrastructure financing
•                     Women owned enterprise financing
•                     Nature and climate financing
•                     Energy and decarbonization finance
•                     Sustainable food systems financing
•                     Inclusive digital finance

Following a recent restructuring, UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by the Executive Board of United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and performs the function of the Executive Board of UNCDF.

Within its mandate, UNCDF hosts and leads 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. A cross-functional and multi-UN Agency team, the GFCR UN Global Team (UNGT), provides in addition to management leadership and coordination, technical and operational expertise to conduct the 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.

a)         Portfolio Coordination Support

• Overall support role in coordination for the GFR programming workstream. 
• Support coordination with the GFCR UN Global Team, programme partners, the GFCR Investment Fund, and other partners. 
• Documenting meetings with GFCR programme partners and other stakeholders 
• Drafts memos, reports, and presentations for submission to Board Members;
• Support provision of guidance to programme implementation partners.

b)         Portfolio Management Tools

• Conduct regular updates and management of the GFCR Grant Fund Programme database and other fund database as required. 
• Develop templates to receive data for database updates to gauge programme progress and challenges.

c)         Programs Technical Review, Evaluation, and Progress Supervision

• 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 funds approach to coral reef conservation in line with the Theory of Change. This includes identifying linkages with existing initiatives for marine conservation, development finance, and the private sector;
• Along with the Programme Analyst, conducts scoring evaluation of programme proposals and concept notes;
• Flags programmatic issues and risks, and supports monitoring of progress;
• Support compliance of programme proposals and concept notes with the funds policies and standards, including Safeguards and Gender policies.

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

Institutional Arrangement

The Programme Analyst will report to the Programme Analyst and coordinate and interact as needed with the Deputy Director of the GFCR.

Minimum Education requirements

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Marine Ecology, Environmental Science, Marine or Environmental Policy, and/or other relevant field is required, or 
• A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) with additional 2 years of experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the Advanced University Degree.

Minimum years of relevant work experience        

• Applicants with Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience at the national or international level in 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.

Required skills 

• Demonstrated experience with conservation finance and/or blended finance related to environmental conservation, including the Ocean is required.
• Experience in designing and building databases for programmes portfolio management is required.
• Experience with proposal writing and technical evaluation is required.

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

• Prior experience working with international organizations; including funds with thematic competencies related to the environment.
• Excellent communication and writing skills/experience.
• Experience interacting with civil society organizations, including NGOs, academic institutions and others. 

Required Language(s) 

• Proficiency in English language: verbal, writing, and editing skills. 
• 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.