Technical Specialist, Critical Minerals and Investment

Job Posting Organization:
Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an initiative launched by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2011, aimed at accelerating progress on the energy transition in emerging and developing countries. The organization operates globally, focusing on ending energy poverty, doubling energy efficiency, significantly expanding renewable energy, and combating climate change. SEforALL is hosted by UNOPS and collaborates with various stakeholders, including governments and organizations worldwide, to promote sustainable energy solutions. The organization emphasizes higher ambitions, stronger policies, increased finance flows, localization, green jobs, and faster results towards an inclusive energy transition. SEforALL has a global mandate and works at the intersection of energy, climate, and development, with a vision of a world where everyone can lead a dignified life on a healthy planet powered by sustainable energy.

Job Overview:
The Technical Specialist will play a crucial role as a core technical resource within SEforALL’s Green Industrialisation Hub and the Council for Critical Mineral Development in the Global South. This position involves leading the assessment of financing bottlenecks, policy reforms, and structuring reforms to mobilize investment in the green industrialization sector. The specialist will be responsible for translating high-level commitments into actionable investment vehicles, fostering collaboration across continents, and establishing financial pathways to accelerate the transition from mineral extraction to green industrialization, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia. The role requires a strategic approach to investment frameworks and the ability to engage with various stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing domestic ownership and economic transformation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct investment opportunity and gap assessments by synthesizing global and regional trends in critical minerals and green industrialization.
• Build upon existing demand/supply analyses and energy transition plans to quantify investment requirements and identify financing gaps across selected value chains in Africa and Southeast Asia.
• Map and survey relevant stakeholders, including investors, financiers, and industry players, to analyze investment barriers and reassess drivers of investment risk.
• Evaluate existing financing platforms and blended-finance instruments to identify opportunities for alignment with domestic industrial development.
• Assess the feasibility of dedicated financing mechanisms, such as a Minerals and Green Industrialisation Facility, and propose design options including governance and investment criteria.
• Conduct stakeholder mapping and engage with key stakeholders, organizing high-level consultations to validate proposed financing mechanisms and ensure institutional alignment.
• Collaborate closely with the Council for Critical Minerals Development and other regional partners to ensure the viability of proposed financing structures.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Development, Law, International Relations, Engineering, or a related field.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) in the above fields combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in investment banking, mining value chain project finance, development finance, or energy/economic policy development.
• Demonstrated expertise in green industrialization and critical minerals value chains.
• Experience collaborating with Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and Sovereign Wealth Funds to design and structure investment facilities or industrial development frameworks.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in relevant fields such as Economics, Finance, Development, Law, International Relations, or Engineering. Alternatively, a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) in these fields combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in areas such as investment banking, mining value chain project finance, development finance, or energy/economic policy development. Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in green industrialization and critical minerals value chains, along with experience collaborating with MDBs, DFIs, and Sovereign Wealth Funds to design and structure investment facilities or frameworks for industrial development. Desired experience includes conducting high-level stakeholder consultations and advanced analytical expertise in translating complex investment constraints into actionable financing mechanisms, particularly within the African and Southeast Asian contexts.

Languages:
Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in additional languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, French, or Russian is considered desirable but not mandatory.

Additional Notes:
This is a part-time retainer role, expected to contribute an average of up to 10 days per month. The contract duration is for 12 months, with a maximum of 120 working days. The position is classified at a mid-level seniority (ICS 10) and is home-based. UNOPS emphasizes diversity and equal employment opportunities, encouraging applications from underrepresented groups. Background checks are conducted for all final candidates to ensure compliance with organizational standards.