Background
UNCDF's work in Asia and the Pacific focuses on enhancing good governance and service delivery at the local level, and access to a wide range of affordable financial services. UNCDF builds on its mandate and capacity to provide a mix of small-scale capital grants, credits and guarantees, and capacity-building services to important public and private sector actors.
The Asia and Pacific Regional Office leads and represents UNCDF in the region, by carrying out the following tasks:
- Ensuring high quality, on-demand policy advice, technical support in Local Development and Inclusive Finance and coordination with key partners;
- Promoting increased synergy and joint investments and initiatives between our Local Development (LD) and Inclusive Finance (IF) Practice areas;
- Fostering and convening high visibility collaboration between governments, civil society, UN organizations on key and emerging priorities for accelerating progress vis-à-vis poverty reduction and development challenges;
- Promoting a smooth functioning of UNCDF activities within the Sub Regional Office, UN/UNDP Regional Service Centre, or, within any UN agency in which UNCDF is working;
- Ensuring high quality and timely monitoring and results-based reporting on programmes in which UNCDF is involved - including donor reports, UNCDF Results-oriented annual report etc. - and that an effective system is in place to generate this is in line with UNCDF results-based reporting guidelines and to make reports easily accessible to stakeholders;
- Offering technical, programmatic, operational and communication support to country offices in the region.
UNCDF Asia-Pacific Regional Office covers the following programming countries:
Duties and Responsibilities
The purpose of the assignment is to support the initial rollout of new country, regional, and global programmes through activities of related initiatives under the Local Development practice area originating from UNCDF Asia-Pacific Regional Office and in cooperation with country, regional and global staff.
The assignment will aim to strengthen the capacity of the local development finance team. Working in cooperation with programme staff and under the leadership of the Regional Technical Advisor for local development, the consultant will provide assistance in designing and implementing programmes, through the completion of the following tasks:
Area 1: Support the regional team in research, assessments, design and piloting of new financing instruments and mechanisms; this shall include:
- Conducting of technical background research on applicability of capital markets financing instruments in a context of Asia-Pacific and African Regions. Out of country travel for preliminary and scoping missions may be required;
- Maintaining and/or expanding of a working relationship with consultants and/or professional organizations identified as most relevant for collaborative development of local development finance planning and assessment tools and methodologies;
- Assist in selection and design, finalizing of development and testing of local development finance tools and approaches;
- Programmatic coordination of development and implementation of the UNCDF municipal bonds pilot initiative in Bangladesh;
- Maintain effective communication, coordinate and assist in technical and programmatic collaboration with relevant country office teams to ensure their effective participation in projects formulation, piloting and roll-outs;
- Conduct on-site technical mission support in scoping, assessment and follow-up missions. Out of country travel may be required;
- Collecting of relevant information and feedback from UNCDF country offices;
- Preparation of feasibility assessments, scoping missions, mobilization of experts and finalization of missions outputs; reports of meetings and other support documentation as requested by the Supervisor in relation to new business development activities related to various public finance initiatives in water, environment, health, energy and climate change sectors;
- Preparation of reports, presentations and information sharing materials (including project specific publications such as updated brochures, project design leaflets, branding, etc.).
Area 2: Assist in effective internal and external partnerships in collaboration with UNCDF retainer experts and other UNCDF staff in support of existing and prospective local development finance initiatives (e.g. Municipal bonds financing; municipal services finance, climate change adaptation/disaster risk management finance, etc.); this shall include:
- Continue developing effective communication and working relationships with the other two UNCDF regions in Africa (including the Middle East);
- Further develop effective partnerships and collaboration with professional organizations (i.e. organizations to be involved in development of project assessment tools, municipal bonds development, etc.);
- Further develop effective partnerships with academic/research institutions relating to UNCDF local development finance initiatives (i.e. RRC.AP);
- Continuing existing and/or initiating new collaboration with other relevant UN organizations, (i.e. UNDP, UNEP, ESCAP);
- Represent the Local Development Finance Practice Area in selected domestic, regional and international events including meetings, conferences and workshops as deemed necessary by the Supervisor. Out of country travel may be required.
Area 3: Assist in formulation of local development finance resource mobilization stratagem;
- Develop and assist in the design and implementation of a programme specific resource mobilization strategy and tactics, aiming at successful securing of non-core funding from relevant donor partners in support of local development finance initiatives within the UNCDF;
- Collaboratively work with regional and corporate personnel and consultants on designing and implementing pertinent resource mobilization plans and approaches;
- Establishing and maintaining communication with donor partners (at global, regional and country levels);
- Collaboratively work with donor institutions as an Asia-Pacific focal point to execute pertinent resource mobilization stratagem;
- Accrue findings and results from designed resource mobilization stratagem.
Area 4: Research on UNCDF Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) platform
- Participate in active research on Intellectual Property protection methods and approaches to be utilized by the UNCDF for its various programmes, tools, approaches and methodologies;
- Network and potentially work with various organizational and legal entities to build upon research in the development of a UNCDF IPP Platform;
- Collate findings for preliminary work on UNCDF Programming Accreditation / Certification / Standardization Platform(s).
The assignment will aim to strengthen the position of UNCDF in country, regional and global initiatives undertaken through the Municipal Debt Financing framework, including assistance in a research identification, development and promotion of new projects and products associated with sustainable local development and service provision financing instruments within the Asia-Pacific Region. Specific products include:
- Inventory of existing and plans for development of recommended knowledge products in support of new project initiatives; set of specific slide presentations in support of ongoing and planned events as agreed with the supervisor;
- Identification of important national, regional and global events of importance for enhancing of implementation partnerships and Non-core funds mobilization;
- Resource mobilization stratagem report and corresponding findings;
- Supporting materials for implementation of municipal bonds pilot project;
- Project concepts and documents for new local development finance project initiatives;
- Concept for best practices in organizational cost management strategy and corresponding tactics;
- Corresponding mission reports and materials;
- Concept note and supporting materials for UNCDF IPP Protection Approaches.
Expected missions:
- Country level scoping and project identification/planning missions;
- Asia-Pacific region countries of UNCDF operation, (Mission output will consist of a BTOR highlighting attained contacts and involving tasks/outputs 1b-h, 3c.);
- Pertinent domestic, regional and international conferences (More TBC through impending ToRs and subject to approval by UNCDF).
Competencies
- Demonstrated ability to interact with individuals of different national and cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes the willingness to understand different views and opinions;
- Highly proficient writing and verbal communication skills with sensitivity to nuance;
- A track record of delivering reports on a timely basis;
- Adept at professional & interpersonal networking.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, environmental studies, international studies, international relations or a related field;
- A first-level university degree in combination with additional four years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- Minimum of 3 years of combined experience in the areas of international project development, advocacy, financial resources management and public policy;
- Minimum of 2 years of experience in knowledge of municipal finance issues and initiatives;
- Prior work experience and knowledge of the Asia-Pacific Region;
- Demonstrated research experience.
Language Requirement:
- Fluent in English and French.
Documents to be included when submitting the application form online
Interested individual consultant must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate your qualifications:
- Proposal (Reply online): Brief motivation letter (not more than two pages) indicating why the applicant thinks is an outstanding candidate for the job, with a brief description on how the scope of work will be dealt with;
- Financial proposal (Reply Online): The financial proposal must indicate daily professional fee in USD;
- Detailed Personal CV and/or UN P.11 Form ( Upload Online).
Evaluation Criteria:
- Technical Criteria weight: 70%
(Experience related to services: 30%; Written proposal/test and interview result: 50% and Expertise & Availability: 20%)
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% technical points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
- Financial Criteria weight: 30%
The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
- Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
- Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.