“Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist – UNDP Suva, Fiji: An In-Depth 3000+ Word Exploration of Roles, Responsibilities, Strategic Impact, and Career Significance within the Global Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)”

April 16, 2025

11 minutes read

Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist position with UNDP in Suva, Fiji (Job ID: 25498). This breakdown includes a comprehensive understanding of the role, responsibilities, required competencies, relevance to global environmental governance, and professional development opportunities associated with this job.

Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist, Suva, Fiji – UNjobs

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You can access the official job listing for the Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist position in Suva, Fiji, on UNjobs via the following link:

👉 UNjobs

This page provides comprehensive details about the role, including responsibilities, qualifications, and application instructions. If you need assistance with your application or have further questions, feel free to ask!

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📌 Position Summary @vacancyspaces.com

Title: Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist
Location: Suva, Fiji
Contract Type: National Personnel Service Agreement (NPSA-11)
Duration: 1 Year (with possibility of extension)
Languages Required: English and Fijian and/or Fiji Hindi
Education & Experience:

Master’s degree with 7 years’ experience OR
Bachelor’s degree with 9 years’ experience
Posting Date: April 4, 2025
Application Deadline: April 19, 2025

🌏 Strategic Context and Organizational Background

This role exists under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) — specifically aligned with its Nature, Climate and Energy (NCE) Practice Area, part of the Global Policy Network (GPN). The GPN delivers high-quality policy and technical support through a network of global and regional hubs.

UNDP’s work is structured around helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically focuses on:

Biodiversity conservation and sustainable financing
Climate action
Nature-based solutions
Circular economy and waste management
Governance and resilience

The current job is part of a GEF-8 funded global umbrella program supporting the development of Biodiversity Finance Plans in various Pacific Island Countries including Tonga, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, FSM, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, and Fiji.

🧭 Job Purpose

The Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist serves as the national focal point and senior manager of this initiative in the Pacific, based in Suva, Fiji, and is responsible for:

Strategic leadership and coordination of the BIOFIN programme and associated Biodiversity Finance Plans.
Providing technical oversight and advisory for environmental finance tools.
Managing cross-country implementation and harmonization of policy and finance instruments for biodiversity.
Acting as the interface between global experts, local consultants, and national governments to align finance strategies with global biodiversity frameworks.

🛠️ Key Responsibilities (Detailed)

1. Strategic Leadership and Technical Oversight

Provide vision and direction for the implementation of the national and regional Biodiversity Finance Plans (BFP).
Guide the design of national workplans, budgets, and technical deliverables.
Ensure high alignment with the Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework and Target 19 on resource mobilization.

2. Team and Resource Management

Supervise and mentor the central team in Fiji: a Finance Specialist, a Project Associate, and consultants.
Lead the recruitment and contracting process for national experts.
Manage delivery timelines, risk mitigation, and quality assurance.

3. Technical Product Delivery

You are accountable for four major deliverables:

Policy and Institutional Review (PIR)
Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER)
Financial Needs Assessment (FNA)
Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP)

Each of these products involves detailed data collection, modeling, financial analysis, and policy alignment. You will:

Guide drafting, quality control, and integration of GPMTSU feedback.
Ensure technical rigor aligned with the BIOFIN Workbook methodology.
Support analysis of subsidies, harmful financing flows, and incentive structures.

4. Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination

Lead consultations with Ministries of Finance and Environment.
Formally establish and coordinate a National Steering Committee.
Organize and facilitate workshops, ensuring participation from:
- Government ministries
- Private sector
- NGOs and CSOs
- Academia
- International partners

5. Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

Maintain detailed project monitoring systems.
Draft monthly, quarterly, and annual reports aligned with GPMTSU requirements.
Oversee knowledge-sharing documentation, meeting minutes, and workshop summaries.

6. Resource Mobilization & Strategic Partnerships

Identify funding opportunities and prepare concept notes or proposals.
Maintain strategic relations with:
- UNDP teams
- GEF, BIOFIN, and GPMTSU
- Multilateral and bilateral donors
Represent UNDP and the project in international and regional forums when necessary.

7. Knowledge Management

Collect and disseminate lessons learned and best practices.
Support the development of media products, press releases, publications.
Foster internal learning through capacity-building workshops and technical training.

🌐 Geographic and Political Relevance

This position operates in the unique regional context of the Pacific Islands, a biodiversity-rich but climate-vulnerable region. The project:

Builds resilience through sustainable finance tools.
Strengthens national governance capacity in countries with limited technical and fiscal resources.
Aligns local action with global policy frameworks like the CBD, SDGs, and Paris Agreement.

The multi-country scope adds complexity but also offers broad impact and exposure.

📚 Required Qualifications and Skills

Education:

Master’s degree in economics, environmental policy, finance, international development, or related field + 7 years’ relevant experience
OR
Bachelor’s degree + 9 years’ relevant experience

Language:

Fluency in English (mandatory)
Working knowledge of Fijian and/or Fiji Hindi (highly preferred for national engagement)

Required Experience:

Experience managing large-scale biodiversity or environmental finance projects
Proven knowledge of ecosystem services, sustainable development finance, public finance, or impact investment
Strong background in strategic planning, multi-stakeholder coordination, and capacity building

Technical Expertise:

Familiarity with the BIOFIN methodology, including:
- Policy and Institutional Reviews
- Public Expenditure Tracking
- Financial Needs Assessment
- Biodiversity Finance Plan formulation
Experience with GEF projects, especially under GEF-7 or GEF-8 cycles

💡 Competencies Framework

🧠 Core Competencies

Achieve Results (Level 3): Set and align ambitious goals across multiple projects.
Think Innovatively (Level 3): Create solutions for complex and ambiguous challenges.
Learn Continuously (Level 3): Foster team learning and apply lessons learned to improve future outputs.
Adapt with Agility (Level 3): Proactively adjust plans amid changing conditions.
Act with Determination (Level 3): Drive action, inspire confidence, and overcome resistance.
Engage and Partner (Level 3): Lead collaboration across sectors and regions.
Enable Diversity and Inclusion (Level 3): Promote inclusive engagement across social and institutional boundaries.

🛠 Functional Competencies

Strategic Thinking
Financial Analysis
Environmental Policy Development
Stakeholder Negotiation
Technical Writing
Project Cycle Management
Knowledge Management and Dissemination

🌱 Impact and Career Development Opportunities

This position offers substantial exposure to environmental finance policy and implementation at both regional and global scales. Some career benefits include:

🔗 Strategic Impact

Help shape national biodiversity strategies for multiple Pacific Island countries.
Influence national budgeting and financial planning towards biodiversity-positive outcomes.
Directly contribute to achieving SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

🛤 Career Trajectory

Potential progression to UNDP Regional Technical Advisor roles or GEF Project Managers.
Platform for transition into international NGO or donor agencies (e.g., GEF Secretariat, World Bank, UNEP).
Opportunities to publish reports and participate in international conferences.

🌐 Networking & Recognition

Engage with the Global BIOFIN community and senior policy experts from CBD, UNDP, GEF.
Represent Pacific Island countries in global environmental governance processes.

🔎 Final Thoughts

This role is ideal for a mid to senior-level professional with:

A deep commitment to biodiversity and climate finance,
Strong coordination and leadership skills,
Experience working with governments or multilateral organizations, and
A desire to work in a region with immense environmental value and vulnerability.

It’s both a strategic leadership position and a technical role, requiring strong understanding of environmental economics, stakeholder dynamics, and global biodiversity frameworks.

If you’d like, I can help you with:

A tailored cover letter or CV
Interview preparation for this role
Drafting a professional statement of interest aligned with UNDP competencies
Creating a timeline and checklist to manage the application process

Would you like support with any of that?

Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist position with UNDP in Suva, Fiji, as described in the job announcement. This write-up explores not only the duties but also contextualizes the job’s significance within global, regional, and national frameworks, discusses technical aspects like BIOFIN and biodiversity finance, unpacks stakeholder coordination, and elaborates on key competencies and expectations.

UNDP Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist – In-Depth Explanation (Suva, Fiji)

1. Introduction to the Role

The Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist is a national-level, full-time position within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), stationed in Suva, Fiji. This role is part of the GEF8 Biodiversity Finance Programme and the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), with a focus on Pacific Island countries such as Tonga, Nauru, FSM, RMI, Kiribati, Palau, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, and Solomon Islands, with Fiji also being a target country.

The project aims to support the development of National Biodiversity Finance Plans (BFPs)—systematic strategies to mobilize, manage, and scale up financial resources to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

This position is crucial in driving biodiversity finance reforms and innovations across multiple Pacific Island States, coordinating technical teams, leading financial assessments, engaging in high-level policy dialogue, and ensuring coherence with global frameworks such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

2. Strategic Context

UNDP’s Global Mandate and GPN

UNDP, as the UN’s leading development agency, is implementing its 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, which focuses on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) connects field operations with global expertise in sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity, and governance.

This position sits within the Nature, Climate, and Energy (NCE) Practice Area—one of UNDP’s most active hubs within the GPN—and aligns with biodiversity finance and nature-based solutions.

The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)

BIOFIN is a global program that supports over 40 countries in addressing the biodiversity finance gap. It assists governments in:

Identifying existing biodiversity expenditures.
Analyzing finance needs for biodiversity goals.
Designing innovative financial solutions (e.g., trust funds, eco-taxation, payment for ecosystem services).
Developing Biodiversity Finance Plans.

BIOFIN provides guidance through a methodological framework known as the BIOFIN Workbook, encompassing tools like:

Policy and Institutional Review (PIR)
Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER)
Financial Needs Assessment (FNA)
Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP)

The Project Lead will guide the national team through these steps, with technical oversight from the Global Project Management and Technical Support Unit (GPMTSU).

3. Role Purpose and Overall Responsibilities

The Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist will be the senior-most technical and managerial lead of the Biodiversity Finance Programme in Fiji and across the participating Pacific countries.

Key responsibilities include:

Strategic Direction and Leadership: Define the technical vision, supervise national teams, and ensure quality deliverables aligned with global best practices.
Technical Advisory and Methodological Oversight: Act as a technical point of contact for all BIOFIN and GEF-financed biodiversity finance processes.
Stakeholder Engagement: Work with government ministries (e.g., Finance, Environment), NGOs, academia, and private sector actors.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Lead reporting and communication to ensure progress aligns with annual workplans and targets.
Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Development: Produce knowledge products, conduct training, and promote regional and global cooperation.

4. Detailed Duties and Responsibilities

Let’s break this down into thematic areas for clarity:

A. Strategic Leadership and Project Management

The Project Lead is expected to oversee the day-to-day management of a multi-country, multi-stakeholder, and technically complex project. Tasks include:

Drafting and updating annual workplans and budgets in consultation with the GPMTSU and the UNDP Country Office.
Managing the Project Management Unit (PMU) composed of a Project Finance Specialist and Project Associate.
Supervising national consultants (e.g., biodiversity economists, environmental policy advisors).
Managing project logistics: workshops, missions, data gathering, etc.
Ensuring compliance with UNDP and GEF rules and procedures.

This requires not just managerial skills but cross-cultural communication abilities, given the regional scope and the diverse stakeholders involved.

B. Technical Oversight and Delivery of BIOFIN Components

The position demands deep expertise in biodiversity economics, public finance, and policy analysis to guide technical outputs:

Policy and Institutional Review (PIR):
- Assess existing biodiversity-related policies.
- Identify regulatory bottlenecks and enabling environments.
- Review incentives and disincentives (e.g., subsidies, taxes).
Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER):
- Track public and private biodiversity expenditures.
- Identify inefficiencies and opportunities for reallocation.
- Develop expenditure baselines and typologies.
Financial Needs Assessment (FNA):
- Estimate the cost of implementing national biodiversity goals (e.g., NBSAPs).
- Use scenario modeling and forecasting tools.
- Quantify the biodiversity finance gap.
Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP):
- Develop detailed action plans.
- Propose finance solutions such as green bonds, biodiversity offsets, eco-tourism, trust funds, fiscal reforms, etc.
- Design policy instruments and pilot projects.

Each of these steps involves data collection, analysis, consultation, and reporting. The Project Lead must ensure data quality, methodological rigor, and compliance with the BIOFIN Workbook.

C. Coordination with National and Global Stakeholders

Coordination is at the heart of the role:

Facilitate regular communication between government ministries, UNDP, the GPMTSU, and other stakeholders.
Coordinate with the National Steering Committee, ensuring buy-in and policy alignment.
Represent the project in high-level policy forums, regional dialogues, and donor engagements.
Engage with academic institutions and civil society to incorporate multi-perspective approaches.

The Project Lead plays a brokering role, aligning biodiversity finance strategies with national planning instruments (e.g., national budgets, SDG implementation, climate strategies).

D. Monitoring, Reporting, and Knowledge Management

The role is responsible for:

Monthly and quarterly progress reporting.
Preparing and validating workshop reports.
Monitoring KPIs such as finance mobilized, stakeholders engaged, and policies influenced.
Ensuring alignment with methodologies like the BIOFIN Workbook and GEF guidelines.
Leading evaluation and adaptive management by identifying risks and mitigation plans.

Additionally, the position requires development of knowledge products:

Annual publications and briefs.
Policy notes and infographics.
Online/web content and media releases.
South-South learning and peer exchanges.

E. Resource Mobilization and Sustainability

One of the advanced expectations is that the Project Lead:

Identifies additional funding opportunities.
Develops proposals for scaling biodiversity finance mechanisms.
Builds relationships with development banks, bilateral donors, private investors, and international NGOs.
Promotes the mainstreaming of biodiversity finance into national finance and development strategies.

This goes beyond project delivery to ensure long-term impact and sustainability.

5. Required Qualifications and Competencies

Education

Master’s degree (minimum) in economics, environmental economics, finance, development studies, or related disciplines.
Bachelor’s degree holders require a minimum of 9 years’ experience, while Master’s holders need 7 years.

Experience

Proven track record in biodiversity finance, sustainable development, environmental policy, or public financial management.
Experience with GEF projects, BIOFIN methodology, and UNDP systems is highly desirable.
Regional experience in the Pacific or small island developing states (SIDS) context is a plus.

Languages

Fluency in English is essential.
Knowledge of Fijian and/or Fiji Hindi is required for effective community engagement and national coordination.

Core Competencies

Competency	Description
Achieve Results (Level 3)	Ability to manage multiple deliverables and teams while achieving long-term impacts.
Think Innovatively (Level 3)	Developing creative solutions to complex finance and biodiversity problems.
Learn Continuously (Level 3)	Staying updated on finance innovations and biodiversity methodologies.
Adapt with Agility (Level 3)	Navigating political and institutional complexity in different national contexts.
Act with Determination (Level 3)	Taking ownership of deliverables and driving high-quality outputs.
Engage and Partner (Level 3)	Collaborating with government, donors, NGOs, private sector and civil society.
Enable Diversity and Inclusion (Level 3)	Promoting stakeholder inclusivity and gender-sensitive finance planning.

6. Impact and Importance

The Project Lead’s work has wide-reaching implications:

National Level: Influences budgeting and finance policies to incorporate biodiversity values.
Regional Level: Supports regional knowledge sharing among Pacific nations.
Global Level: Contributes to the achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 19 on resource mobilization.
UNDP Level: Strengthens UNDP’s role as a biodiversity finance thought leader and program implementer.

7. Career Trajectory and Opportunities

This role provides exposure to:

Global biodiversity finance innovations.
Regional diplomacy and multilateral partnerships.
Strategic engagement with governments and high-level institutions.

It opens pathways toward roles such as:

Regional Biodiversity Finance Advisor
Policy Analyst (Climate and Nature-Based Solutions)
Programme Manager (GEF/UNDP)
International Consultant on Biodiversity Finance

8. Conclusion

The Project Lead and Biodiversity Finance Specialist in Suva, Fiji, is a highly strategic and technically advanced role within UNDP’s global efforts to bridge the biodiversity finance gap. This position demands a rare combination of policy insight, technical expertise, project management ability, and stakeholder coordination skills.

With a regional focus on Pacific Island nations—many of which are biodiversity hotspots facing intense environmental and financial pressures—the role is not only impactful but also aligned with pressing global and regional sustainability priorities.

For professionals with a background in finance, economics, or conservation, this role represents a unique opportunity to lead change at the intersection of environment, finance, and development policy—exactly where the future of sustainable development is being shaped.