Ethiopia is a new participant in BIOFIN, supported by the GEF8 Umbrella Programme, aimed at designing the country’s first National Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP). The plan will include a detailed systems analysis of the economy, focusing on biodiversity expenditures, finance mechanisms, and policy gaps. The Project Lead will work closely with the National Steering Committee, the Ministry of Finance, the National Bank of Ethiopia, and other national stakeholders. The Ethiopia Country Office is recruiting a national team consisting of a Project Lead and Finance Specialist, a Biodiversity Finance Specialist, a Policy Expert, and a Project Support Associate to implement the GEF8-BFP Umbrella programme at the national level.
Responsibilities
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.
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;
Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Environment/Natural Resource Management, Biodiversity, Political Studies, Economics/Finance or a closely related field is required or;
A first-level university degree (bachelor´s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
A minimum of 5 years (with a master’s degree) or 7 years (with a bachelor’s degree) in the implementation of environment/biodiversity/finance projects.
Languages:
Fluency in English and Amharic is required;
Knowledge of any other UN language or national language is desired.
