Technical Specialist Biodiversity Financing (Team Leader) - (Open to all applicants)2 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.

Background/ Project Description 

The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is a global programme launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2012 to support countries in addressing biodiversity finance gaps through systematic analysis and the identification of innovative, scalable financing solutions. BIOFIN supports Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by strengthening the economic case for biodiversity conservation and enabling countries to mobilize public and private finance for nature-positive outcomes at the national level.

In Zambia, BIOFIN has been implemented in two distinct phases. Phase I (2015–2021) focused on rolling out the BIOFIN methodology to establish a robust analytical foundation for biodiversity finance. This phase successfully delivered the Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER), Policy and Institutional Review (PIR), Finance Needs Assessment, and culminated in the development of Zambia’s Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP). These outputs provided the first comprehensive assessment of biodiversity financing needs, institutional constraints, and potential finance solutions to address the national biodiversity finance gap.

Phase II (2022–present) has focused on the implementation of priority finance solutions identified in the BFP, with an emphasis on systems-level reform and private-sector mobilization. During this phase, BIOFIN has played a central role in supporting the development of Zambia’s Green Finance Taxonomy, including a corresponding tagging and reporting framework for the financial sector, in close collaboration with the Government of Zambia through the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. BIOFIN has also supported the development of Zambia’s green bond market, working closely with the Securities and Exchange Commission to strengthen the policy...