Consultancy on Grants Monitoring and Reporting

Improved grant monitoring and reporting. Streamlined internal workflows.

Hybrid, Bonn office and home-based.

87 days Between May to Dec. 2026.

Background note: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int) The Secretariat of the UNCCD is seeking the services of a consultant to support its donor relations and grant management functions, in alignment with its Resource Mobilization Strategy. The consultant will play a key role in assisting the Donor Relations Officer with the monitoring and reporting of grants received by the Secretariat, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and enhancing the effectiveness of grant-funded initiatives. The consultant will also contribute to streamlining processes, supporting stakeholder coordination, and maintaining proper documentation, thereby strengthening the Secretariat’s capacity to deliver on its mandate. Duties & Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Donor Relations Officer, the consultant will contribute to the effective implementation of UNCCD Resource Mobilization Strategy, with a particular focus on monitoring and reporting of voluntary contributions received by the secretariat. The consultant will provide cross-cutting support throughout the grant lifecycle – from inception to reporting and donor engagement. The consultant will perform the following activities: 1. Grant inception - Assist in drafting grant proposals, agreements and related documentation in line with donor guidelines and requirements. - Contribute to the development of project work plans, budgets, and initial implementation documents for new grants. - Organize internal kick-off meeting for each new grant to ensure coordination and shared understanding of donor expectations. 2. Grant monitoring - Track progress of grant-funded projects against agreed objectives, timelines, and deliverables. - Conduct regular analysis of project budgets and expenditures, identifying any potential variances or funding adjustments. - Support the monitoring of donor visibility and branding requirements across all relevant communication and implementation materials. - Liaise with implementing teams to clarify reporting expectations and ensure timely submission of required documentation. - Assist in organizing internal coordination meetings and donor check-ins to address any implementation or compliance issues. - Maintain and regularly update a centralized portfolio/database of current and past voluntary contributions. 3. Grant reporting - Contribute to the preparation of periodic and final reports for donors, ensuring alignment with donor templates and organizational standards. - Draft data visualizations, summaries and key messages to strengthen the quality and impact of reports. - Prepare correspondence to donors. - Ensure reports and data are aligned with donor templates and organizations’ requirements. 4. Donor engagement - Support donor-funded campaigns and initiatives. - Internally collaborate with programme staff and administrative teams to ensure coherence across donor funded activities.

- Advanced university degree in a relevant field of environment, international relations or project management is required. - A minimum of two years of in the field of monitoring of programmes, projects and/ or grant management components in public or non-governmental or international organizations is required. - Strong analytical and writing skills is required. - Experience in project management, monitoring and reporting is required. - Demonstrated ability to work with diverse teams, including virtually is required. - Excellent planning, organization and teamwork skills is required. - Experience or familiarity with the United Nations System is desirable.

- Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.

Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.