Job Highlight

This position offers an excellent opportunity to contribute directly to national climate action and the implementation of Namibia’s NDC. Working closely with government, development partners, and local stakeholders, the Economic Advisor will help mobilize resources, support NDC implementation, and advance Namibia’s efforts to fulfill its climate commitments.

About The Project Office

WEC Background

The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna, and with offices based globally is part of the UNOPS Global Portfolio Office. The Portfolio has built strong partnerships and is effectively managing a portfolio of over 500 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support.

WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

About The Group

The NDC Partnership

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition, bringing together more than 250 members, including more than 130 countries, developed and developing, and more than 110 institutions to deliver on ambitious climate action that helps achieve the Paris Agreement and drive sustainable development. Governments identify their NDC implementation priorities and the type of support that is needed to translate them into actionable policies and programs. Based on these requests, the membership offers a tailored package of expertise, technical assistance and funding. This collaborative response provides developing countries with efficient access to a wide range of resources to adapt to and mitigate climate change and foster more equitable and sustainable development. The NDC Partnership Support Unit is jointly hosted by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC). For this project, the Consultant will be contracted through UNOPS.

Role Purpose

The role provides targeted economic expertise to support climate policy and planning, with a particular focus on developing investment-ready AFOLU projects. While the In-Country Facilitator leads overall coordination, the Economic Advisor serves as the technical lead for economic analysis and pre-feasibility assessments to support climate-finance mobilization and the integration of climate priorities into national development planning. In this capacity, the Advisor contributes to smooth coordination with the NDC Partnership Support Unit, development partners, and line ministries engaged in NDC implementation.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Strategic and technical analysis Review national investment policies, strategies, and frameworks for alignment with NDC commitments, with particular attention to AFOLU sector priorities. Identify policy, investment and instrumental gaps that may constrain achievement of AFOLU -related and broader NDC targets. Conduct detailed economic analyses and support AFOLU-focused pre-feasibility assessments to guide climate-finance mobilization and investment planning. Stakeholder engagement Engage stakeholders across government, private sector, development partners, and civil society using a whole-of-society approach, ensuring meaningful participation of AFOLU actors (forestry, agriculture, land-use institutions). Maintain a stakeholder database, with strong emphasis on AFOLU-related private-sector and community-based entities. When applicable, contribute to the development of the Implementation Plan Narrative and its validation by the government. Mobilization of resources implementation Produce analytical reports mapping financial sources and investment opportunities across international, regional, and domestic levels, highlighting AFOLU investment pathways. Identify financing gaps and propose viable sources of support for the implementation of AFOLU-related and cross-sectoral NDC actions. Support processes such as Climate Budget Tagging and expenditure reviews, especially for agriculture, forestry, and land-use interventions. Recommend international best practices for financing mitigation and adaptation, including AFOLU-relevant mechanisms (e.g., carbon markets, sustainable forestry finance, regenerative agriculture funding). Coordination and Partnership Support Support the establishment and effective functioning of a Donors and Investors Working Group, helping coordinate financing for AFOLU and broader NDC implementation. Facilitate linkages between identified AFOLU priorities and available technical and financial resources. Project pipeline development Conduct pre-feasibility studies for four (4) priority NDC-aligned project ideas, ensuring at least one or more are AFOLU-focused. Identify and prioritize high-impact, investment-ready AFOLU opportunities, drawing on sectoral consultations, NDC 3.0 priorities, and ongoing technical analyses. Facilitate the development of at least four (4) bankable concept notes to advance priority mitigation and adaptation actions, with particular emphasis on agriculture, forestry, and land-use investment pathways. Work with government and partners to link identified project ideas with appropriate financing instruments, including climate funds, concessional finance, private-sector capital, and carbon-market opportunities. Strengthen government capacity to maintain and update a national NDC-aligned project pipeline, ensuring AFOLU projects are integrated into broader investment planning and donor coordination processes. Organize and support NDC-related meetings as needed If requested, facilitate national country specific multi-stakeholder NDC dialogues. Support the government in preparing for NDC-related events such as COPs, regional climate weeks, national events, and other convenings relevant to showcase NDC progress and generate support for implementation of the NDC. Organize coordination meetings between the Support Unit and the government as needed.

Required

Education Requirements

Master's degree or equivalent in public policy, development, climate change, natural resource management, environmental management, or any other relevant field of study with 5 years of relevant experience . Bachelor’s degree with additional 2 years in (total 7 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of a university degree.

Required

Experience Requirements

At least 5 years’ of progressive experience in climate policy, climate programmes, or sustainable development including substantial experience within the AFOLU sector in Namibia. Experience in multilateral, national and grassroot governance and processes related to climate change, policy and/or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Strong knowledge of Namibia’s policy frameworks, national development plans, and strategies related to climate change and sustainable development. Proven experience working with government, public institutions, or development partners on climate policy analysis, project management, stakeholder coordination, and donor engagement.

Desired

Familiarity with UNFCCC processes including Subsidiary Body and Conference of Parties (CoP), NDC and past experience on government climate change process. Experience of other national contexts that indirectly contribute to climate change. Ability to foster formal and informal networks to strengthen cooperation between agencies, including Government, private sector participants, NGOs and other stakeholders.