Technical Analyst (HomeBased) (Open to Tier 0,1,2 applicants )

UNDP•New York, NY

3d•Remote

About The Position

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work is carried out through a network of advisors and specialists located at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, to ensure that local knowledge and context specific expertise is linked to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP provides its policy advisory and programme support functions through the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains, in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. UNDP's 2026-2029 Strategic Plan highlights our continued commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries in their pathways towards the SDGs and working towards the Paris Agreement. Built around four core objectives—prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience, and a healthy planet—the plan is powered by three accelerators: digital and AI transformation, gender equality, and sustainable finance. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP's Planet Hub promotes and scales up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas. The Planet Hub drives UNDP’s vision of a world where economies and ecosystems thrive together, helping over 150 countries to achieve this vision through systemic change that aligns policy, finance, integrated solutions, and societal ownership to advance sustainable human development. Backed by diverse partnerships, funding sources, and deep expertise at global and regional level, the Planet Hub helps countries advance their environmental and economic goals across eight critical thematic areas: Climate and Nature Policy, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Forests, Land Use and Food Systems, Cooling, Circularity and Pollution Prevention, Finance for Planet, Local Action and Just Transition, Climate Adaptation and Resilient Societies, and Decarbonization and Sustainable Energy. As the largest single operational and financial UN player in the field of environmental sustainability, UNDP is widely recognized as a global leader in supporting governments to sharpen policy, access finance and develop capacity for the management of biodiversity and ecosystems for sustainable development and poverty eradication. UNDP’s work on nature has as an overall strategic objective to maintain and enhance the goods and services provided by biodiversity and ecosystems in order to secure livelihoods, food, water and health, enhance resilience, conserve threatened species and their habitats, and increase carbon storage and sequestration. UNDP is expanding its efforts to engage private sector in biodiversity financing, contributing to the overall objective of redirecting global finance flows from nature negative to nature positive, as a prerequisite system change for achieving the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the instruments in biodiversity finance, emerging attention is being dedicated to biodiversity credits. “Biodiversity credits, or ‘biocredits’ (i.e., nature credits, biodiversity tokens and alike), are emerging as a quantifiable unit of biodiversity, supported by a scientific methodology, that can incentivise nature conservation and restoration to benefit marginalised groups living with nature. The Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) is a multi-stakeholder initiative aiming to provide clarity and guidance on the development of a credible and scalable biodiversity credit market. The BCA brings together methodology developers, private sector stakeholders, NGOs, and academia to advance the concept of biodiversity credits, ensuring they promote nature-positive outcomes while benefiting Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The BCA is structured around a Task Force and a Forum, with working groups dedicated to key technical areas such as biodiversity credit definitions, peer-review mechanisms, demand-side engagement, metrics, digital standards, and marine biodiversity credits. To date, the BCA Task Force brings together 20 leading biodiversity credit methodology developers, including companies, academia and NGOs, which work to generate scientific standards for biodiversity credits in different contexts and ecosystems. In addition, the BCA Forum facilitates the dissemination of knowledge to over 500 member organizations interested in contributing to and learning about the biodiversity credit market. The BCA Secretariat is funded and facilitated by UNDP, UNEP FI, SIDA, GIZ and EC. This position will play a supportive role in advancing technical discussions, facilitating working groups, and ensuring high-quality outputs that contribute to the integrity and credibility of the emerging biodiversity credit market. The Technical Analyst will operate as a part of the BCA Secretariat, ensuring that BCA’s technical working groups are well coordinated to deliver the technical outputs in a timely and consultative manner.

Requirements

Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Science/Management or related field is required, OR A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Applicants with a master's degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience.
Applicants with a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of 2 years working experience with biodiversity credits, nature financing, policy development and research.
Fluency in the English is required.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
Experience of the UN and/or UNDP’s rules, policies, and procedures
Experience facilitating public and bilateral consultations on topics such as carbon and/or biodiversity credits
Experience providing technical guidance and/ or capacity building to governments, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and/or UN Country Offices on topics related to biodiversity credits
Experience presenting at high-level international events and/or delivering workshops related to nature finance topics such as the biodiversity credit market
Experience reviewing and/or applying the policy guidelines related to the biodiversity credit market such as the “High Level Principles to Guide the Biodiversity Credit Market”.

Responsibilities

Maintain and apply strong understanding of biodiversity credit markets, key actors, definitions, and emerging practices
Monitor and synthesize developments in biodiversity finance, carbon markets, and related standards
Conduct research and analysis on market dynamics, including demand, supply, pricing, and trends
Support screening of biodiversity credit schemes against BCA’s High-Level Principles (HLPs) using the Assessment Framework
Distill lessons from assessments and contribute to continuous refinement of the HLPs and Assessment Framework
Support development of technical guidance and tools, including: A digital tool for demand integrity, A claims catalogue and code of practice for buyers, Guidance on claims, governance mechanisms, and market architecture
Contribute to workstreams aimed at enabling and strengthening demand for high‑integrity biodiversity credits
Support establishment and coordination of working groups and interest groups
Facilitate co-leads in defining scopes, priorities, and deliverables
Identify and engage relevant experts and community members
Develop and manage workplans with clear timelines and outputs
Organize and facilitate consultative meetings, manage divergent views, and build consensus
Analyze inputs and produce issue papers and technical reports
Coordinate consultations, finalize publications, and support dissemination through briefs, webinars, and events, in line with BCA protocols
Provide technical inputs to country readiness assessments, feasibility studies, and pilot design
Support delivery of training, workshops, and knowledge exchange
Synthesize country-level insights to inform BCA’s global guidance and market development work
Apply and refine integrity assessment tools, including the HLPs Assessment Matrix, to ensure consistent evaluation of all NMA pilot projects.
Provide independent integrity oversight across all phases of the initiative, ensuring all activities uphold the BCA High Level Principles (HLPs).
Identify crosscutting integrity risks related to safeguards, governance, benefit sharing, and MRV, and provide recommendations.
Ensure that insights from the pilots inform ongoing international development of biodiversity credit methodologies and policy dialogue.
Support technical collaboration with partner institutions and initiatives
Ensure alignment with BCA processes, protocols, and High-Level Principles
Contribute to outreach and advocacy to promote adoption of high-integrity biodiversity credits across public and private sectors
Support organization of targeted stakeholder events and workshops
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.