Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital.  UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Pacific, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help microfinance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples’ lives.

 UNCDF works to enlarge peoples’ choices: it believes that poor people and communities should take decisions about their own development.  Its programmes help to empower women – over 50% of the clients of UNCDF-supported microfinance institutions are women – and its expertise in microfinance and local development is shaping new responses to food insecurity, climate change and other challenges. UNCDF works in challenging environments – remote rural areas, countries emerging from conflict – and paves the way for others to follow. Its programmes are designed to catalyze larger investment flows from the private sector, development partners and national governments, for significant impact on the Millennium Development Goals, especially Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger, Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, and Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

Established by the General Assembly in 1966 and with headquarters in New York, UNCDF is an autonomous UN organization affiliated with UNDP.

UNCDF launched Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P) in 2012 with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) to promote branchless and mobile financial services in several focuses countries in Africa and Asia. MM4P is currently present in Malawi, Liberia, Laos, and Nepal and is expanding to Uganda in 2014. 

The programme is now undergoing a consolidation phase, which requires support for (1) the planned programme expansion by the end of 2014  (2) Setting up a project office in Uganda in Q3-Q4 2014 and (3) organising MM4P´s annual conference in December 2014.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct responsibility of the MM4P Operations Associate, the Consultant will specifically:

  • Support the MM4P team  in preparing the programme expansion;
  • Assist  MM4P in setting up a project office in Uganda ;
  • Organise the MM4P annual conference in December 2014;
  • Perform other related tasks as required by the MM4P Operations Associate.
Key activities

In close collaboration with the MM4P Operations Associate the Consultant will provide effective to the MM4P Programme, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Support the MM4P team in preparing the programme expansion
  • Support the MM4P in the revision and update of MM4P office files, archives and documents as well as the creation of new ones for additional countries; 
  • Making arrangements of travel and hotel reservations, preparation of travel authorizations, processing requests for visas, identity cards and other documents for MM4P project staff;
  • Assist the MM4P operations associate in the management of contractors (office and vendors).
Assist MM4P in setting up a project office in Uganda (Q3 and Q4 2014)
  • Liaise and provide support to UNCDF´s interim Uganda team during 2014;
  • Support to organization of common services with UNDP Uganda country office;
  • Assist the MM4P team travel arrangements;
  • Supporting procurement processes as needed (basic office services);
  • Creating Uganda office files and  archives.
Organise the MM4P annual conference in December 2014
  • Secure premises for the conference;
  • Hire all related conference services (transport, catering translation);
  • Support conference logistics (hotel reservations, travel arrangements, payments, etc.) for guests.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:
  • Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
  • Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
  • Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
  • Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively.

Functional Competencies:

  • Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing;
  •  Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things;
  •  Documents innovative strategies and new approaches;
  •  Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise.

Required Skills and Experience

Education
  • Secondary Education, preferably with specialized certification in Management, Accounting or Finance.
 Experience
  • 4 years of progressively responsible administrative experience is required at the national or international level;
  • Specialized training in office management and administration is highly desirable;
  • Experience with a UN organization/agency is desirable;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.
 Language requirements
  • Fluency in English;
  • Proficiency in French preferred, but not mandatory.

Note:

This a part time position: The consultant is expected to work 50% of the regular office hours and no more than 20 hours a week.