Institutional Support and Capacity Building Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

2.    Office/Unit/Project Description

The Central African region is home to the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, is sucking out about 1.5 billion tons of CO2 of the atmosphere or 4% of the world’s emissions every year and provides a habitat to more than 10,000 plant and animal species. Forest loss is accelerating despite ongoing efforts, as government action alone has not been enough to establish an effective balance between the interests of the forest and of economic development. On this basis, a coalition of donors – the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Korea – together with Central African partner countries – Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Gabon – have decided to enter into a collaborative partnership to establish the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). 
CAFI’s objective is to recognize and preserve the value of the forests in the region to mitigate climate change, reduce poverty, and contribute to sustainable development. This objective will be attained through the implementation of country-led, national scale REDD+ and Low Emissions Development (LED) investment frameworks that include policy reforms and measures to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and promote sustainable development. The CAFI Trust Fund is the principal means to implement the Central African Forest Initiative. It is administered by the MPTF-O, that also provides the Secretariat services. The Congo Basin, home to over 200 million hectares of tropical forest, represents one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs. Sadly, the region continues to experience alarming rates of forest loss. Over one million hectares of forest is lost annually, driven by small-scale agriculture, infrastructure expansion, and unsustainable logging practices. Despite its ecological and climate significance, Central African forests receive only 11% of forest climate financing worldwide. This deforestation not only undermines global climate goals but also threatens the livelihoods of over 75 million forest-dependent communities.

3.    Scope of Work 
This assignment aims to strengthen the CAFI Secretariat’s strategy for policy dialogue & country engagement by addressing the institutional, governance and capacity challenges within the Congo Basin’s forest and climate agenda. 

The purpose of this assignment is to support CAFI partner countries in strengthening national and subnational institutions to directly access, manage and implement financing from CAFI and other global environmental and climate funds such as the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund.

The Institutional Support and Capacity Building Specialist will lead the design, coordination and quality assurance of CAFI support through the direct-access readiness lifecycle from initial gap assessments and systems strengthening to accreditation, pipeline development, compliance and monitoring and continuous improvement. Ultimately, this tailored, country-owned support aims to ensure that partner institutions meet formal eligibility or accreditation requirements and the capacity to manage and implement high-quality investment programmes.

Under the overall guidance of the Chief Policy Dialogue and Country Engagement, the Institutional Support and Capacity Building Specialist will include the following main functions:

1.    Lead the Provision of Expert Support for Institutional Capacity Strengthening

• Assess institutional capacity gaps within national and subnational institutions, including government entities, public financial institutions, civil society organizations and other eligible entities seeking direct access to the CAFI Fund or other global environmental funds.
• Support the development and strengthening of policies, procedures and governance frameworks aligned with the CAFI Investment Framework, CAFI policies and procedures, country priorities and, where applicable, the requirements of the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and other global environmental funds.
• Facilitate institutional coordination among ministries, departments and stakeholders, including institutions responsible for forestry, environment, climate, planning and finance, as well as national designated authorities and other entities involved in direct-access processes.
• Analyse institutional, governance and political economy factors that may enable or constrain direct access and the effective implementation of nationally led programmes.
• Contribute to the design and operationalization of national PES institutional frameworks, action plans and roadmaps, where relevant to the investment pipelines and delivery systems of institutions seeking direct access.

2.    Ensure Fiduciary Readiness

• Support the development and implementation of fiduciary management systems and capabilities required for national and subnational institutions to directly access, manage and implement financing from the CAFI Fund and other global environmental funds. Areas of support may include;
  o     Financial management and accounting; budgeting and expenditure control; treasury and cash management; financial reporting; internal and external audit; 
  o    Internal controls; procurement and contract management; grants and asset management; management of executing entities and other recipients; segregation of duties and delegated authorities; risk management; information systems, data integrity and record retention; 
  o    Fraud and corruption prevention; conflict-of-interest management; counterparty screening; anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism; and whistleblower and witness protection.
• Guide and build capacity for institutions in documenting and demonstrating the effective application of their fiduciary systems during eligibility, due diligence and accreditation processes.
• Ensure that proposed institutional improvements are proportionate to each institution’s intended role, financing instruments, programme size, delivery arrangements and risk profile.

3.    Development and Implementation of Grievance Redress Mechanisms related to Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSHEA)

• Support the development and implementation of institutional policies, procedures and operational systems relating to:
  o    Feedback and Grievance Redress Mechanisms; ensuring mechanisms are accessible and effective; and
  o    Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSHEA); the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
• Build capacity for institutions to demonstrate the effective application of these mechanisms as part of CAFI eligibility, due diligence and, where applicable, external accreditation processes.

4.    Ensure Direct Access, Accreditation and Institutional Readiness

• Under the oversight of the Chief Policy Dialogue and Country Engagement support, support institutional readiness assessments of potential national and subnational implementing entities, financial intermediaries and delivery partners against the requirements of CAFI and, as applicable, the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and other global environmental funds.
• Assess institutions against their proposed role, mandate, financial instruments, project size, environmental and social risk profile, geographic reach, delivery model and implementation arrangements.
• Support candidate institutions in defining realistic and strategically justified pathways to direct access, including their institutional role, accreditation or eligibility scope, intended financing modalities, comparative advantage and priority investment pipeline.
• Translate assessment findings into costed, sequenced and time-bound institutional strengthening plans specifying responsibilities, milestones, evidence requirements, dependencies and residual risks.
• Support institutions in preparing accreditation, eligibility, due diligence and partnership documentation, including evidence mapping, documentary reviews, mock assessments, management responses and the closure of identified gaps.
• Maintain an institutional readiness dashboard and evidence repository for supported entities, with clear version control, confidentiality safeguards and status tracking.
• Liaise with national designated authorities, ministries of finance and environment, fund secretariats, delivery partners and technical assistance providers to ensure country ownership and avoid duplication of institutional support.
• Guide institutions during CAFI eligibility, due diligence processes and, where applicable, external accreditation reviews, including by coordinating responses to follow-up questions, supporting the establishment of legal and institutional arrangements, addressing conditions and operationalizing direct access once secured.
• Monitor changes in the policies, standards and accreditation frameworks of relevant global environmental funds and translate them into practical guidance for CAFI partner countries.
• Support both the achievement and effective operationalization of direct access, recognizing that eligibility or accreditation alone does not ensure the development, financing and successful implementation of national programmes.
• Monitor the implementation of institutional strengthening plans and support institutions in establishing continuous improvement processes following eligibility, accreditation or the establishment of direct-access arrangements.

5.    Capacity-Building Management and Knowledge Sharing 

• Support the Head of Secretariat, the Programming Team and the Partnership Unit in managing institutional technical assistance and direct-access readiness facilities across the CAFI Trust Fund, ensuring that institutional strengthening and direct-access support are linked to a credible and actionable investment pipeline.
• Conduct baseline studies and capability assessments to identify institutional, organizational and technical capacity gaps in entities seeking to access, manage or implement CAFI and other global environmental financing.
• Design and deliver tailored capacity-building solutions – covering fiduciary, environmental/social safeguards, gender and project management cycles including workshops, training, technical assistance and capacity-building frameworks, to support direct access to the CAFI Fund and, where applicable, the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and other global environmental funds,.
• Develop guidance materials, standard operating procedures, training materials and toolkits related to institutional readiness, direct access, accreditation, fiduciary standards, safeguards, programme development and implementation readiness.
• Coordinate and mobilize specialized technical assistance in key areas, including institutional governance, fiduciary management, environmental and social safeguards, gender, forest governance, emissions-reduction strategies and sustainable land-use planning.
• Support the integration of PES into broader national climate policies and contributions, including nationally determined contributions, where PES forms part of the country’s investment pipeline or proposed delivery systems.
• Advise and support national access entities in identifying, prioritizing and developing forest, climate and environmental programmes or projects aligned with country priorities, CAFI objectives and, where applicable, the investment criteria of other global environmental funds.
• Prepare terms of reference, workplans, budgets and quality standards for specialized institutional capacity-building assignments.
• Monitor the performance of technical assistance providers and ensure that their outputs contribute to agreed institutional readiness and direct-access milestones.
• Assess and ensure candidate entities have, or can establish, adequate implementation arrangements involving executing entities, financial intermediaries, local governments, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and private-sector partners, as applicable.

6.    Promote Stakeholder Engagement

• Contribute to the development of partnership engagement plans across the Secretariat, with particular attention to country-owned direct-access strategies.
• Facilitate engagement and coordination with key stakeholders, including government agencies, development partners, non-governmental organizations, local communities, national designated authorities, candidate national access entities and the secretariats of relevant global environmental funds.

The IPSA shall perform other duties within the scope of this Terms of Reference as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

4.    Institutional Arrangement

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Chief Policy Dialogue and Country Engagement.

5.    Competencies 
Expected Demonstration of Competencies Core
Achieve Results - LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 
Think Innovatively:    LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 
Learn Continuously:    LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
Adapt with Agility:    LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
Act with Determination:     LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
Engage and Partner:    LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:    LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 
Thematic Area    Name    Definition
Business Management  - Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.
Business Direction & Strategy - System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Business management - Portfolio management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management
2030 Agenda - Planet Climate : Climate Strategies and Policy: Policy and Institutional Building
Partnership management - CSO engagement: Knowledge and understanding of CSOs and the ability to engage with CSOs
Partnership management - Relationship management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
Finance    Due diligence management    Ability to conduct a comprehensive appraisal of an organization or opportunity to be undertaken by a prospective investor or partner, especially to establish its assets and liabilities, as well as evaluate the potential opportunity and its related risks; knowledge of respective methodology and tools.

6.    Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA
Min. Academic Education    

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental Science, Forestry, Climate Change, Natural Resource Management, Public Policy, Law, Public Administration or a related field, is required. Or 
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Min. years of relevant Work experience     

Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in coordination of institutional/political engagement and capacity building activities to high-level and multi-stakeholder platforms, preferably involving national and local government agencies, CSOs, and Donors.
Required skills and competencies   

• Experience working in the development sector particularly working with international organizations, national and local government agencies.
• Experience with development and/or improvement, and implementation of fiduciary management systems for funding engagement of interested Parties.
• Experience in developing capacity building programs for government partners.
• Experience in working with the United Nations, including its policies and procedures pertaining to partnership engagement.
• Experience with accreditation to vertical funds or national execution of development programs (either multi or bilateral experience)

Desired additional skills and competencies  

• Experience in land use, forests, climate projects.
• Relevant experience in the Congo Basin region.
• Experience in organizing training, organizational development, and strategic planning
• Proven experience managing partner and stakeholder relationships at the national or international level.
• Demonstrated experience of budget management, work planning, monitoring, and reporting.

Required Language(s) (at working level)    Fluency in English and French is required.
   

7.    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.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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