Key Duties and Responsibilities

Project Management

• Lead the management of national consultants and experts in collaboration with the UNDP Country Office and Global Project Management and Technical Support Unit (GPMTSU);
• Oversee the development, execution, and revision of workplans and budgets in consultation with UNDP and GPMTSU;
• Manage and guide the national BIOFIN team to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of outputs, including the Policy and Institutional Review (PIR), Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER), and Financial Needs Assessment (FNA);
• Ensure regular communication with the Ministries of Finance, Environment, and other key stakeholders, and facilitate the formal establishment and meetings of the National Steering Committee;
• Monitor risks and challenges and report regularly to the GPMTSU and UNDP Ethiopia.
• Ensure alignment of the project with national biodiversity-related processes (NBSAP updates, Global Biodiversity Framework implementation);
• Identify risks and challenges in project implementation and report them to the GPMTSU;
• Organize regular team meetings and monthly calls with the GPMTSU Technical Advisor, ensuring the national team participates in regional technical calls and global meetings.

Provision of top level technical advisory

• Act as principal technical contact for the project implementation with GPMTSU with regards to all questions and issues that arise during national implementation;
• Serve as the principal technical contact for project implementation, liaising with the GPMTSU on national implementation issues;
• Provide technical leadership on all finance-related issues, ensuring horizontal integration and consistency across workstreams and studies;
• Provide guidance and quality control for the four key deliverables (PIR, BER, FNA, and BFP), ensuring adherence to the BIOFIN methodology;
• Regularly submit draft work to the global Technical Advisor and GPMTSU for feedback and ensure it is integrated into national reports;
• Develop sections on subsidies and financing incentives for the PIR, based on guidance from the GPMTSU and BIOFIN Workbook;
• Provide technical support for data collection and analysis related to the Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER) and Financial Needs Assessment (FNA);
• Develop the Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP) in line with the guidance provided by the GPMTSU and BIOFIN Workbook;
• Provide leadership on finance-related aspects, particularly.
  • Capital market linkages, including green bonds and investment structures;
  • Engagement with banking and pension sectors to integrate biodiversity considerations;
  • Developing innovative finance solutions aligned with global standards.

Lead Reporting/Communication/M&E

• Identify and report any delays in national deliverables to the UNDP Country Office and the GPMTSU;
• Lead project monitoring, reporting, and evaluation at the national level, preparing monthly and quarterly reports for the global BIOFIN team;
• Coordinate the development of workshop reports for the inception and technical workshops;
• Review all technical reports and ensure alignment with global BIOFIN methodologies, including the BIOFIN Workbook;
• Liaise with relevant UNDP initiatives (NBSAP, GEF 7 Early Action Support Program, Nature Hub) and other organizations to support project execution;
• Review final reports for the PIR, BER, FNA, and BFP, ensuring their quality and consistency;
• Collaborate with the team to develop at least one overview publication annually, along with press releases and media products.

Support Strategic Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization

• Establish and maintain a strategic understanding of and engagement with all the relevant institutions, including establishing contact and developing strategic partnerships with other UN agencies, government institutions, donors, NGOs, IFIs, the private sector, academia, civil society and other stakeholders and beneficiaries at the national, regional, and local levels;
• Participate in meetings with donors, prepare and deliver presentations of project results, and follow up with relevant counterparts if requested by the supervisor;
• Implement resource mobilization strategies to achieve project outcomes that include facilitating liaisons with potential financing agencies and institutions to strengthen relationships and raise funds;
• Identify new funding opportunities for furthering the project ideas.

Contribute to Knowledge Management and Information Sharing in the UNDP Country Office

• Organize training for the project personnel to enhance their capacities in the technical matters of the thematic area of the project;
• Identify, evaluate, synthesize, and document lessons learned and best practices directly linked to the project goals and activities. Develop knowledge sharing materials and respond to related queries;
• Contribute substantively to knowledge networks and communities of practice within the thematic area of the project;
• Develop and carry out a personal learning plan.