UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) - NetZero KPI Alignment Tool Consultant

Result of Service Through the services UNEPFI will be able to review in one place a broad range of financial institutions’ implementation of climate and other sustainability commitments. The frameworks UNEP FI is supporting implementation include Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) now committed to by more than 210 banks collectively holding USD 53 trillion in assets, or one third of the global banking sector, and the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI), established 2012 by UNEP FI and today applied by one-quarter of the world’s insurers (25% of world premium), and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) over 5,000 investors.

Development of internal tracker tool across Investors, Banks and Insurers which tracks the types of commitments and targets currently presented to-date and aims to enable globally harmonized tracking of net-zero commitments.

The consultant will perform background reviews of progress reports and targets across NZAOA/NZBA/NZIA alliances and develop a simple internal tool to aggregate methodological approaches, critical KPIs and data. UNEP FI will utilize the output on aggregate to advance credibility, trust and accountability among membership and be able to aggregate and promote the ambitious nature of the targets from this subset of alliances. The consultant will support the aggregate review and support quality control on target types and their implementation, and support development of financial system wide NZ reporting system.

The consultant will complete a mapping exercise covering UNEPFI universe of Alliance members' target implementation quality in detail as well as exploring how to best share – where relevant - aggregated Alliances' data with RtZ, GFANZ, and UNSECGen; and 1 Alliances-wide database.

The tracker will enable general learnings that will support the promotion of quality and transparency of climate data and information on private sector climate finance, including tracking financial flows, net zero commitments and their implementation, measuring climate impact of investments and transition plans.

Work Location Working remotely or Geneva, Nairobi, or New York

Expected duration 12 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 400 banks, insurers and investors. For 30 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 requires a consultant with strong excel skills to review, develop a system of alignment to harmonise, compare and track financial sector commitments, targets and progress on climate with other sustainability areas to potentially follow. UNEP FI has a series of Net Zero Alliances, and desires to look across the progress in these alliances which have unique but converging methodological approaches to complete picture of the financial industry as a whole.

The Consultant should have expertise in data analysis, KPI tracking, investment practice, and climate science.

In line with the work programme delivered during the UNEP FI Annual General Meetings and under the direct supervision of the UNEP FI Investment Lead, in close collaboration with the Climate team.

The consultant will provide assistance in the following project/tasks for UNEP FI’s financial systems alignment and investment practice work:

• Assess current protocols and guidelines across PRI/PRB/NZAOA/NZBA/NZIA to understand linkages between approaches
• Assess current reporting templates across PRI/PRB/NZAOA/NZBA/NZIA to understand linkages between approaches
• Review of existing “Reporting Reviews” to understand common gaps and challenges
• Develop and internal "Target Tracker" across Investors, Banks and Insurers which tracks the types of commitments and targets currently presented to-date, and aims to enable harmonized tracking of net-zero commitments across the UNEP FI universe
• Where necessary support quality control reviews of target reporting submissions
• Provide an aggregate review of target types and their implementation, and support development of financial system wide NZ reporting system
• Compile a set of coherent KPIs and identify the financial sector and industry-wide progress against this
• Enable and compile general learnings that will support policy and real economy engagement
• Ad hoc support where relevant (existing initiative tool upgrades) etc

Outputs and Deliverables:

• Review of protocols, progress reports, and guidelines to understand target setting approaches and of existing templates for target reporting. Review of common challenges experience across templates.
• Outline of an overarching target tracking tool that automatically populates from the various initiatives’ submission forms and aggregates data
• Review meetings and agreement among UNEP FI teams on the design of the tool & support to the reporting review teams
• Zero version of tool
• First version of tool
• Testing tool with various UNEP FI teams
• Second version of tool
• Sensitizing tool to the integration of other sustainability topics (Nature, Resource Efficiency, EU (and other) Regulation, Impact mapping)
• Near-final version of tool & draft compilation of KPIs that can help inform policy, and real economy engagement
• Final data aggregation outputs from tool
• Compilation of KPIs that can help inform policy, and real economy engagement
• Final tool and compilation report

The consultant shall be under the overall supervision of the Head of UNEP FI and report directly to the UNEP FI Investment Lead, in close collaboration with the Climate team.

Qualifications/special skills Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Data Management, Finance, Business Management, Social Sciences, Administration or similar academic background.

Professional Experience: At least five years working experience developing KPI systems, data management and data analysis within national, international organisations, NGO’s or private sector.

Skills & Knowledge: Excellent excel or other database skills, strong data analysis experience and ability to work with digital technology; ability to cope with juggling multiple tasks across diverse projects in an organized and timely manner; attention to detail. The consultant should have the ability to establish and maintain good working relations in a multicultural and geographically dispersed team working across functions. A hands-on, pragmatic approach is desirable.

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

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.