Overview
The Sustainable Finance Specialist (and BIOFIN Project Lead) will be responsible for the overall supervision and management of in-country activities for the Biodiversity Finance Initiative and provide expert advisory and technical support services to UNDP Ghana's Innovative Finance and Inclusive Growth Cluster.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee and supervise national consultants and experts for the BIOFIN project.
- Prepare and manage core project instruments, including Terms of Reference, workplans, and budgets.
- Supervise national experts and Project Support Associate to ensure timely delivery of outputs.
- Organize project workshops and multistakeholder engagements.
- Coordinate governance mechanisms, including the national Steering Committee.
- Maintain regular communication and alignment with government stakeholders.
- Lead coordination, monitoring, and risk management for the BIOFIN project.
- Build strategic alliances with Government and Development Partners.
- Build strategic alliances with corporates and financial institutions.
- Provide overall technical leadership for BIOFIN project implementation.
- Provide technical support to the national project team to complete BIOFIN deliverables.
- Ensure continuous backstopping and quality assurance for BIOFIN deliverables.
- Develop the Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP).
- Design and operationalize financing mechanisms such as blended finance facilities and impact investment platforms.
- Support Government in implementing Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF).
- Scale up MSME productivity through digital ecosystems and green business incubation.
- Drive TVET and entrepreneurship programs linked to market demand.
- Support the Cluster Lead with exploring technical solutions and analytical work.
- Design programmatic interventions and prepare project proposals.
- Participate in programming exercises, scouting for ideas and project design.
- Deliver technical related workshops, training and capacity building activities.
- Liaise with UNDP HQ and Regional units.
- Lead monitoring, reporting and quality assurance for BIOFIN.
- Ensure methodological alignment and technical consistency for BIOFIN.
- Liaise with relevant initiatives and programmes in UNDP and other organizations.
- Develop communication and knowledge products for BIOFIN.
- Position UNDP in Ghana as a knowledge source for investment destination promotion.
- Deliver key knowledge products and policy briefs for innovative finance solutions.
Required Experience
- A minimum of 7 years experience (with masters’ degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s degree) preferably in the implementation of finance/ investment- related projects.
- Experience in implementing/deploying financial products, investment modalities and/or financial instruments deployment is required.
- Experience in building partnerships and interacting with the financial sector’s ecosystem is required.
- Experience in managing work teams and supervising technical assessments, reports and technical documents.
- Knowledge in biodiversity and environmental related policies is desired.
- Experience in biodiversity/environmental finance is desired.
- Experience in development finance and International Financial Institutions work is a plus.
- Designing fund structures modalities and facilities is desired.
- Prior experience with IFIs/UN projects would be an asset.
Qualifications
- Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in finance, development finance is required, or
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above fields in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
