Senior Finance Carbon Markets Consultant

The consultant will advise the Climate Ambition and Transparency Team to achieve the main goals: • Collectively improve the overall knowledge of the scope and functioning of carbon markets and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, challenges and key opportunities related to the implementation of these mechanisms in the LAC region. • The seven participating countries of the Capacity Building in Carbon Markets and Article 6 project have access to a transparent, flexible, and updateable financial assessment tool that supports evidence-based decisions on the charge, fee, contribution, or minimum value to be associated with the authorization of ITMOs. • Provide a common regional methodology while generating country-specific results that enable government officials to update assumptions, compare policy options, interpret ranges rather than a single prescriptive figure, and distinguish between administrative cost recovery, NDC protection, and strategic national contributions. Outputs: Output 1. A common methodological and analytical framework is established to assess the financial implications of authorizing ITMOs and to identify appropriate charging options for the seven participating countries. Output 2. A functional and auditable financial assessment tool is developed, validated, and applied to Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, and national stakeholders are equipped to use and update it. Deliverables: • Product No. 1. An editable beta tool and a consolidated user manual to support national authorities in assessing appropriate charges associated with ITMO authorization, considering country-specific administrative costs, mitigation opportunity costs, NDC-related risks, institutional circumstances, and policy priorities. The tool will enable users to compare alternative charging approaches and generate transparent, evidence-based ranges. The package will include: o An editable beta tool with preliminary country data, assumptions, and documented formulas. It should also generate initial scenarios, sensitivity analyses, country-level results, data-gap alerts, and a traceable register of sources and assumptions for review and validation o A user manual presenting the tool’s approach, a review of relevant international practices, the financial methodology, the data dictionary, step-by-step operating instructions, guidance for entering and updating country data, procedures for developing scenarios and sensitivity analyses, and explanations for interpreting results, dashboards, assumptions, data-quality alerts, and limitations. The user manual and the tool must distinguish between administrative costs, mitigation opportunity costs, NDC compliance risks, MRV and reporting costs, risk premiums, national benefits, and optional strategic contributions • Product No. 2. A validated package comprising the final editable Excel tool and a report presenting the results of its complete application to the seven countries, including analytical scenarios, sensitivity analysis, country dashboards, and a source register. The consultant will also deliver an instructional recording covering the tool’s methodology and practical use, and a concept note of a live Q&A session for national focal points and relevant technical teams. It is expected that the consultant will provide the seven participating countries of the Capacity Building in Carbon Markets and Article 6 project a tool to assess appropriate charges associated with ITMO authorization, considering country-specific administrative costs, mitigation opportunity costs, NDC-related risks, institutional circumstances, and policy priorities for Under the direct supervision of UNEP’s Programme Management Officer for Energy Efficiency of the Climate Change Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean Office, the consultant shall perform the following activities: • Gather information Article 6 requirements, national NDCs, regulations, institutional arrangements, MRV and registry systems, and relevant financial and carbon-market evidence, including international practices on authorization charges, minimum prices, revenue sharing, and strategic contributions. • Engage with national focal points and technical officials in the seven countries to collect, verify, and contextualize financial, institutional, mitigation, and policy information, while documenting data gaps, proxies, assumptions, and confidence levels. • Develop an auditable financial methodology that distinguishes administrative fees, mitigation opportunity costs, NDC compliance exposure, MRV and reporting obligations, risk premiums, domestic benefits, strategic contributions, transaction prices, and applicable general taxes. • Build, parameterize, and quality-assure the Excel tool for all seven countries, incorporating documented formulas, editable assumptions, source traceability, missing-data rules, scenarios, sensitivity tests, automated summaries, country dashboards, and regional comparisons. • Prepare the report, country factsheets, and user manual to ensure sustainability and future use of the tool. • Develop and deliver an instructional recording on the methodology, use, and updating of the tool, and design one live Q&A session with national focal points and technical teams to address questions, clarify assumptions, demonstrate key functions, and support effective application of the tool.

Home-based

1 Month and 16 days

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. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, Panama works closely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). One of the most relevant challenges the implementation of the Paris Agreement poses to countries is to count with strong Transparency Frameworks. Article 13 of the Paris Agreement establishes the need of Parties to implement national robust and transparent monitoring, reporting, verification and accounting systems to give clarity on action and support while providing clear information to stakeholders to be available to assess if the necessary is being done in relation to compliance with the commitments assumed to face climate change. As part of building and enhancing their Transparency Frameworks, Parties of the United Nations Frame Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will progressively implement better tools and institutional arrangements, many of them not sufficiently developed in the countries. This is especially true for developing countries. The UNFCCC enhanced transparency framework demands substantial and immediate progress in the countries´ domestic Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems and strategic de-carbonization and adaptation planning. This entails moving from often disintegrated and often different methodological approaches in data management to an integrated and robust system. The success of the Paris Agreement hinges on enhanced transparency of action and support, as a critical foundation to making its bottom-up country-led approach work, as well as mutual trust and confidence amongst Parties. In this line, the UNEP Transparency and Climate Ambition Team is implementing a GCF Readiness Project “Capacity Building in Carbon Markets and Article 6” in seven (7) countries of Latin America. This project seeks to collectively improve: i) the overall knowledge of the scope and functioning of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and El Salvador through a regional approach and, ii) support the relevant stakeholders from these participating countries to comply with the institutional, technical and operational requirements to establish or participate in new or existing carbon markets. This will not only support the participating countries to comply with the goals established in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) but also allow the national governments to increase their ambition, transparency and cooperation among parties in their commitments under the Paris Agreement. Considering that national authorities must know the financial implications of authorizing Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) according to their NDC commitments, mitigation costs, institutional arrangements, and policy priorities, the Regional Office is looking for a Senior Finance Carbon Markets consultant that provides country-specific evidence, scenarios, and recommendations to support informed authorization decisions, protect national climate objectives, and strengthen each country’s capacity to establish and periodically update appropriate charges. The Senior Finance Carbon Markets Consultant will be supervised by UNEP’s Programme Management Officer of Energy Efficiency of the Climate Change Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean Office and will work from home.

ACADEMIC: • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, environmental sciences, climate change, economics, finance, environmental economics, business administration, energy systems, renewable energy, political science, international relations, law, public policy, or related studies is required. • Masters’s degree in engineering, environmental sciences, climate change, economics, finance, environmental economics, business administration, energy systems, renewable energy, political science, international relations, law, public policy, or related studies is desirable. PROFESSIONAL: • Seven (7) years of professional experience in environmental economics, climate finance, carbon pricing, carbon markets, economic research, financial appraisal, climate change projects, environmental sciences, climate policy, environmental policy, renewable energies, or related fields is required. • Two (2) years of specific experience in carbon markets and Article 6 is desirable. • Two (2) years of specific experience working with or advising public institutions, climate change or carbon markets project development, or international cooperation organizations is desirable. • Two (2) years of specific experience developing financial models, decision-support tools, cost models, marginal abatement cost analyses, or scenario and sensitivity analyses is desirable. LANGUAGE: • Fluent in Spanish is required. • Fluent in English is desirable. SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: • Intermediate knowledge and ability to use the set of standard applications (MS Office) is desirable. • Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards. • Mature judgment and initiative. • Absolute commitment to confidentiality. • Ability to work independently and under pressure; take the initiative to judge priorities and organize work accordingly. • Strong interpersonal skills and highly developed cultural sensitivity to communicate with all levels of staff and external clients, both orally and in writing. • Excellent organizational skills, ability to perform multiple tasks and attention to detail, initiative and independence. • Ability to innovate, combining methodological approaches and data from various levels and disciplines including economics, finance, development, and mitigation. COMPETENCIES: PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations. TEAMWORK: ● Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; supports and acts in accordance with final group decisions, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect their own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: ● Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Not available.

Not available.