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.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder forums, including public-private dialogues and government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. 

UNDP’s 2022-2025 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.

BPPS’ Hubs on Nature, Climate, Energy, and Waste works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment, and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on environment, climate change, and energy. This multi-billion-dollar portfolio encompasses: 

• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, including forests; 
• Sustainable Land Management and Desertification, including food and commodity systems; 
• Water and Ocean Governance, including SIDS; 
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation; 
• Sustainable Energy; 
• Extractive Industries; 
• Chemicals and Waste Management; 
• Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy and SCP approaches. 

This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning.

The Digital for Environment team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment, and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on the environment, climate change, and energy. This multi-billion-dollar portfolio encompasses Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, including forests; Sustainable Land Management and Desertification, including food and commodity systems; Water and Ocean Governance, including SIDS; Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation; Renewable and Modern Energy; Extractive Industries; Chemicals and Waste Management; Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy and SCP approaches. This work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning.

In addition to UNDP’s bilateral partnerships on natural capital, environment, and climate, UNDP is an accredited multilateral implementing agency of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Multilateral Fund (MLF), the Adaptation Fund (AF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which includes the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEF Trust Fund); the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF); the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF); and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF)). As part of UNDP’s partnership with these vertical funds, UNDP provides countries with specialized integrated technical services for eligibility assessment, programme formulation, capacity development, policy advice, technical assistance, training and technology transfer, mobilization of co-financing, implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, performance-based payments, and knowledge management services.

The Central African Forest Initiative Fund (CAFI) Secretariat is leading a project to develop a digital system for the implementation of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes in the Congo Basin, with a strong initial focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with transboundary programs. The PES is a financing mechanism that compensates farmers and local communities for providing ecosystem services such as the conservation of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, or regulation of the water cycle on their land. PES schemes have emerged globally to incentivize farmers and local communities to maintain forests on their land or avoid agriculture expansion into nearby forest areas. The proposed solution is to develop a modular, open-source system that enables the implementation of the PES schemes at scale. The system will consist of core modules that can be shared among different incentive schemes, increasing transparency, enabling complex business processes, and allowing for various countries and programs to adopt this approach. The Digital for Environment team of BPPS Nature Hub is supporting the CAFI secretariat in the development and implementation of the digital system for the PES.

Within this overall background, UNDP is seeking an incumbent to support the digital for environment team on the design and prototyping of the Digital Public Good for Payment for Ecosystem Services focusing on the Congo Basin and particularly the DRC. The incumbent is expected to support the user research, needs identification, the definition of the digital solutions requirements and features, rapid prototyping and mockups, and preparation. 
 

This assignment aims to support the Nature Hub digital team in project management, coordination, and knowledge management of key ongoing digital initiatives. 

Project management

• Develop project work plans and coordinate the implementation of project activities.
• Monitor and coordinate consultant and project member work plans. 
• Raise any risks or issues to the project manager and task team for resolution.
• Monitor and report on project progress, including regular updates to project partners and donors.
• Manage country-level work plans, liaise with country offices, and provide project support to unlock roadblocks, ensuring global and national implementation timelines are on track. 
• Ensure compliance with UNDP policies and procedures, wherever required.

Stakeholders coordination

• Coordinate with the CAFI Secretariat and – as appropriate in agreement with the CAFI Secretariat – with other project partners and stakeholders to ensure effective communication and collaboration.
• Provide technical support to project partners and stakeholders as needed.
• Bring relevant project members, task team advisors, and supervisors to relevant meetings.
• Attend and support partnership meetings with external institutions.
• Present and provide generic support to CAFI and its partners as well as – as relevant -country offices on Digital Public Goods, especially in Francophone countries.

Knowledge management

• Facilitate knowledge-sharing and capacity-building activities for project partners and stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for PES systems through collaboration with other technical teams and experts and follow through on meetings with country offices.
• Plan and support in-person workshops and side events.
• Contribute to global Digital Public Infrastructure discussions, briefing notes, and concepts related to the PES systems.
• Plan, design, and coordinate the Community of Practice.

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 incumbent will work remotely from his/her home base.
• The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Lead, Digital Innovation for Nature and Climate, based in NY, and the technical guidance of Data Innovation Expert, Digital Innovation for Nature and Climate.
• The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the CAFI Secretariat.
• The incumbent will liaise closely with the respective focal point/teams on opportunities for engagements and share learnings.
• The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment.
• The incumbent will be responsible for providing her/his own workstation (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection.
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be  reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

• Business Direction & Strategy – Entrepreneurial Thinking: 
  • Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate.
• 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 development – Human-centered Design:
  • Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process.
• Business management – Project management: 
  • Ability to plan, organise, prioritise and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.
• Digital and innovation – Digital product management: 
  • Ability to design and lead digital product development including testing, ongoing product iteration, product strategy and delivery.
• Digital and innovation – Design thinking: 
  • Solving problems by putting people at the center, visualising ideas and making them tangible in order to improve them through and iterative process of developing and testing.
  • Strong empathy skills, being able to put yourself “”in someone else’s shoes””, understand needs, abilities, preferences, motivations, (everyday) experiences from different perspectives as well as their cultural, social, economical and political contexts.
  • Ability to identify and challenge assumptions, (cognitive and social) biases and dominant mental models by generating new perspectives and frames that help redefine the problem, solution and opportunity space.
  • Being able to work with incomplete information, ambiguity and opposing views, needs and constraints and synthesise them into solutions that are viable, technically feasible and useful. 
• Digital and innovation – Digital public goods: 
  • Knowledge of how it works, understanding of the opportunities and challenges for governments and society.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Previous experience working with the UN and/or in a developing country is desirable.
• Previous experience in a product owner role is strongly desired.
• Experience with the environmental conservation, forest management and/or sustainable agriculture programs is an advantage.
• Experience with working with direct beneficiaries payments is desired
• Proven experience managing partner and stakeholder relationships at the national or international level is highly desired.
• Experience in coordinating diverse teams, technical vendors, and senior stakeholders around complex challenges is strongly desired.
• Demonstrated experience of budget management, work planning, monitoring, and reporting is an asset.