Junior Consultant, Sustainable Public Finance

UNEP's contribution to the UN Joint Programme on Green and Climate Finance in the Lao PDR is fully documented, reported and communicated to Joint Programme partners and to external audiences, and the evidence generated through the application of the Sustainable Budgeting Approach in the Lao PDR is available in a form that other Ministries of Finance, the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action and prospective funding partners can draw on, including a costed proposition for a subsequent phase of the work.

Remote

5 Months part-time

The United Nations Environment Programme is the designated entity of the United Nations system for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Within UNEP, the Industry and Economy Division works to internalise environmental costs, promote the efficient use of natural resources, reduce pollution and support the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements. The Economics and Fiscal Policy Unit of that Division leads UNEP's work on sustainable public finance, supporting Ministries of Finance and Planning to align fiscal frameworks and national budgets with durable and inclusive growth, competitiveness, resilience and the simultaneous achievement of economic, social and environmental objectives. The Unit is currently applying the Sustainable Budgeting Approach, a methodology that applies an economic, social and environmental lens to public expenditure, to the national budget of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. This work forms UNEP's contribution, under Activity 2.2, to the UN Joint Programme on Green and Climate Finance in the Lao PDR, which is led by the United Nations Development Programme with UNEP, UN-Habitat and the Food and Agriculture Organization as implementing partners. The methodological work itself is delivered under a separate specialist consultancy. In parallel, the Unit supports the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, for which it is preparing the 2026 update of the Coalition Flagship Guide, and the evidence generated in the Lao PDR is directly relevant to that body of work. The engagement generates a substantial and continuous volume of written coordination work that sits alongside the methodological delivery. It includes drafting inputs to the Joint Programme reporting cycle and assembling the evidence that supports them, day to day working contact with the UN Hub team in Vientiane, communications and knowledge products presenting the work to partner, member country and donor audiences, preparation of a joint event with the Coalition at the thirty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the documentation required to make the case for a subsequent phase of the work. This is drafting and coordination support of a defined and time bound nature rather than a continuing function. •Support the organisation of a joint event of the UN Hub in the Lao PDR and the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action at the thirty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026, working remotely on the concept note, speaker and panellist liaison, the run of show, background and briefing materials and registration coordination. •Coordinate the preparation of the event with the UN Hub team and with the Coalition secretariat contacts identified by the direct supervisor, and keep the supervisor informed of commitments made to speakers and partners. •Draft short communications products presenting the Lao PDR work for external audiences, including results summaries, explanatory notes and web copy, consistent with the communications and branding arrangements agreed for the Joint Programme. •Prepare summary and visual material that translates the Sustainable Budgeting Approach and its application to the Lao PDR national budget into accessible formats for partner, member country and donor audiences. •Prepare the record of the joint event and the associated follow up actions, and track their completion. •Draft a lessons note identifying where evidence from the Lao PDR engagement is relevant to the Coalition Flagship Guide and to other Coalition workstreams, and flag the specific entry points to the relevant chapter leads. •Act as the day to day working contact for the UN Hub team in Vientiane on UNEP's contribution to the Joint Programme, throughout the contract period, with the institutional relationship retained by the direct supervisor. Prepare drafting inputs to the Joint Programme reporting cycle, including narrative text and indicator entries against the agreed results framework, to the deadlines and formats confirmed by the direct supervisor, and submit them for review and clearance. •Assemble and maintain the evidence supporting those inputs, drawing on workshop records, methodology decisions and deliverable milestones from the Activity 2.2 consultancy. •Prepare inputs to steering committee and working group meetings where requested by Hub colleagues, with such requests channelled through the direct supervisor and drawn against an allowance of up to ten working days over the contract period. •Support the preparation of the Methodological Transferability Note setting out which elements of the approach transfer directly to other country contexts and which require adaptation. •Assemble a results and evidence pack documenting what UNEP's contribution delivered under the Joint Programme. •Draft a costed concept note for a subsequent phase of work and prepare tailored briefing material where requested through the direct supervisor. The consultant is accountable for the quality and timeliness of these written products and not for the outcome of any funding decision. •Deliver final versions of all products of this contract, hand over the evidence base and close out all outstanding activities.

Advanced university degree, at the level of a Master's degree, in environmental policy, public policy, economics, international relations, development studies, environmental regulation or a closely related field is required. A first level university degree in one of these fields, combined with two additional years of qualifying professional experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. •A minimum of two years of professional experience in policy analysis and drafting, sustainable or climate finance, public financial management or a related area, acquired in an international organisation, a public administration, a research institution, a policy consultancy or a comparable setting, is required. •Demonstrated experience in translating analytical evidence into written products for senior official audiences, including briefs, summaries, reporting inputs and executive material, is required. • Experience coordinating and consolidating written inputs from several institutional partners under compressed review cycles is required. •Experience preparing communications and knowledge products, including explanatory material, web copy and visual formats that make technical content accessible to non-specialist audiences, is required. Experience supporting the organisation of international events or convenings, including speaker liaison, background materials and the recording of follow up actions, is desirable. Familiarity with the work of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, with United Nations joint programming arrangements, or with green budgeting and public expenditure analysis is an advantage. • Proficiency in standard office software and in data visualisation is an advantage

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of another official language of the United Nations is an advantage.

Not available.