Result of Service
The consultant will deliver the following: - Contribute expert analysis to UNEP’s work on removing financial and institutional barriers, identifying opportunities for improving enabling conditions, de-risking investments, and strengthening alignment across projects. - Develop a strategic options paper outlining viable financial and institutional models to support scaling of up-stream and midstream circular economy solutions, with emphasis on blended finance and catalytic partner-ships in emerging markets. This paper will also include content on pipeline identification and development. - Develop recommendations on enhancing the finance and investment components of country projects under the UNEP Plastics Initiative, including engaging with financial institutions and investment related partners for project cooperation. - Review and provide constructive inputs on technical deliverables related to circular economy finance, helping to strengthen their quality, strategic alignment, and usefulness for country implementation and global learning. - Provide technical support to PTIF-related activities, including drafting eligibility criteria for future pipeline pro-jects, providing criteria, guidance and recommendations on environmental and social (E&S) safeguards, developing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, reviewing relevant project and policy documents, and preparing briefing notes on finance and plastics. - Provide technical inputs on emerging needs as needed.
Duties and Responsibilities
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional levels. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP's Industry and Economy Division works with international governments and non-governmental organizations, national and local governments, business and industry to develop and implement policies, strategies, and practices that are cleaner and safer, incorporate environmental costs, use natural resources efficiently, reduce pollution and risks for humans and the environment, and enable the implementation of conventions and international agreements. The UNEP Plastics Initiative is UNEP's programme to activate and scale up global, regional, and national actions to tackle plastic pollution. The Initiative consolidates all UNEP's plastic-related projects, activities, actions, and results into a unified programme that leads and implements a system-wide transformation towards a safe circular economy of plastics. Through collaboration with diverse stakeholders, ongoing projects, and a multifaceted approach, the Initiative seeks to accelerate market transformation towards a circular economy of plastics. Finance is playing a more visible role across the Initiative, complementing work on policy, technology, business models, and behavior change. As circular solutions advance and scale, attention is gearing towards how financial structures and investment mechanisms can best support their uptake. This context brings the need for strengthened expertise on finance, helping to integrate finance across the Initiative, while working closely with specialized executing partners delivering finance-focused interventions. Within Plastic Reboot, finance is addressed as a cross-cutting area, supporting the removal of global barriers to circular solutions, particularly for upstream and midstream interventions. In parallel, the plastics team and UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division are working closely with UNCDF and IFC on the development of the Plastics Transition Investment Facility (PTIF), which aims to mobilize capital at scale. In this context, UNEP is recruiting a finance and investment specialist on circular economy of plastics. The specialist will work closely with the technical officers and specialists, UNEP FI, and the wider network of partners towards assessing the finance gaps of implementing circular economy related projects to address and reduce plastic pollution in countries, advising on risk mitigation mechanisms, setting impact targets on environmental and social outcomes, developing policy advisory, and providing quality assurance for relevant deliverables and activities from executing partners.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced University Degree (or equivalent) in Finance, Economics, Environmental Finance/Economics, or related disciplines is required. - At least 5 years of knowledge and experience of blended finance structuring or fundraising approaches in one of the following is required: (i) project finance, (ii) non grant instruments, (iii) impact and/or green bond issuances, (iv) carbon, biodiversity or pollution finance; - At least 3 years of directly relevant professional experience within a financial institution, corporation, investment fund, or multilateral development bank entity is required; - Proven advisory experience in reviewing investment‑ready project proposals, sourcing new solutions and technologies to build up future investment pipeline projects, as well as safeguards and E&S risk management experience, including demonstrated knowledge of factors affecting project success such as bankability, risk assessment, profitability, and social and environmental returns; - Practical experience in mobilizing private capital, collaboration with development finance institution and public donors, and implementing blended finance and de-risking mechanisms in emerging markets; - Proven project work on circular economy, preferably on plastic pollution and circular upstream and mid-stream solutions is desired.
Languages
Fluency in English (oral and written). Fluency in in other UN languages is an advantage.
Additional Information
Competencies and qualifications: • Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of gender mainstreaming approaches; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professionalism rather than personal concerns; shows persistence and problem-solving skills when faced with difficult problems or challenges, and; remains calm in stressful situations. • Teamwork: Takes the initiative to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; is flexible to support unexpected or urgent team's needs that might not be expressed in the workplan; motivates others to provide ideas and feedback and genuinely values this input; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; demonstrates openness and pro-activity in keeping the network of professional and other stakeholders and clients well informed and in receiving feedback concerning areas for improvement; asks questions to clarify and exhibits genuine interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; respect the communication channels within the organizations including the UN.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
