Investments and Debt Finance Senior Specialist, Asia and the Pacific (Open to internal and external applicants)

Background

As the lead United Nations agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries develop policies, leadership skills, partnerships and institutional capabilities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2026-2029, UNDP’s work is guided by four strategic objectives that together define our contribution to human development: expanding prosperity for all, strengthening effective governance, safeguarding a healthy planet and building crisis resilience. These objectives are enabled by three accelerators that drive transformative impact across our portfolio: digital and AI innovation, gender equality and sustainable finance. Through this integrated approach, UNDP supports countries to deliver tangible improvements in people’s lives and to advance sustainable development at scale.

UNDP, through its Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH) (https://sdgfinance.undp.org/), supports partners in promoting financing for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As an accelerator of the UNDP Strategic Plan, sustainable finance strengthens countries’ ability to mobilize, align and deploy finance at scale for national priorities. UNDP supports international and country level policy reform as a catalyst for system-wide change, stronger policy environments, better-functioning markets and more coherent financing strategies for sustainable development. SFH work is delivered through three interconnected portfolios: 1) Public Finance for the SDGs; 2) Private Finance for the SDGs; and 3) Global & Country Financing Policy Frameworks.

The European Commission (EC), together with EU Member States, development agencies, EU financial institutions and UN organizations, have embarked on coordinating their offer of EU expertise and resources for low- and middle-income countries in the area of sustainable finance, inspired by EU experience, through the EC Sustainable Finance Advisory Hub, of which UNDP is an implementing partner, focusing on supporting countries on sustainable finance taxonomy development, disclosure frameworks and thematic/green bond framework development.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Debt and Investments and with a cross-reporting line to the Regional Advisor, SDG Finance – Asia and Pacific, the Investment and Debt Finance Senior Specialist will primarily be responsible for the delivery of activities under the EU Sustainable Finance Advisory Hub implemented by UNDP. The role is hosted within SFH Private Finance Portfolio under the Investments and Debt unit.

Working closely with colleagues across SFH portfolios and the Global Policy Network in Asia and the Pacific, the Specialist will provide technical and analytical support to partner governments, financial institutions, and issuers on sustainable finance instruments, with a focus on green and sustainability bond issuance. This includes pre- and post-issuance support, knowledge generation on fixed-income markets and other debt instruments, identification and assessment of green investment opportunities, and design of monitoring and reporting frameworks for environmental and climate impacts. The role will also contribute to building in-house capacity and institutional knowledge on debt and investment finance, ensuring effective translation of these skills into the design and implementation of innovative financing instruments at the country level, in line with the objectives of the Global Green Bond Initiative and the EU Sustainable Finance Advisory Hub both being linked to Global Gateway.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration

Duties and Responsibilities

The Investment and Debt Finance Senior Specialist will carry out relevant duties under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Debt and Investments and with a cross-reporting line to the Regional Advisor, SDG Finance – Asia and Pacific, the Investment and Debt Finance Senior Specialist.

The Investments and Debt Finance Senior Specialist will play a central role in advancing UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH) agenda in Asia and the Pacific, while also contributing to global workstreams. Based in UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub for Asia and Pacific, the incumbent will be responsible for the following functions and duties:

Thematic debt instruments and country support

• Support the development and implementation of UNDP’s thematic debt offering and lead the design and piloting of innovative development bond frameworks in selecte