Local Portfolio Development Consultant

Description of the Assignment:

Cities in the Philippines face increasingly complex and interconnected challenges related to quality of life, social inclusion, climate and disaster resilience, environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, economic competitiveness, infrastructure and public services, governance, financing, and digital transformation. These challenges do not occur in isolation as they are shaped by interactions among urban systems, institutions, stakeholders, investments, and flows of people, materials, water, energy, food, finance, information, and ecosystem services.

Addressing these challenges therefore requires cities to move beyond fragmented, sector-based and project-by-project approaches toward integrated sustainable urban transformation. This entails understanding how urban systems interact; identifying synergies, trade-offs and leverage points; aligning policies, programmes and investments around shared outcomes; strengthening governance and institutional coordination; using data and digital tools to improve decision-making; and mobilizing sustainable finance for priority interventions.

A sustainable city is understood in this initiative as an inclusive, safe, resilient, productive, and environmentally responsible urban system that integrates social, economic, environmental, spatial, cultural, and institutional dimensions to improve quality of life for present and future generations. It aligns planning, governance, infrastructure, public services, resource use, investment, and stakeholder participation across interconnected urban systems.

The Green and Digital Cities initiative supports cities in adopting this integrated, systems-driven approach to sustainable urban transformation. It consolidates collaborations across the ecosystem to embed new economic models, digital innovation, and gender equality into sustainable urban transformation portfolios, moving cities beyond project-based engagement towards transformation at scale. It adopts an integrated sustainable cities approach enabled through systems thinking, portfolio management, data-driven decision-making, integrated governance, sustainable finance, stakeholder collaboration, and adaptive learning. The initiative seeks to connect and strengthen existing efforts across circular economy, climate action, biodiversity, resilience, economic development, tourism, governance, and digitalization to support more coherent and investment-ready urban transformation.

Through this approach, GDC seeks to help cities develop a shared understanding of interconnected urban challenges and opportunities; identify leverage points and areas for convergence; build portfolios of mutually reinforcing policies, programmes, investments and partnerships; strengthen the use of data and digital tools for decision-making; and identify pathways for financing, implementation, learning and scaling. Circular economy is applied as a cross-cutting principle that connects resource efficiency, local economic development, infrastructure, public services, procurement, tourism, and resilient urban value chains.

One of the cities in the Philippines pursuing a systems approach is Baguio City. Anchored on its city vision of Baguio 2043: A Livable, Inclusive, and Creative City, the city seeks to reverse the projected onset of irreversible urban decay of the city by 2043 while signifying their commitment in ensuring a high quality of life for their residents, equal access to opportunities and services, and preservation of its identity as a hub of artistic and cultural expression. To support this vision, the City Government has developed innovative planning tools, such as the Livability Index, which measures the livability of its 128 barangays across dimensions including healthy place, food sources, economic, crime safety, accessibility, mobility, essentials, risk management, civic spaces, and water access.

The city also leveraged digital innovation to improve governance and service delivery through platforms such as Baguio in My Pocket, Baguio VISITA, and the Smart City Command Center. The Digital Twin has further enabled the integration of the Livability Index into local planning processes, including the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan to strengthen their evidence-based and data-driven urban management.

With support from UNDP, Baguio City also completed its first Voluntary Local Review (VLR) focusing on nine priority SDGs and subsequently undertook an SDG financing diagnostics that used SDG budget tagging and outcome-based budgeting to strengthen alignment between public finance and sustainable development outcomes. UNDP also supported the city through initiatives such as the Low Carbon Urban Transport System Project and the EU-PH Green Economy Programme and Global Plastic Innovation Programme, which support the city’s transition to circularity through its culturally rooted Pansa-nopen Tayo Circular Economy Framework. The city is also part of the Green and Resilient Cities, which supports advancing integrated, low-carbon, climate-resilient and nature-positive urban development.

To support this work, UNDP seeks the services of a Local Portfolio Development Consultant, who will apply systems thinking, portfolio methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and strategic analysis to help build an integrated sustainable urban transformation portfolio for Baguio City.

The portfolio will connect and strengthen existing initiatives, identify strategic gaps and leverage points, and organize mutually reinforcing interventions around shared city outcomes, including opportunities for convergence, sequencing, financing, implementation and adaptation over time.

The Consultant will also support the application of selected aspects of the sustainable urban transformation portfolio methodology in San Fernando City, La Union, to support ongoing sustainable urban development efforts. The Consultant shall adapt relevant approaches, systems analysis, stakeholder engagement process, and portfolio tools to generate insights and identify opportunities and recommendations that may inform future portfolio development and portfolio-oriented recommendations into the city’s Voluntary Local Review process or related sustainable development reporting outputs for San Fernando City.

Qualifications:

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, public policy, public administration, development studies, economic, sustainability, or a related field

Experience

At least five (5) years of professional experience in the field of design, planning, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and/or evaluating development programs and projects.

At least three (3) years of demonstrated experience in designing portfolios, programs, or complex development interventions as indicated in the CV and application letter

Documentation of at least three (3) facilitation of portfolio or program co-design, stakeholder consultations, and/or sensemaking workshops

At least three (3) years of demonstrated experience working with local governments and in one or more of the following areas: sustainable cities or urban development, circular economy, climate resilience, environment and natural resource management, urban governance, local economic development

Relevance of at least one (1) sample work or publication demonstrating professional experience in any of the following: systems mapping for local government, portfolio or program building, sustainable urban transformation, local government studies, and other related portfolio research for local government

Fluency in English and Filipino (Tagalog), required as indicated in CV

Period of assignment/services: 50 person days from November 2026 to March 2027

Proposal should be submitted directly in the portal no later than indicated deadline. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing via messaging functionality in the portal. UNDP will respond in writing including an explanation of