United Nations

Result of Service

The consultant will primarily contribute to the achievement of the expected outcomes of the collaboration between UNEP FI and the European Commision to support the EEEFin Coalition, as follows: • the high-level dimension of the EEEFin Coalition, while increasing its resonance and outreach outside Europe. • the solid participation of Financial Institutions in the different work streams of the EEEFin Coalition. • the availability of strong expertise on energy efficiency financing for the benefit of the EEEFin Coalition, financial institutions and EU Member States. For this, the consultant will contribute to: • setting-up the EEEFin Coalition and facilitating high-level participation. • disseminating the deliverables of the EEEFin Coalition, including through the organisation and participation to events on energy efficiency financing, and identification of best practices to be developed at the national energy efficiency markets. • increasing and deploying expertise on energy efficiency financing to support decision making and capacity building. In addition, the consultant will contribute to the achievement of UNEP FI’s administrative and reporting obligations related to the support to the EEEFin Coalition.

Work Location

Working remotely

Expected duration

12 Months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The overall objective of the UNEP’s Economy Division is to encourage decision makers in government, local authorities and industry to develop and adopt policies, strategies and practices and technologies that promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production, make efficient use of natural resources, ensure safe management of chemicals and contribute to making trade and environment policies mutually supportive. It promotes the development, use and transfer of policies, technologies, economic instruments, managerial practices and other tools that assist in environmentally sound decision making and the building of corresponding activities. The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is the strategic partnership between the United Nations and over 500 banks, insurers and investors. For over 30 years UNEP FI has been shaping and driving the international sustainable finance agenda, setting global standards and growing a global network of leading financial institutions. Through its work-streams and regional activities, peer learning, methodology development, training and research, UNEP FI promotes sustainable finance and helps the financial industry align with and contribute to the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. For the past 10 years UNEP FI was a co-convenor with the European Commission of the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG), which has served as a platform for cooperation and dialogue with financial institutions in the area of energy efficiency with more than 300 members. EEFIG left a fundamental legacy in the energy efficiency financing framework, both in the analysis of the barriers and identification of drivers to step-up investments. While the EEFIG initiative ended in June 2023, the Joint Declaration on energy efficiency financing and the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition (EEEFin Coalition) was signed on December 19th 2023 by the European Commissioner for Energy and the Energy Ministers of all 27 EU Member States. The EEEFin Coalition will replace EEFIG and establish a trilateral cooperation between Financial Institutions, the EU Member States, and the European Commission, with the objective to facilitate the mobilisation of private financing for energy efficiency and to contribute to the achievement of the European Union’s energy and climate targets for 2030 and 2050. UNEP FI will remain closely associated with this initiative and will support the European Commission in the activities to be developed by the EEEFin Coalition. UNEP FI needs additional capacity, in the context of the upcoming launch of the EEEFin Coalition, to lead the activities that will be developed by UNEP FI to support the Coalition, in collaboration with the European Commission. The activities of the Consultant will mainly focus on: - Assisting the European Commission in matters related with the preparatory phase of the EEEFin Coalition, - Supporting the implementation of the EEEFin Coalition, including by supporting the Coalition working groups and contributing to the activities that will be developed by the Coalition, inter alia by providing technical input on energy efficiency. - Coordinating UNEP FI’s communication and outreach activities in relation to the EEEFin Coalition, especially to UNEP FI membership and network - Taking care of relevant administrative and reporting obligations related to UNEP FI’s support to the EEEFin Coalition The consultant should ensure coordination with relevant UNEP FI teams, the European Commission and other relevant partners or experts. The consultant should align the implementation of the activities to support the EEEFin Coalition to UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy priorities on Climate, among others. Objectives: The Consultant will act as UNEP FI’s contact point for the European Commission and the EEEFinCoalition and will subsequently ensure internal coordination with and between the various relevant teams of UNEP FI, but also with the European Commission, with the EEEFin Coalition Secretariat and with relevant partners. Specific tasks and responsibilities: The Consultant shall have the following specific tasks and responsibilities: 1) Lead the support to be provided in matters related with the preparatory phase of the EEEFin Coalition, including: • Provide technical support in finalising all the necessary documentation for the setting-up and implementation of the EEEFin Coalition. This could include drafting tasks and providing inputs to the strategy of the Coalition towards national markets and/or sectors. • Support the mobilisation of stakeholders, in particular financial institutions, to become members of the Coalition or future participants to the Coalition’s activities. • Assist in the organisation of preparatory and launching events of the Coalition. • Ensure the promotion of preparatory and launching events of the Coalition throughout UNEP FI’s network. 2) Supporting the implementation of the EEEFin Coalition, including: • Support the organisation of high-level meetings of the Coalition, notably by providing key technical input in the production of the necessary documentation, such as the work programmes or specific deliverables. • Support the EEEFin Coalition’s working groups, by helping shape the scope and priorities, taking part in working group meetings, actively commenting on the ongoing work and its deliverables (e.g. draft reports) and providing recommendations to steer the group into the expected results. • Contribute to activities to be developed under the Coalition structure, always ensuring the link with initiatives developed under UNEP FI’s remit, especially by UNEP FI Climate team and UNEP FI facilitated Net Zero alliances. 3) Coordinating UNEP FI’s communication and outreach activities in relation to the EEEFin Coalition, in close collaboration with UNEP FI communication team and, as relevant, with the European communication team, including: • Provide relevant adequate speakers for the events of the Coalition or organised by the Coalition, adjusted to the subject matter. • Support the organisation of external events/speakers in international fora such as UN COPs and sustainable finance conferences to support the work undertaken by the Coalition and disseminate its achievements on a global stage. • Support the organisation of events, development of communication materials, e.g. articles for UNEP FI newsletter and website, web news, social media content or proceedings from events. • Coordinate with UNEP FI communication team for disseminating the deliverables of the Coalition throughout UNEP FI network and membership, in Europe and other regions. • Actively recruiting new members to the Coalition or new participants to the Coalition’s activities. 4) Taking care of relevant administrative and reporting obligations related to UNEP FI’s support to the EEEFin Coalition The Consultant will contribute to the swift cooperation between UNEP FI, the Secretariat of the EEEFin Coalition, the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders or partners. The Consultant will ensure internal coordination with and between the various UNEPFI teams contributing to the activities of the Coalition, especially UNEP FI Climate team and UNEP FI facilitated Net Zero alliances. The Consultant will also actively liaise with UNEP FI regional coordinators to facilitate exchange of knowledge, expertise and best practices on energy efficiency financing across regions. Outputs: • Setting-up and launch of the Coalition is supported. • Dissemination of the deliverables of the Coalition, including through the organisation and participation to events on energy efficiency financing, and identification of best practices to be developed at the national energy efficiency markets is ensured. • Increased expertise on energy efficiency financing is available and deployed to support decision making and capacity building for financial insitutions. In addition, the Consultant will ensure UNEP FI’s administrative and reporting obligations under its collaboration with the European Commission to support the EEEFin Coalition are met. The Consultant shall be under the overall supervision of Head of UNEP FI and report directly to Programme Management Officer, working in close coordination with Pollution and Circular Economy Lead at UNEP FI.

Qualifications/special skills

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent experience) in economics, finance, environment, resource management, sustainability, business, strategy, management, or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two (2) years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. Professional Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of work experience, ideally in the area of finance/sustainable finance. Experience working in/with banks, insurers and/or investment firms is an advantage, as well as experience working in international contexts. Experience working in the area of energy efficiency is a plus. Furthermore, the candidate should have a track record of delivering consistently high-quality outputs on time and on budget. The candidate should have successfully managed complex, ideally multi-stakeholder, research projects or studies. Experience of stakeholder engagement is a plus.

Languages

Languages: English is the working language of UNEP FI. Knowledge of other United Nations languages is an asset.

Additional Information

Skills & Knowledge: The candidate should have excellent proven conceptual, analytical, research, interviewing, writing and editing skills. The consultant should have strong project management, stakeholder engagement and consultation competencies. The candidate should be able to work in an organised and timely manner, and have personal resilience to work effectively in a complex setting. Knowledge of sustainable finance and/or banking and/or insurance is desirable, as well as knowledge on the issue of energy efficiency. Strong technical skills will be an advantage. The consultant should have excellent listening, writing and speaking communications skills.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.