Background

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 49 least developed countries. It focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Middle East, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. Within its economic development mandate UNCDF specializes in public and private financing mechanisms that catalyze economic growth and make it more inclusive and sustainable.

Through country programmes and global thematic programmes, UNCDF offers a unique combination of investment capital, capacity building and technical advisory services to promote Local Development Finance and Inclusive Finance in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). UNCDF’s Local Development Finance Initiative (LFI) is an innovative programme designed to unlock financial sectors in developing countries for financing small and medium-sized infrastructure projects that are needed for local economic and private sector development.

The LFI Program Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the LFI Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), based in Dar es Salaam.

Duties and Responsibilities

Support to Programme Management: 30%

• Support the CTA in the development, monitoring and implementation of the LFI programme ensuring coherence with UNCDF and LFI programme document;
• Perform/coordinate the elaboration of the reports required to meet requirements of the programme framework including work plans, progress reports and mission reports and the organization/coordination of programme governance bodies meetings to ensure smooth implementation of the LFI Programmes.
• Develop and maintain programme information repositories including those of other LFI programmes and serves as an internal consultant and shares knowledge with the team;
• Follow-up programmatic/operational issues emerging from missions and discussions with projects sponsors, government partners and other stakeholders as assigned by the CTA

Resource Mobilization and Partnership Building: 30%

• Support the efforts of the supervising CTA to mobilize additional resources for the project;
• Develop strategies to mobilize additional resources based on project resource requirements and new opportunities;
• Monitor country level and regional level opportunities for donor funds mobilization;
• Develop, analyze, and manage a resource mobilization database, with background information on other existing programmes, analysis of possible linkages with the LFI Programme, develop a solid pipeline of resource mobilization leads and substantial next steps;
• Support the LFI team in the development of a comprehensive resource mobilization and partnership building strategy;
• Provide general support in fostering partnerships with other UN agencies or development partners by participating in meetings and facilitating follow ups;          
• Develop proposals, power point presentations and reports for different levels and requirements of the programme framework.

• Provides substantial support to knowledge management tools and processes for the LFI Programme, focusing on achieving the following result; Management and coordination of the programme knowledge management page on Teamworks and other appropriate instruments; Encourage the extractions of lessons from evaluations for knowledge management to enhance effectiveness of LFI programme; Collaboration with LFI technical practitioners to develop cutting edge strategies, realignments and approaches for project investment and piloting, in order to better achieve programme outcomes;
• Develop LFI communication materials, including programme information for public dissemination, technical material for targeted partners, background documentation, briefing material, power point presentations, meeting minutes;
• Manage and update the stakeholder and partner database and the internal information management system.
• Develop and maintain effective information database on projects, providing resource and necessary support for program inputs and outputs;
• Coordinate compilation and dissemination of annual and quarterly reports for the programme.
• Organize and coordinate lessons learned workshops/review of program work plans with partners and other stakeholders;
• Facilitate documentation and reporting of assessments, program data, lessons learned and best practices for internal and external sharing.

• Support the LFI Team in the research, screening and analysis of potential project sponsors of infrastructure projects, the required areas of project development, and the securing of finance (debt and equity) using a project finance approach combined with credit enhancements.

• Provide general and comprehensive logistic support in the organization of international and local missions, internal and external meetings, workshops and trainings and any other required activity.

Competencies

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise: In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter:

• Understands more advanced aspects of the primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
• Continues to seeks new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Innovation and judgment:

• Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues and how they relate;
• Contributes creative, practical ideas and demonstrates sense of entrepreneurial initiative to deal with challenging situations;
• Strives for quality client-oriented services (internal and external) when making decisions and taking action.

Results-orientation:

• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals.

Generate innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations:
Partnering and networking

• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside the project;
• Strong networking capabilities and ability to associate him/herself with a range of actors with a view to building relations and facilitating links;

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:   Developing tools and mechanisms

Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms;

Develops and/or participates in the development of tools and mechanisms, including identifying new approaches to promote individual and organizational learning and knowledge sharing using formal and informal methodologies.

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Development, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics or related field.

• A minimum of two (2) years experience or more in large corporation or international organization, required previous work experience with UN a strong advantage, progressively responsible in related field;
• Experience in corporate communication, development, private and public sector finance and or basic understanding of the general project development and financing framework;
• Resource mobilization experience and reporting to and managing donor grants and reporting mechanisms is a plus;
• Experience in supporting or developing project documents and start-up of new projects with UNDP/UNCDF Programme and Project management standards;
• Experience with similar assignments in LDCs and developing countries;
• Strong programme, communications and project management experience with emphasis on relevant tools and methodologies incorporating lessons learned into local development projects and programmes;
• Experience in organizing and coordination of a wide variety of meetings, conferences, events and other activities in professional contexts.

• Fluency in English, with good written and oral communication skills;
• Knowledge of Swahili is an advantage.

Open to Tanzanian Nationals only.