National Project Specialist

The National Project Specialist will lead the coordination and management of the Technical Assistance Facility in Nepal under the Tiger Landscapes Investment Facility (TLIF). The role involves project management, partner engagement, pipeline development, impact monitoring, and stakeholder coordination to support nature-positive investments and biodiversity conservation in tiger landscapes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination and management of the Technical Assistance Facility in Nepal under the TLIF.
• Identify and engage with partners on pipeline development and coordinate with Financial Service Providers to support financing of nature-positive projects.
• Contribute to impact monitoring and evaluation, randomized verification, preparation of case studies, and government engagement to enhance scale and impact.
• Prepare annual work plans, budgets, and progress reports; manage procurement and recruitment of service providers and specialists.
• Coordinate efforts of all partners to ensure coherent and effective delivery of project results.
• Monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and propose corrective measures to ensure timely and quality delivery.
• Lead establishment of pipeline development programme by identifying business service providers, specialized agencies, and conservation NGOs.
• Strengthen capacity of pipeline development partners to improve biodiversity impact of enterprises.
• Facilitate exchanges between business service providers, conservation NGOs, government agencies, and Financial Service Providers.
• Conduct field visits to monitor impact and provide strategic support for biodiversity-positive impact.
• Coordinate with Impact Investment Specialist to ensure capacity building and compliance with Environmental and Social Framework and TLIF eligibility criteria.
• Serve as central coordination point maintaining strong relationships with project partners, government, UN agencies, and stakeholders.
• Organize and participate in events, workshops, and conferences to enhance TLIF profile and stakeholder engagement.
• Support knowledge-sharing, capacity development, and project visibility activities.
• Ensure mainstreaming of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion principles throughout project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Identify and address gender and social risks associated with project activities and propose mitigation measures.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Finance, Environmental Science, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor's degree) in the said fields with 2 additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a master’s degree.
• A minimum of 5 years (with a master’s degree) or 7 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in project implementation and management, with a focus on planning, monitoring, reporting, and stakeholder and team coordination.
• Good computer literacy – MS office applications, web-based management information systems.
• Experience in business development, pipeline development or entrepreneurship.
• Experience in processing and interpreting data and information.
• Experience in effectively networking within the national team and with external institutions.
• Experience in biodiversity conservation.
• Experience in impact investment or finance, including biodiversity or conservation finance.
• Experience of the UN and/or UNDP's rules, policies and procedures.
• Exposure to environmental issues or biodiversity.
• Prior experience in managing high-value, donor-funded projects.
• Extensive managerial experience, including experience in leading multi-cultural teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in multi-stakeholder coordination (government, civil society, IPLCs, private sector, and international organizations).
• Demonstrated ability to draft high-quality reports, policy briefs, and official communications.
• Experience in budget management and oversight experience.
• Proven experience in working with government counterparts, donors, and development partners at policy/strategic level including familiarity with government procedures, donor compliance requirements, and project governance frameworks.
• Fluency in English and Nepali is required.

Skills

• Project Implementation
• Project Management
• Planning and Monitoring
• Reporting
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Team Coordination
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Web-based Management Systems
• Business Development
• Pipeline development
• Data Processing
• Data Interpretation
• Networking
• Biodiversity Conservation
• Impact Investing
• Conservation Finance
• UNDP Administrative Policies
• Donor-funded Project Management
• Multicultural Team Leadership
• Report Writing
• Policy Brief Writing
• Budget Management
• Government Relations
• Donor Compliance
• Project Governance

Languages

English, Nepali