UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) – Technical Specialist Capacity Building Consultant South Africa

Result of Service

The consultant’s services will be pivotal in advancing UNEP FI’s strategic objectives to integrate nature into the core decision-making processes of financial institutions. By supporting the application of ENCORE and developing structured frameworks, heatmaps, and replicable case studies, the consultant will deliver concrete outputs such as material sector analyses, exposure assessments by business line, and derived priority actions. These outputs will demonstrate best practices for embedding nature-related considerations into credit risk, customer risk assessments, sector policies, and portfolio strategies—particularly for agriculture portfolios. Through targeted capacity building, training, and board-level engagement, the consultant will support PRB signatory banks in setting and operationalizing practice-level targets related to governance, policies, and processes, including the integration of nature into customer risk assessments and front-end decision-making. These efforts will directly support alignment with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and reporting maturity in line with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Moreover, the consultant’s work will deliver a proof of concept for an advanced, agriculture-focused capacity-building and implementation program in South Africa. This will include demonstrable outcomes such as trained staff, client engagement strategies, transition and nature finance opportunities in the pipeline, and published case studies that can be replicated by other banks across South Africa and the African region.

Work Location

Home-Based / Working Remotly / in Johannesburg, South Africa

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

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. The overall objective of the UNEP’s Economy Division is to encourage decision makers in government, local authorities and industry to develop and adopt policies, strategies and practices and technologies that promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production, make efficient use of natural resources, ensure safe management of chemicals and contribute to making trade and environment policies mutually supportive. It promotes the development, use and transfer of policies, technologies, economic instruments, managerial practices and other tools that assist in environmentally sound decision making and the building of corresponding activities. The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is the strategic partnership between the United Nations and over 500 banks, insurers and investors. For over 32 years UNEP FI has been shaping and driving the international sustainable finance agenda, setting global standards and growing a global network of leading financial institutions. Through its work-streams and regional activities, peer learning, methodology development, training and research, UNEP FI promotes sustainable finance and helps the financial industry align with and contribute to the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. UNEP FI needs a consultant to work within the Nature team, focusing on awareness raising, technical capacity building, and coordination of the expanding body of work on nature-related risk management, sector engagement, and transition and nature finance for PRB signatory banks in South Africa. Specific tasks and responsibilities: The Consultant will carry out the following tasks for UNEP FI. a. Enhance applicability and replicable use cases for ENCORE • The consultant will develop a structured framework to aggregate and interpret ENCORE analysis across portfolios, business lines, and agricultural sub-sectors. This will include heatmaps, exposure analyses, and derived priority actions, enabling banks to identify material risks, dependencies, impacts, and opportunities. • The consultant will collaborate with the ENCORE partnership to share technical feedback and improve contextual application for South African and African agriculture portfolios, resulting in at least two replicable case studies. b. Derive priority actions and support target setting for PRB signatory banks • The consultant will support portfolio-wide nature assessments and guide banks in identifying priority sectors and sub-sectors. This will include translating assessment results into actionable roadmaps, practice-level targets, and governance measures aligned with PRB Nature Guidance. • The consultant will support the integration of nature considerations into customer risk assessments for B&C Agriculture and facilitate board awareness-raising sessions. Case studies illustrating banks’ maturity and alignment with TNFD will be compiled and prepared for publication. c. Accelerate integration of nature into risk management and sustainable finance for PRB signatory banks • The consultant will support the integration of nature into risk management frameworks, sector policies, and engagement strategies for agriculture portfolios. This includes developing risk registers, engagement tools, and identifying transition and nature finance opportunities for clients. • The consultant will support at least one test case integrating ENCORE into bank systems and compile a replication-focused case study demonstrating how these approaches can be scaled across South Africa and Africa. d. Support capacity building for PRB signatory banks and and PRB Nature Community • The consultant will lead training, deep-dive sessions, and knowledge-sharing activities for banks, boards, and the wider financial sector. These sessions will disseminate lessons learned, promote best practices, and support peer learning within South Africa and the UNEP FI PRB Nature Community. • The consultant will provide regular coordination and updates with UNEP FI and the ENCORE partnership throughout the assignment. Outputs and Deliverables: UNEP FI is looking for a technical consultant to support its capacity building activities in South Africa and work in tandem with key stakeholders at PRB signatory banks to: • Enable the use of the ENCORE tool by PRB signatory banks to conduct portfolio-wide and sector-level nature-related risk assessments, including the aggregation and interpretation of results and the development of replicable case studies relevant to the South African and broader African context. • Support the application of UNEP FI frameworks and guidance to embed nature-related considerations into banks’ risk management processes, customer risk assessments, and decision-making, ensuring alignment with local regulatory, sectoral, and economic realities. • Lead the development of replicable ENCORE use cases, including heatmaps, exposure analyses by business line, and priority action frameworks, to support banks in mainstreaming nature-related risks, impacts, and opportunities into their business models. • Provide targeted capacity building to PRB signatory banks on the UNEP FI PRB Nature Guidance, enabling banks to identify priority actions and set practice-level targets aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, with clear governance and board-level engagement. • Bridge emerging global guidance on private nature and transition finance with the South African context, particularly for economically critical sectors such as agriculture, identifying opportunities for client engagement, risk mitigation, and nature-positive financing. • Lead the design and delivery of awareness-raising, training, and deep-dive sessions for PRB signatory banks on nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities across priority agricultural sub-sectors. • Facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions with the South African and African financial sector and the UNEP FI PRB Nature Community. • Coordinate closely with the UNEP FI Nature team and provide regular technical and progress updates under the SECO-supported project. The consultant shall be under the overall supervision of the Head of UNEP FI and report directly to the Nature Lead, UNEP FI and the Nature Co-Lead, UNEP FI.

Qualifications/special skills

Education: A master’s degree in natural sciences, environmental engineering, business, finance or a related discipline is required. A bachelor’s degree could be taken in lieu of master’s degree provided the selected candidate has 10 years of relevant experience. Professional Experience: At least eight (8) eight years of progressively responsible work experience related to financial sector, biodiversity, and natural capital is required.

Languages

Languages: English is the working language of UNEP FI. Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other United Nations languages is an asset.

Additional Information

Skills & Knowledge: • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, strong interpersonal abilities, and proficiency in digital technology; adept at managing multiple tasks across diverse projects in an organized and timely manner with strong attention to detail. • Demonstrated credibility in working with senior professionals on environmental and nature-related risk assessments for the private sector, with a strong preference for experience in agriculture and related value chains. • Experience in providing technical assistance to financial institutions, with a background in designing and delivering strategic projects. • Experience in ESG risk assessments and due diligence processes within financial institutions, including credit risk, customer risk assessments, and scenario analysis, with demonstrated ability to work with large datasets. • Expertise in capital markets, banking products, and sustainable finance instruments (including transition and nature finance) is a strong asset. • Proven experience in capacity building, training delivery, or development of learning materials; regional experience living or working in South Africa is preferred. • Strong soft skills are essential: the consultant should be highly positive, enthusiastic, and self-driven, with the ability to confidently engage senior stakeholders while maintaining motivation and drive across teams. They should demonstrate excellent collaboration and teamwork, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to foster a constructive and motivating environment. The consultant must be autonomous, proactive, and able to push projects forward with energy and professionalism.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.