Background
In Malaysia, UNDP’s programme priorities and partnerships are defined and operationalized through the Country Programme between Government of Malaysia and UNDP to support and contribute to the development priorities and results envisioned in the 5-year Malaysia Plan.
Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) is the biggest programme portfolio for UNDP Malaysia Country Office (CO), with wide range of initiatives and projects from biodiversity and ecosystems, climate change, environmental management, ozone protection, green commodities, natural resource management. The portfolio remains one of the important programme areas in the Country Programme Document period of 2022 – 2025 with a shift towards diversification of funding and efforts to operationalize new and innovative financial instruments and partnerships.
Within this context, UNDP is scaling up its work on biodiversity financing, with a focus on mobilizing blended and private sector finance for conservation. Anchoring this portfolio is the Tiger Landscapes Investment Fund (TLIF), a flagship blended finance mechanism designed as a proof-of-concept for using blended finance and risk-mitigation strategy to catalyse private investment into nature-positive businesses in and around tiger landscapes. The TLIF is supported by anchor funding from Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) and developed in collaboration with the Tiger Conservation Coalition (TCC). It consists of a Technical Assistance Facility (TA Facility) to incubate investable conservation enterprises, and a guarantee facility managed by UNCDF to de-risk lending by local financial institutions. The TLIF is also designed to have a unique governance structure that represents the donors, the investors and members of the Tiger Conservation Coalition (TCC).
The National Programme Specialist will lead the implementation of the TLIF in Malaysia while also providing strategic leadership for UNDP’s broader biodiversity financing portfolio. This includes leveraging lessons from TLIF to inform national policies, contribute to the development of additional financing instruments, oversee implementation of biodiversity initiatives under biodiversity financing and support synergies and alignment across related initiatives. The role requires strong technical, coordination, and stakeholder engagement capacities to mobilize finance, scale nature-based solutions, and enhance biodiversity outcomes nationally.
The National Programme Specialist will lead the coordination and management of the TA facility for Malaysia. The incumbent will identify and engage with partners on pipeline development and coordinate with the Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to support the financing of the nature-positive projects.
By the end of the project, a substantial number of nature-focused enterprises are expected to have been established, contributing to the conservation and restoration of the tiger landscapes. In addition to that the National Programme Specialist will contribute to the impact monitoring and evaluation, randomized verification, preparation of case studies and engagement with the government and private sector to further enhance the scale and impact of the Fund.
Duties and Responsibilities
The duty station is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative and direct supervision of the UNDP Head of Nature, Climate & Energy in the Country Office in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, the National Programme Specialist is responsible for effective delivery of programme/project implementation ensuring effective operational management of programme/project and transparent utilization of financial resources with the aim to scale up financing for biodiversity in Malaysia.
The National Programme Specialist will work in close coordination with the Global Project Manager of the Tiger Landscapes Investment Fund for programme implementation. At the same time, the National Programme Specialist will work closely with the Biodiversity Finance (BIOFIN) team, Country Office (CO) Programme and Operations teams, Government counterparts, national and international experts, and project partners ensuring successful CO performance and compliance in programme management and finance.
The National Programme Specialist will manage and supervise the programme team(s) to ensure that the project staff, technical experts and service providers operate effectively and efficiently for successful implementation and delivery of project activities/outputs.
Technical Assistance and Biodiversity Finance Innovation
- Implement the Technical Assistance Facility (TA Facility) under the TLIF, including the identification and support of business incubators and conservation enterprises with high biodiversity impact potential.
- Provide strategic direction for UNDP Malaysia’s biodiversity finance portfolio, ensuring synergies between TLIF and other ongoing or planned biodiversity-related financing initiatives.
- Build the capacity of incubators and partners to improve biodiversity outcomes and financial sustainability of supported enterprises.
- Support pipeline development and strengthen partnerships between conservation NGOs, business incubators, and Financial Service Providers (FSPs).
- Coordinate with the Impact Investment Specialist to ensure FSPs have the necessary capacity to apply the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and monitor biodiversity impact. Similarly, coordinate with the Impact Investment Specialist to ensure that the necessary financial literacy and capacity on finance among the business incubators and the enterprises are financed.
- Encapsulate key lessons from TLIF and broader biodiversity financing efforts implementation to inform policies and regulations on scaling nature-based finance. This includes applying nature-based KPIs for upcoming financial instruments as well as replicating a blended finance model and other similar financial models across various nature, climate and SDG-aligned development priorities in Malaysia
- Establish and manage relevant, inclusive and multi-stakeholder decision-making committees, ensuring alignment with the Terms of Reference of the Tiger Landscapes Investment Fund and inclusion of relevant expertise for effective decision-making
- Conduct field visits to potential and financed enterprises to monitor impact and provide strategic support for strengthening biodiversity-positive impact.
Coordination and Portfolio Management
- Manage the day-to-day implementation of the TLIF Malaysia workstream, ensuring effective coordination with national stakeholders, consultants, and UNDP national, regional and global teams.
- Develop annual work plans and budgets, monitor progress, and apply adaptive management to ensure delivery of outputs and donor requirements.
- Lead reporting, third-party verification, and impact tracking for TLIF while contributing to knowledge-sharing across the biodiversity financing portfolio.
- Identify and promote opportunities for synergies and alignment between TLIF and other UNDP or external programmes to scale impact and resource mobilization.
- Monitor risks, provide updates on evolving or materialized risks, and propose mitigation and management actions.
- Ensure compliance with project frameworks and funding requirements, especially UNDP’s Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP).
- Ensure the portfolio interventions integrate a gender equality perspective/gender equality mainstreaming to the extent local context allows.
Stakeholder Engagement and Policy Influence
- Maintain regular engagement with national and subnational government counterparts, conservation partners, financial institutions, private sector actors and indigenous peoples and local communities.
- Cultivate strong relationships with members of the Tiger Conservation Coalition and key partners across biodiversity finance efforts.
- Participate in national, regional, and global forums to raise the profile of biodiversity finance innovations in Malaysia.
- Support resource mobilization and contribute to the development of future projects and instruments in the biodiversity finance space.
- Facilitate South-South exchanges and promote Malaysia’s role as a regional leader in innovative conservation finance.
Knowledge Management
- Provides leadership and coordination in knowledge building and management in accordance with the programme and project objectives and results as well as UNDP policies and procedures:
- Contribute to the development of knowledge products based on lessons learned, experiences and data generated through programme and project implementation and provide sound contributions to UNDP knowledge networks and communities of practice.
- Substantively contribute to project communications and visibility efforts and make recommendations to the management team on activities with potential for scale-up, replicability and synergies.
- Identify, write and communicate success stories, best practices and lessons learnt from relevant technical advisory services, initiatives and projects, and ensure proper documentation and dissemination.
- Support organizing of knowledge generating events relating to the programme areas together with CO and/or partners
- Work with UNDP Country Office’s Communications Unit on the implementation of Communications and Advocacy Strategies and Plan.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Competencies
Core competencies
- 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
People Management
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical Competences
Business Direction and 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 other parts of the system.
Business Development
- Knowledge generation - Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.
Business Management
- Results-based Management - Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.
- Communication - Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.
- Project management - Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
Partnership
- Strategic engagement - Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives
Ethics
- UN policy knowledge - ethics - Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to ethics and integrity.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (master´s degree) in Finance, Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Business Administration, Public Administration or a related field is required; or
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in the said fields with 2 additional years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of a Master's degree.
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years (with master´s degree) or 7 years) with bachelor´s degree) of relevant experience in the field of impact investing, sustainable financing and/or sustainable business incubation.
- Experience in nature conservation, environmental impact / biodiversity assessment, impact investing or blended finance mechanisms.
- Experience in project management.
- Experience in business incubation/pipeline development.
- Coordinating and maintaining strategic partnerships on private sector engagement, sustainable finance, nature finance, and other related areas.
- Experience leading and managing development programmes and projects in all phases of programme/project management involving multiple partners and stakeholders in the national and/or sub-national setting.
- Experience in collaborating and partnering with the private sector, communities and/or international organizations.
- Demonstrated ability in writing good quality reports, policy briefs/papers, and/or communication & advocacy articles/blog/stories
- Proven field experience in the field of sustainable development in Malaysia.
- Basic knowledge of GIS applications.
- Experience of the UN and/or UNDP's rules, policies and procedures.
Required Languages
- Fluency in English and Malay is required.
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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