Urban Finance and Project Feasibility Consult-ant

Result of Service

Considering the responsibilities set out herein, the Consultant shall provide monthly reports of management activities and other reports required of him/her by the Project Coordinator and/or the Coordinator of the Andean Countries Hub.

Work Location

Argentina

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination, and poverty. A brief description of the ROLAC region The UN-Habitat Andean Countries Hub leads and supports urban development initiatives across the region, promoting participatory governance, inclusive public spaces, resilience, youth engage-ment and sustainable territorial development. Within this framework, UN-Habitat and Fundación YPF are implementing the FIDUS Project (Forum for Incubation and Capacity Development for Sustainable Urban Funds), aimed at strengthening local and provincial capacities for sustainable urban development in territories linked to the energy sector, with an initial focus on Sierra Grande, Río Negro Province, Argentina. The project seeks to support local governments and strategic stakeholders in the incubation, pri-oritization, and structuring of urban development initiatives through collaborative governance mechanisms, innovative financing approaches, and technical capacity-building processes. The pro-ject represents an opportunity to support sustainable territorial transformation in a context char-acterized by emerging economic opportunities, infrastructure development and demographic change. In addition, aims to support local actors in identifying strategic investments, strengthening institu-tional capacities and developing urban development initiatives capable of generating long-term social, environmental and economic benefits. The FIDUS Project promotes sustainable urban development in energy-linked territories by strengthening local governments’ capacity to identify, prioritize, structure, evaluate, and finance strategic urban initiatives through innovative financing mechanisms and project incubation ap-proaches. To support this objective, the project requires a specialist with strong expertise in urban finance, financial feasibility assessment, investment planning, and financing strategies for urban and terri-torial development initiatives. The consultant will work under the supervision of the Project Coordination Team and the Coordi-nator of the UN-Habitat Andean Countries Hub. RESPONSIBILITIES a.) Information and validation: • Keep the Project Coordinator and UN-Habitat technical team informed of progress related to urban finance, project feasibility assessments, financing opportunities, and investment planning activities. • Ensure timely communication regarding risks, opportunities, implementation chal-lenges, and strategic considerations related to project financing and investment readi-ness. • Submit technical analyses, methodologies, reports, and recommendations for review and validation by the Project Coordinator. • Support evidence-based decision-making processes through the provision of technical and financial assessments. • Ensure quality control and consistency of financial analyses and recommendations produced under the consultancy. b.) Development: • Lead the development of methodologies, analytical frameworks, and tools for the finan-cial assessment and prioritization of strategic urban development initiatives. • Conduct financial, economic, and institutional feasibility assessments of urban projects identified through the FIDUS Project. • Develop project prioritization matrices incorporating technical, social, environmental, in-stitutional, and financial criteria. • Analyze financing structures, investment requirements, implementation costs, and finan-cial sustainability considerations for strategic urban initiatives. • Conduct cost-benefit analyses, risk assessments, and investment readiness evaluations. • Identify and assess innovative financing mechanisms applicable to urban development projects, including blended finance, climate finance, green funds, municipal financing in-struments, trust funds, public-private partnerships, and multilateral financing opportuni-ties. • Support the preparation of investment-ready project concepts and financing strategies for priority urban initiatives. • Contribute to the design of sustainable urban financing mechanisms and implementation models adapted to local contexts. • Support the development of strategic urban investment portfolios and project pipelines. c.) Technical and Strategic Support: • Provide technical advice and strategic guidance on urban finance, project structuring, and sustainable investment approaches. • Support technical discussions with local governments, financial institutions, develop-ment partners, academia, and other strategic stakeholders. • Prepare technical briefs, concept notes, presentations, analytical documents, and policy recommendations related to urban finance and investment planning. • Contribute technical inputs to FIDUS Forum sessions, workshops, and capacity develop-ment activities related to financing and investment. • Support the identification of financing opportunities and strategic partnerships that may contribute to project implementation and future scaling. • Assist local governments and stakeholders in understanding financing pathways, project structuring methodologies, and investment attraction strategies. d.) Implementation: • Support implementation of project activities related to urban finance, project incuba-tion, and investment planning. • Participate in coordination meetings, technical committees, workshops, stakeholder consultations, and FIDUS Forum sessions. • Coordinate with technical consultants and project partners to ensure integration be-tween planning, governance, financing, and project development components. • Monitor progress related to financing assessments, project prioritization processes, and investment strategy development. • Support field missions and technical engagements as required. • Ensure that project implementation adheres to UN-Habitat values and principles, includ-ing transparency, accountability, inclusion, sustainability, and integrity. e.) Knowledge Management: • Support the documentation and systematization of methodologies, tools, lessons learned, and good practices related to urban finance and project feasibility assessment. • Develop knowledge products, technical guidance materials, and analytical summaries to support institutional learning and project replication. • Collect, organize, and maintain information related to financing mechanisms, invest-ment opportunities, and strategic urban initiatives. • Contribute to the preparation of reports, presentations, summaries, and other knowledge products required by the project. • Support dissemination of financing methodologies and investment planning approaches developed through FIDUS. f.) Others: • Other activities requested and by mutual agreement with the HUB Coordinator of The Andean Countries of UN-Habitat, within the framework of this consultancy and without prejudice to the achievement of its responsibilities. • The consultant will participate in work and follow-up meetings, both with other consultants, as well as with the Coordinator and team of the Andean Countries HUB of UN-Habitat and with the staff of the projects. • The consultant shall be responsible for ensuring that all activities comply with the principles of United Nations integrity.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Public Admin-istration, Public Policy, Urban Economics, Urban Development, Development Finance, Business Administration, Engineering, Regional Development, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in one of the fields, combined with four (4) additional years of qual-ifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. Specialized studies, postgraduate training, or certifications in project finance, infrastructure fi-nance, public investment, urban finance, sustainable finance, climate finance, financial modeling, economic evaluation, or related areas are desirable. A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in urban finance, project finance, public investment, infrastructure financing, financial feasibility assessment, invest-ment planning, or related fields is required. Demonstrated experience in the formulation, evalua-tion, structuring, and financing of urban development, infrastructure, territorial development, or public investment projects is required. Proven experience conducting financial, economic, and institutional feasibility assessments, in-cluding cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, investment planning, and financial sustainability evaluations, is required. Experience supporting the development of investment-ready projects, fi-nancing strategies, project pipelines, investment portfolios, and resource mobilization initiatives is desirable. Experience working with local and national governments, development banks, multilateral organ-izations, international financial institutions, or development cooperation programmes is highly de-sirable. Experience with innovative financing mechanisms, including public-private partnerships, blended finance, climate finance, green finance, municipal financing instruments, and multilateral funding mechanisms, as well as experience in urban development, sustainable infrastructure, or territorial planning initiatives, will be considered a strong asset.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, Eng-lish and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another UN Official Language is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.