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

UNDP is the United Nations’ lead agency on international development, working in 170 countries and territories to help people build better lives while protecting the planet. For 60 years, UNDP has supported countries to make progress on the issues that matter most, with human development at the core of its mandate. Our work is built on trust and long-term partnerships with governments, communities and organizations at every level.

UNDP Indonesia works with Indonesian partners to deliver an ambitious programme, fully aligned to the national priorities of Indonesia. The strategic priorities of UNDP Indonesia through its Country Programme 2026 -2030 are encapsulated under three outcome areas:

(1)    Human Development
(2)    Nature, Decarbonization and Resilience
(3)    Economic and Digital Transformation

Operating in a Middle-Income Country brings its own set of complexities and opportunities. With 70% of the Indonesian economy directly or indirectly reliant on its natural resources, the link between nature, climate, jobs, and economic empowerment become critical. UNDP’s past experiences and support include innovative sustainable financing, digital health, energy transition and climate policies, improved service delivery that leaves no one behind. Enablers and multipliers such as digitalization and Artificial Intelligence are at the core of its efforts. Building on its vast and long experiences, and the knowledge of its entire team of professionals, UNDP Indonesia demonstrate its thought-leadership and translate knowledge into policy advice, investment opportunities and scalable solutions for Indonesia’s critical development priorities.

UNDP Indonesia is currently seeking a Team Leader - Nature and Low Carbon Development (NLCD) to guide its Nature, Environment, and Low Carbon Development (NLCD) pillar, a critical component of its overall country programme. Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative, the Team Leader serves as a strategic advisor to the Country Office Management, leading policy development, capacity building, and portfolio expansion in the NLCD pillar. The successful candidate is expected to grow the portfolio by strengthening partnerships, mobilizing financing from diverse and non-traditional partners, and position UNDP as a partner of choice in Indonesia. To do this, s/he will manage a team around 40 personnel, ensuring talent management, efficiencies, and impactful results.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Strategic Direction and Leadership of Nature, Environment, Climate and Low Carbon Development

Set and continuously refine the strategic direction of the portfolio, translating global, regional and national priorities on nature, environment, climate and low-carbon development into clear programme priorities and areas of comparative advantage for UNDP;
Position UNDP as a strategic partner and thought leader, identifying emerging policy and development trends and shaping UNDP’s value proposition and engagement with government and other key domestic and international stakeholders, in the public and private sector;
Ensure coherence and strategic complementarity across the portfolio, connecting programmes and interventions across the NLCD unit, with other areas of UNDP such as Financing for Development, and Human Development and Responsive Governance, while identifying opportunities for scale, innovation and transformational impact;
Steer the evolution of the programme pipeline, ensuring that new initiatives are strategically aligned, evidence-based, financially viable and capable of generating significant development results;
Drive portfolio-level results and impact, using evidence, learning and performance information to adjust priorities, manage risks and ensure that the portfolio contributes to systemic and lasting change.

2. Strengthening Partnerships and Lead Financing Opportunities for Scale

Proactively identify and cultivate strategic partnerships with government, development partners, international financial institutions, private sector, foundations, civil society and other actors aligned with UNDP’s strategic priorities;
Anticipate and identify financing opportunities, including but not limited to, climate and environmental finance, blended finance and innovative financing mechanisms, and translate these into viable opportunities for the portfolio;
Develop and articulate compelling propositions for partners and funders, demonstrating UNDP’s comparative advantage, the
potential for scale and the development, climate, and economic impact of proposed interventions;
Build and manage a diversified partnership and financing pipeline, balancing short-, medium- and longer-term opportunities and reducing reliance on individual funding sources;
Broker strategic relationships and mobilize resources at scale, bringing together partners, expertise and financing around priority national challenges and opportunities.

3. Ensure Effective Team Management for Results and Oversees Accountability, Quality Control and Effective Oversight

Provide clear direction, priorities and accountability to the team, ensuring that staff/personnel understand how their work contributes to UNDP Indonesia’s strategic objectives and portfolio results;
Build and sustain a high-performing, diverse and collaborative team, fostering a culture of trust, inclusion, innovation, learning and shared ownership of results;
Deploy people and expertise strategically, ensuring the Unit has the right capabilities, structures and ways of working to respond to evolving programme priorities and opportunities;
Enable high-quality and timely delivery, proactively address bottlenecks, performance issues and risks while empowering team members to take ownership and make decisions within their responsibilities;
Develop people and institutional capability, providing coaching, mentoring and opportunities for professional growth while strengthening knowledge management, collaboration and succession within the Unit;
Provides strategic planning and oversight of the assigned portfolio of programmes/projects and ensures their compliance with programme and operations policies and procedures (POPP) and quality assurance standards.

4. Lead Policy Influence and Strategic Impact and Facilitate Knowledge Management

Influence national policy, institutional priorities and investment decisions by bringing UNDP’s evidence, expertise and convening power to key policy and development processes related to nature and low carbon development. Identify and champion innovative approaches and solutions, anticipating emerging challenges and opportunities and testing new models, technologies, financing approaches and partnerships that can deliver greater impact;
Leverage UNDP’s convening and thought leadership role to connect government, development partners, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders around complex, cross-cutting development challenges;
Capture, demonstrate and communicate results and learning, using evidence and lessons from the portfolio to inform policy,
influence investments and strengthen UNDP’s positioning and future programme development;
Drive scale and systemic change, ensuring that successful interventions move beyond individual projects to influence institutions, markets, policies and broader development trajectories;
Lead annual portfolio planning and develop integrated work, monitoring, human resources and procurement plans with Country Office units and project manager, ensures compliance with cost-recovery policies in coordination with operations and finance;
Facilitates knowledge building and management especially between the programme and projects and facilitates training for the UNDP staff and personnel and national counterparts on relevant programme issues.

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

Supervisory/Managerial responsibilities: Supervise the team including Technical Analyst, Programme Managers, Project Managers

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 competencies:

Digital & Innovation

Innovation ecosystem curation: Ability to identify key players in an ecosystem, engage with them and mobilise them to build a community and over time a movement around a common mission that can bring about changes at the system level. Ability to give sense of purpose and build trust, develop programmes of activities and platforms to build and strengthen relationships.

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 on other parts of the system.
Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.

Business Management

Portfolio Management: Ability to select, priorities and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while
optimizing return on investment.
Risk Management: Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks.

Partnerships Management

Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding: Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms.

2030 Agenda: Planet

Climate: Carbon Markets

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Environmental Studies, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Geography, Economics, Development Studies, Management, or any relevant field is required. Or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years (with a master’s degree), or 7 years (with a bachelor’s degree), of relevant national or international experience in nature and low carbon development policy is required;
Track record in managing complex programmes or portfolios within multilateral or bilateral development organizations, government institutions, NGOs or related organizations is required;
Experience in programme cycle, including design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, quality assurance and oversight is required.

Desired Skills:

Demonstrated experience in setting strategic direction, anticipate emerging trends and translate complex global and national agendas on climate, nature, environment and low-carbon development into coherent programmes, priorities and positioning is desired;
Substantive expertise in climate, nature and sustainable development is desired;
Deep knowledge and demonstrated experience in one or more areas relevant UNDP’s mandate—such as climate change, biodiversity and nature, environmental sustainability, energy transition, climate resilience or low-carbon development—with the ability to connect these agendas and translate technical knowledge into policy and programme solutions is desired;
Proven experience in developing and maintaining high-level strategic partnerships and to identify, cultivate and secure financing opportunities from bilateral and multilateral donors, international financial institutions, private sector and other sources is desired;
Experience with innovative financing and/or climate and environmental finance would be an advantage;
Demonstrated experience in influencing senior decision-makers and engaged effectively with government, development partners, financial institutions, private sector and civil society is desired;
Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder portfolios and translate strategy into measurable results is desired;
Demonstrated experience in programme design, quality assurance, risk management, performance oversight and using evidence and learning to adapt programmes and drive impact at scale is desired;
Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop diverse, multidisciplinary teams, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion and innovation is desired.

Required Language(s):

Fluency in English and Bahasa Indonesia is required.
Working knowledge of other languages at the UN is desirable.

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.

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

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Team Leader Nature, Low-Carbon Development [Open to internal and external applicants]