Financial Costing Associate – Home Based – (Open to all applicants)
Qualifications of Financial Costing Associate:
- Location: Mexico, Mexico
- Vacancy No: 28205
- Salary: N/A
- Organization: UNDP United Nations Development Programme
- Deadline: 8/18/2025
Brief details about Financial Costing Associate:
About
Information about the organization that has offered the job:
Mexico is a “megabiodiversity” country, the fourth most biodiverse in the world, and is home to approximately 12% of the world’s species. This includes an estimated 544 terrestrial and marine mammal species (surpassed only by Indonesia and Brazil), 804 reptile species, between 300,000 and 425,000 estimated insect species, and 23,522 known plant species. The country is the richest in the world in terms of reptile species, the second richest in mammal species, and the fourth richest in amphibian and plant species. An estimated 32% of the national vertebrate fauna is endemic to the country, and 52% is endemic to Mesoamerica. The country is located in 51 of the 191 recognized terrestrial ecoregions worldwide.
The cross-cutting nature of tourism positions it as an important driver of development and a powerful tool for improving local and regional development; for providing a better quality of life for host communities; and for ensuring the preservation of natural and cultural capital. However, to date, conventional tourism development and management models pose a significant threat to Mexico’s globally important biodiversity, undermining tourism assets and, therefore, the sustainability of the industry itself. Therefore, there is an urgent need to include biodiversity conservation criteria in tourism development models and practices.
Considering the country’s current context, the project recognizes the direct causes of ecosystem degradation and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in tourism development areas. It also addresses the following pillars, all direct causes that promote biodiversity loss and degradation:
- Lack of biodiversity conservation safeguards for tourism development, which has progressively encroached on fragile ecosystems, including biodiversity-rich coastal areas,
- Inadequate financial and compensatory mechanisms/incentives to promote sustainable tourism development, resulting in incessant biodiversity-intensive tourism activity, mainly related to navigation, fishing, diving, among others, and
- Lack of demonstrative models for sustainable tourism development to provide viable and replicable best practices for other tourism development initiatives in the rest of the country, as well as feedback for improving the sustainable tourism development model.
Taking this context into account, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mexico are implementing the project: Integration of Biodiversity Conservation Criteria in Mexico’s Tourism Sector with an Emphasis on Biodiversity-Rich Coastal Ecosystems. The name Kuxatur comes from the Mayan language and means “living tourism.” This is the first GEF project awarded to the tourism sector in Mexico. It is executed by the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the Huatulco area, Oaxaca, the Insular Territory Conservation Association (ISLA) in Baja California Sur, and Friends of Sian Ka’an in Quintana Roo. It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project is based on the proposal that, by laying the groundwork for long-term public policy regarding biodiversity-friendly tourism and encouraging specific activities that demonstrate the viability of Sustainable Tourism Development models that integrate biodiversity conservation safeguards, biodiversity conservation will be guaranteed while contributing to the maintenance of important ecosystem services. The project also offers a coherent legal and institutional basis, emphasizing the participation of local communities and developers, to generate lasting change in the planning and management of tourism development in Mexico’s coastal areas.
The project, within its component 2, aims to address market failures and establish financial mechanisms to reduce the impact and transition towards sustainable tourism. To this end, it works with financial solution plans, where financing mechanisms and sources have been identified. However, partners are required to identify the costing of activities and the financial gap, a phase that has not been worked on due to the strong specialization required and the partners’ limited capacity and time.
Therefore, a person responsible for supporting project 00100949 is needed to conduct expenditure analyses for biodiversity and sustainable tourism and the assessment of financing needs. This will determine implementation costs and the financial gap in the integration of biodiversity conservation criteria into the tourism sector at the three project sites.
With these inputs, the financing solutions plans will be complete in order to begin resource mobilization.
Duties and Responsibilities
Identify the information available in the public accounts and other publicly accessible documents related to spending in favor of biodiversity and spending in favor of sustainable tourism .
Task 1 : Establish contact with the Finance, Environment and Tourism Secretariats of the project sites to obtain the necessary information for the preparation of expenditure in favor of biodiversity and follow up through periodic meetings.
Task 2: Adapt the BIOFIN methodology to this exercise
Task 3: Using the information obtained and using the BIOFIN methodology, conduct an analysis to prepare the document on expenditures for biodiversity and sustainable tourism at each site. In parallel, conduct this exercise with training for Secretariat staff to ensure continuity.
Conduct financing needs assessment exercises at project implementation sites, identifying priority actions for 5- and 10-year strategic planning, as well as costing activities.
Task 1: Review previous BIOFIN exercises for other states and adapt the methodology to adapt the methodology to sustainable tourism
Task 2: Review the sustainable tourism planning tools available at each site to identify and select five to eight priority actions that will become strategic objectives. In-person or virtual meetings with key stakeholders at each site are planned to achieve the necessary consensus.
Task 3: Develop a logical framework to establish the activities, goals, indicators, timing and sources of financing necessary to meet the objectives and, following the BIOFIN methodology, determine the costing of these activities.
Develop a cost catalog for sustainable tourism activities and biodiversity integration in the tourism sector, based on the analysis of financing needs.
Task 1: Systematize the process required to obtain the financing needs analysis of each site in order to replicate it in other sites
Task 2: Integrate the cost catalog of sustainable tourism activities from the three intervention sites
Task 3: Generate a step-by-step guide to integrate this catalog into sustainable tourism and assign those responsible for its follow-up.
The incumbent performs other duties within his or her functional profile that are deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Agreement
This position will be supervised by the Project Coordination with support from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN).
Skills
Core
| Achieving Results: | Level 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work within established limits. |
| Think Innovatively: | Level 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, solves problems pragmatically, makes improvements. |
| Continuous Learning: | Level 1: Open-minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback. |
| Adapt with Agility: | Level 1: Adapts to change, handles ambiguity/uncertainty constructively, is flexible. |
| Act with Determination: | Level 1: Shows determination and commitment, able to respond calmly to adversity, confident. |
| Get involved and partner: | LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships |
| Facilitating Diversity and Inclusion: | Level 1: Appreciates/respects differences, recognizes unconscious biases, confronts discrimination |
Functional and technical skills
| Thematic Area | Name | Definition |
| Business management and strategy | Strategic Thinking | Develop effective strategies and prioritized plans aligned with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on a systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities, and potential risks; connect the overall vision with the current situation to create tangible, targeted solutions; incorporate learning from diverse sources to anticipate and respond effectively to current and future trends; and demonstrate foresight. |
| Business management and strategy | Systems thinking | Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how alteration of one element may affect other parts of the system. |
| Business management | Customer Satisfaction/Customer Management | Ability to respond promptly and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide coherent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to meet and understand customers’ real needs. Contribute to the development of the customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond immediate customer requests. Ability to anticipate future customer needs and concerns. |
| Business development | Knowledge generation | Ability to search for information and convert it into useful knowledge that is relevant to the context or responds to a specific need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations and develop new ones to generate viable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that may be useful in addressing new situations. |
| Business development | Collective Intelligence Design | Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas and technology to design services or solutions |
| Business Management | Communication
| Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and unambiguously, both in writing and verbally; to tailor messages and select communication methods based on the audience. Ability to manage internal and external communications through the media, social networks, and other appropriate channels. |
| Financial technician | Financial management | Ability to support the financial aspects of the work planning process, preparation and management of financing. |
| Agenda 2030: Planet | Nature, Climate and Energy | Identification of the financial gap as well as sources of financing |
Required Skills and Experience
| Minimum Academic Requirements
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| Minimum Years of Relevant Knowledge and Experience | Minimum 7 years (with secondary education) or 4 years of experience (with a bachelor’s degree in the field of public finance, sustainable financing, public policy, institutional strategies and/or international cooperation. |
| Required Skills |
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| Desired Skills in addition to the competencies mentioned in the Competencies section |
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| Required Language(s) |
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Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.