Sustainable Finance Officer (SFO)
Organizational Context
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Angola works to eradicate poverty and protect the planet by developing strong policies, skills, partnerships, and institutions. The Country Office implements a programme focused on inclusive economic growth, resilience to shocks, and strengthening democracy. Under programme priority 2, UNDP addresses challenges in biodiversity, renewable energy, environmental policy, natural resource management, climate change, and disaster risk reduction, operating from Luanda with site representations.
Job Purpose
This assignment supports the "Sustaining Ecosystem Restoration in Angola’s Extended Central Plateau" Project, focusing on advancing its sustainable finance agenda. The role will enhance Angola's capacity to access and mobilize financing for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable land management. The Sustainable Finance Officer (SFO) will design, coordinate, and implement sustainable finance solutions, working with government, development partners, and financial institutions to attract and deploy financing instruments. The position contributes to UNDP Angola’s broader sustainable finance portfolio, accelerating mobilization of public and private capital for sustainable development, climate action, and resilient livelihoods.
Responsibilities
The Sustainable Finance Officer (SFO) will strengthen UNDP Angola's capacity to design, coordinate, and operationalize sustainable finance solutions, mobilizing capital for inclusive, climate-resilient, and nature-positive development, while ensuring project delivery. The role involves technical advisory, partnership development, financing governance, capacity building, and implementation coordination with government ministries, financial institutions, and development partners. Key responsibilities include: Pillar 1: Sustainable Finance, Investment and Economic Transformation: - Developing sustainable finance knowledge products and analytical outputs, including roadmaps for carbon and biodiversity markets, de-risking investment assessments, and recommendations for sustainable bonds and conservation trust funds. - Coordinating the implementation of sustainable finance activities, identifying and structuring financing mechanisms and investment opportunities for sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity conservation. - Supporting financing readiness and investment mobilization by assessing opportunities, advancing market readiness, promoting impact investment, and aligning with national commitments. - Providing technical inputs to strategies, roadmaps, concept notes, and investment narratives. - Identifying and assessing financing opportunities such as blended finance, impact investment, thematic bonds, and carbon/biodiversity finance. - Supporting investment pipeline development and ensuring alignment with SDGs, climate, and biodiversity goals. Pillar 2: Partnerships, Financing Governance and Resource Mobilization: - Maintaining a stakeholder and partnership map and supporting structured engagement with government counterparts and financial institutions. - Organizing and documenting technical consultations, financing dialogues, and investor engagement sessions. - Supporting alignment between the project, Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF), and other relevant initiatives. - Facilitating Project Communities of Practice and connecting them with partners. Pillar 3: Capacity Development and Knowledge Management: - Assessing capacity needs and coordinating the development of sustainable finance tools for stakeholders. - Planning and supporting workshops, peer exchanges, and learning activities. - Creating and maintaining a repository of project knowledge products and lessons learned. Pillar 4: Project Coordination, Results Monitoring and Portfolio Coherence: - Preparing and maintaining an integrated work plan and monitoring progress against outputs and indicators. - Coordinating inputs from consultants and partners, monitoring dependencies, and escalating delivery constraints. - Providing technical inputs for Terms of Reference and procurement documentation. - Preparing concise progress reports and supporting portfolio coherence across sustainable finance initiatives.
Work Experience
Requires at least 3 years of professional experience in sustainable finance, development finance, climate or nature finance, investment readiness, or economic/financial analysis. Experience in strategic planning, project coordination, technical writing, and understanding financial instruments is essential. Desirable experience includes managing multi-stakeholder projects, capacity development, familiarity with carbon and biodiversity markets, and cultural awareness in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Skills
Key competencies include financial acumen, technical writing and reporting, and understanding of legal and institutional frameworks. Desirable skills encompass project coordination, leadership, self-motivation, training and capacity development, familiarity with carbon and biodiversity markets, computer literacy, cultural and political awareness, communication, diplomacy, policy dialogue, and stakeholder engagement. Core values include accountability, adaptability, flexibility, creativity, judgment, decision-making, planning, organizing, professionalism, and self-management.