Nature, Climate and Energy Associate, Panama City, Panama

General

Description of assignment title: Nature, Climate and Energy Associate

Assignment country: Panama

Duty stations: Panama City

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 09/12/2026

Duration: 12 months(with possibility of extension)Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 15. Life on land

Host entity: UNDP

Modality: Onsite

Type: International

Volunteer category: Associate UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives:

• Como agencia líder de las Naciones Unidas en desarrollo internacional, el PNUD trabaja en 170 países y territorios para erradicar la pobreza y reducir la desigualdad. Ayudamos a los países a desarrollar políticas, habilidades de liderazgo, habilidades de asociación, capacidades institucionales y a desarrollar resiliencia para lograr los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible.
• Nuestro trabajo se concentra en tres áreas de enfoque; desarrollo sostenible, gobernanza democrática y consolidación de la paz, y resiliencia climática y ante desastres. El mandato del PNUD es poner fin a la pobreza, construir una gobernanza democrática, un estado de derecho e instituciones inclusivas.
• Abogamos por el cambio y conectamos a los países con el conocimiento, la experiencia y los recursos para ayudar a las personas a construir una vida mejor.

Context:

• Panama is a global leader in nature and climate action, advancing the Nature Pledge as an integrated platform to align commitments under the Rio Conventions and address the triple planetary crisis. With a strong NDC that incorporates biodiversity, land use, water management and resilient livelihoods, Panama is positioning itself to deliver nature-positive and climate-resilient development outcomes. UNDP's Climate Promise and Nature offer guide our support in translating these commitments into action, strengthening environmental governance, accelerating implementation and fostering inclusive, sustainable development pathways. The UNDP mission to reduce inequalities, build resilience and advance climate action frames this assignment.
• In Panama, UNDP supports the implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy, land restoration efforts, integrated watershed management, and multiple regional and global initiatives under the GEF portfolio. The Associate will help align these efforts to deliver coherent, scalable and impactful results across the nature-climate nexus.

Task description:

• Under the direct supervision of Head of Portfolio for Nature, Climate and Energy UNDP Panama, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• Contribute to the implementation of the Nature Pledge portfolio, supporting the integration of biodiversity, climate, land and water management priorities across UNDP-GEF projects and initiatives.
• Support the coordination and monitoring of the GEF portfolio (2026-2029), including tracking progress against results frameworks, annual workplans and key performance indicators.
• Assist in the development and operationalization of project activities, including drafting terms of reference, supporting procurement processes, and reviewing technical deliverables under the guidance of the team.
• Contribute to the application of Results-Based Management (RBM) approaches, including the tracking of outputs, outcomes and gender-responsive indicators across the portfolio.
• Support the identification, monitoring and reporting of project risks, contributing to the maintenance of risk logs and the preparation of inputs for Project Boards and internal reviews.
• Assist in the preparation of technical and strategic briefs, presentations and background notes for senior management engagement with government counterparts and partners.
• Assist in knowledge management and communication efforts, including the preparation of reports, knowledge products and inputs to highlight results, lessons learned and good practices across the Nature Pledge portfolio.
• Support the organization of missions, workshops and high-level events, ensuring effective coordination and logistical arrangements.
• During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 1 month

Donor priorities:

• .

Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Additional eligibility criteria:

• This assignment is funded by the Government of Korea and therefore specific criteria apply:
• - Candidates must be Korean nationals. Fluency in Korean is required.
• - Candidates must be between 22 and 29 years of age at the time of application.
• - Candidates who have already served as UN Youth Volunteer funded by the Government of Korea are not eligible to apply (former UN University Volunteers are eligible).
• - Serving UN Volunteers will not be considered for other UN Volunteer assignments until they reach three (3) months before the end of contract date of their current UN Volunteer assignment. This provision applies equally to first and subsequent contracts.
• - Candidates may apply to a maximum of three assignments and indicate the order of preference in the 'Additional remarks' field when filling in the application form.
• - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UN Host Entity at the level of the country of assignment.
• APPLICATION DEADLINE: 19 July 2026
• +++ UN Volunteer entitlement calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator +++

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience:

• 1 month

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Required
• Spanish, Level: Working knowledge, Required

Required education level:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Business Administration, or related fields, preferably with exposure to environmental projects, climate finance, or sustainable development.

Competencies and values:

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Building Trust
• Client Orientation
• Commitment and Motivation
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Communication
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Judgement and Decision-making
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Self-Management
• Technological Awareness
• Working in Teams

Skills and experience:

• Demonstrated interest or experience (up to three years) in:
• Financial management and budgeting within projects, including cost tracking and expenditure monitoring.
• Implementation of development projects, preferably in environment, climate or donor-funded portfolios (e.g. GEF).
• Programme and project operations, including procurement, contract management and administrative processes.
• Results-Based Management (RBM), including monitoring of indicators and reporting against results frameworks.
• Preparation of project reports (progress, donor, annual) and support to evaluations or reviews.
• Organization of events, workshops and coordination of multi-stakeholder processes.
• Logistics and operational support for missions, including travel, DSA and coordination with service providers.
• Stakeholder coordination, including engagement with government institutions, partners and service providers.
• Resource mobilization processes, including research and support to proposal development.
• Knowledge management and communication of project results and lessons learned.
• Skills in:
• Budget preparation, financial tracking, expenditure monitoring and basic financial analysis.
• Use of ERP systems (preferably Quantum) and financial tools for project management.
• Processing operational transactions, including travel requests, DSA, vouchers, invoices and supporting documentation.
• Drafting terms of reference (ToRs), work specifications and supporting procurement processes.
• Monitoring contractor performance and reviewing deliverables against agreed outputs.
• Supporting risk identification, tracking and maintenance of project risk logs.
• Application of Results-Based Management tools and tracking of project indicators (including gender-sensitive indicators).
• Preparation of technical briefs, meeting notes and inputs for senior management engagements.
• Coordination and organization of events, workshops and missions with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with ability to handle multiple tasks under tight deadlines.
• Effective communication skills (written and oral) with partners, service providers and internal teams.
• Attention to detail, problem-solving and proactive approach to operational challenges.

Area(s) of expertise:

• Business management, Energy and environment , Development programmes

Driving license:

• -

Other information