UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels offers a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in UNDP’s Strategic Plan.

UNDP’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan highlights our continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries in their pathways towards the SDGs and working towards the Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP’s Nature, Climate Change, Energy, and Waste (NCE&W) Hubs promote and scale up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

In recent decades, biodiversity finance tools and solutions have demonstrated their importance for achieving biodiversity goals and broader sustainable development objectives. Improved choice, design and implementation of effective, well-tailored finance solutions will strengthen countries’ chances of achieving national and global biodiversity targets. Biodiversity Finance Plans have become increasingly recognised as a relevant tool to help countries to identify and fill the biodiversity finance gap, including through the work of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative www.biofin.org. In December 2022, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework. This included numerous targets with relevance for financing. Target 19 on resource mobilisation includes reference for countries to design and implement national biodiversity finance plans.

The GEF created a global programme to support countries to design a national Biodiversity Finance Plan. A Biodiversity Finance Plan includes a systems analysis of a country’s economy including to map existing financing mechanisms, subsidies with potential harmful impacts on nature, drivers of biodiversity loss and gain, public and private expenditures committed towards biodiversity objectives and a country’s national financial needs for biodiversity. The biodiversity finance plan itself consists of a series of actions with the aim to significantly scale up available funding, green or phase out harmful finance flows and improve the effectiveness of available expenditures. The programme allows for active sharing of experiences across countries and includes a knowledge sharing platform and the provision of continuous technical support to country teams.

The implementation of the project in Sierra Leone falls under the GEF8 Umbrella programme for the development of the first National Biodiversity Finance Plan. The overall implementation of the project will be led by the Project Lead/Sustainable Finance Specialist with the support of a technical team and in coordination to a government project director and the National Steering Committee.

For the implementation of the GEF8-BFP Umbrella program at the national level, UNDP is recruiting a national team composed of a Sustainable Finance Specialist (Project Lead), a Project Support Associate, a Policy Expert and a Biodiversity Finance Specialist.

The Project Support Associate will be responsible for providing back-office/administrative support to the Sustainable Finance Specialist (Project Lead) and the whole project.

Scope of Work

Under the over-all guidance of the Project Lead, the Project Support Associate will be responsible for providing back-office/administrative support to the Senior Finance Expert (Project Lead) including:

(I)   Provision of overall project management Support financial and administrative tracking of activities and expenses.

(II)  Support Financial Oversight .

(III) Ensures effective administrative and logistical support to ensure successful project delivery

(IV) Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

1) Provision of overall project management support.

• Provide support with all financial and administrative requirements of the project, especially those related to project funding and accounting.
• Assist in ensuring that project is executed in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Assist or support in facilitating, guiding the work of the national team; manage payment schedules.
• Assist in project related activities, including planning for meetings, local and national consultations, trips and other project related activities.
• Ensure all national and international travel is organised smoothly.
• Document and share records of meetings, decisions, actions, etc.
• Support with the Monitoring and Evaluation of the project at the national level, including workshop evaluations.
• Any other duties assigned by the Project Lead the that have direct relevance to the project.

2) Support financial oversight.

• Support the Management of the project budget, and support overseeing of procurement and accounting procedures and activities, together with the UNDP Country Office and the GPMTSU.
• Ensure financial resources are disbursed on time to implementing partners.
• Maintain records of expenditures and collaborate in financial reporting.

3) Ensures effective administrative and logistical support to ensure successful project delivery.

• Develop calculations for the development of the annual workplan/budget.
• Handle all required procurement processes, requisitions and purchase orders, ensuring compliance with UNDP rules and regulations.
• Maintain an inventory of assets/equipment and support with the handover of equipment upon project closure.
• Ensure the Quantum approval system is set up at the Country Office for the project.
• Handle all logistical matters to organise the inception workshop, consultation workshops and any meetings as required.
• Regularly update the procurement plan and contacts list.
• Handle of all travel arrangements for national travel/missions and participants to national-level workshops.
• Handle all travel procedures for participants to global and regional workshops and other international meetings, ensuring all necessary visa, security clearances and plane tickets are obtained timely, and confirmations/changes of travel arrangements are communicated to the GPMTSU immediately.

4) Support knowledge building, knowledge sharing and capacity building relevant to the assigned project.

• Participate in training and organize briefings on internal procedures for the project staff.
• Provide support to other capacity building activities, including to the design and delivery of tools, materials for workshops, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action.
• Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned within the CO and regionally.
• Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work of the assigned project.
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Support compiling and systematizing project knowledge, products, and tools as well as their wide distribution to partners.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Project Support Associate will be under the direct supervision of the Sustainable Finance Specialist (Project Lead).
• UNDP shall be entitled to intellectual property and other proprietary rights over all materials that have a direct relation to the project.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements