UNCDF Jobs - 50642- Expert to Lead and Undertake Research and Developm

Expert to Lead and Undertake Research and Development of a Training Program for Pro-poor Financial Services in the ASEAN Region

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Home-based, with travel to countries in the ASEAN region

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

31-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

5 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

60 days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 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, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seer capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help financial service providers reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments that will improve poor peoples ‘lives. Financial inclusion means universal access, at a reasonable cost, to a wide range of financial services, provided by a variety of sound and sustainable institutions. The range of financial services include savings, credit, insurance, payments, local money transfers and international remittances.

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has developed a regional program called SHIFT (Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations) to contribute to facilitating the transition, by the year 2020, of at least 6 million low-income people and micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the ASEAN region, from using informal financial mechanisms to formally regulated higher-value financial services. To this end, the SHIFT program will support at least 1 million people to be financially included in the ASEAN region as a result of technical and financial assistance to financial and support service providers in LDCs such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and lower MICs such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Furthermore, a further 5 million people will be included as a result of better region-wide data, knowledge, policies, training and support services architecture to leverage systematic market development.

One of the key components of SHIFT is delivering high-quality demand-driven training and certification by supporting and transforming existing training capacity and centers to have a more regional focus and broader reach. This will promote and facilitate cooperation between regional hubs, increase labor mobility, and allow for significant economies of scale to address the skill-gap in the financial sector in less developed countries with small-scale financial systems.

A regional approach which promotes and facilitates co-operation between regional hubs of excellence will allow for significant economies of scale in addressing the skills gap in the financial sector operating at the base of the pyramid in less developed countries with small-scale financial systems.

As part of creating regional hubs of training excellence for addressing the Financial Sector skill gap, some of the interventions proposed under SHIFT program are mentioned below:

Grants will be provided to established training centres and institutes to develop standardised, certified courses in areas relevant to pro-poor financial services, such as microfinance, SME finance, and agency banking to improve the supply and quality of labour in the finance sector that have the skills to deliver financially inclusive products and services;
Training will be provided across the skills spectrum to strengthen capacity at each level of financial institutions and across all functions;
Grant will be provided to cover the marginal-cost of adapting curriculum or creating new ones to the capacity and service offering of training hubs, as well as for training affiliates in selected countries to adapt and deliver the training curriculum in national contexts through a hub and spoke model. Overtime, training will be provided on a fee-paying basis to ensure that training courses, once established, are financially self-sustaining;
The regional hubs of excellence could also explore innovative approaches to training including use of ICT for distance learning and ‘code-sharing’ arrangements with other regional and national institutions to lower transaction costs and increase choice.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the Assignment

UNCDF seeks the assistance of an expert consultant to identify shared gaps, constraints, and opportunities in building and strengthening human capacity in the financial inclusion industry at both national and regional levels in the ASEAN region for its SHIFT programme. The specific objectives of this assignment are to (1) conduct scoping activity to assess the supply and demand of training, (2) conduct a Think Shop to validate the financial inclusion training topics in demand, as well as explore the different methodologies of conducting financial inclusion training programs that better suit the financial industry in the ASEAN region, and finally (3) undertake a feasibility study to identify the various design options for the SHIFT training programme.

Scope of Work:

The expert will ensure high quality and timely delivery of the following outputs:

Output 1: Training Supply and Demand Scoping Activity

The expert will undertake scoping activity and produce a report on the area-specific supply and demand of training in the ASEAN member states to be nominated. This piece of research aims to recognize the areas of skill gaps, and the areas with lack of available training.

The expert will:

Review and validate the needs-assessment of the financial inclusion industry at both national and regional levels;
Conduct a comprehensive scoping activity to assess supply and demand of training through research among capacity building service providers and financial service providers. As part of the scoping, apart from covering the mentioned two service providers, other stakeholders like related government departments, policy makers and regulators, bi-lateral and multi-lateral funding agencies, research institutions involved in skill related studies should be covered. Ongoing programs at the national, regional level should be studied and global learnings brought in as part of the scoping. On the demand side, the requirements at various level of staff within a financial institutions, gender specific aspects, different types of financial institutions and selected interactions with the clients of financial institutions should be included;
Conduct qualitative and quantitative research in above areas;
Compile and analyse data from research;
Submit a report detailing the results and analyses of the scoping activity;
Submit a concept paper detailing the key issues and findings from scoping activity to be presented in the Think Shop and meetings with stakeholders involved in the training program.

Output 2: Conduct a Think Shop

The expert will conduct a Think Shop to consult with relevant stakeholders and identify the most suitable and demanded financial inclusion training topics, as well as the most appropriate methodologies. The expert will identify relevant and influential players in the training field including training recipients, as well as those using innovative technology and open source material. Participants of the Think Shop will discuss the challenges and opportunities, and come up with creative solutions regarding the training program.

Specifically, the expert will be responsible for:

The identification of key themes and research questions where applicable;
The identification and recommendation of potential participants of the meeting;
Coordinating the invitations and logistics of the meeting with the SHIFT team;
Setting the agenda for the meeting;
Making the result of output 1 available for discussion;
Leading the Think Shop;
Creating a report summarizing and synthesizing the ideas discussed in the meeting; and
Submit a knowledge product to be published as a public good which will comprise a synthesis of the findings from the Think Shop.

Output 3: Undertake Feasibility Study

The expert will undertake a feasibility study to assess the various design options for the SHIFT training programme, taking into consideration the findings of the supply and demand analysis, and the various solutions proposed during the Think Shop. This feasibility study will analyze the cost and benefits of designing the proposed training programme and what is the most cost-effective way to meet the existing gaps and constraints within the financial inclusion capacity development sector in the nominated countries of the ASEAN region.

Analyze the various design options for a regional financial inclusion training programme based on the findings of the demand-supply analysis, and the outcomes of the Think Shop;
Determine costs and benefits of designing a regional financial inclusion training programme;
Identify the most cost-effective design for the regional training programme;
Develop the conceptual architecture for the regional training programme;
Submit a draft document detailing the outcomes of the feasibility study;
Participate in a review meeting with UNCDF to discuss the submitted draft, and the necessity for further draft submissions and review meetings; and
Submit a final document detailing the feasibility of designing a regional financial inclusion training programme in the ASEAN region.

Deliverables:

The consultant will deliver the following final products with the indicated delivery dates, keeping in mind the requirements under Scope of Work

Output 1: Scoping activity for training demands:

Review and validation of supply-side training needs assessment by fourth week of December, 2014;
Final report on supply and demand training needs assessment by first week of January, 2015;
Concept paper for presentation to stakeholders by the second week of January, 2015.

Output 2: Organization of Think Shop:

Creating an agenda for the Think Shop by end of third week of January, 2015;
Organizing Think Shop for second week of February, 2015;
Submit a knowledge product to be published as a public good which will comprise a synthesis of the findings from the Think Shop by fourth week of February, 2015

Output 3: Undertake Feasibility Study:

Submission of draft document by second week of March, 2015;
Participation in review meeting with UNCDF by third week of March, 2015;
Submission of final report detailing training methodologies by end of March, 2015.

Competencies

Functional competencies:

Excellent research skills and experience;
Excellent quantitative and qualitative data analysis and drafting skills;
Access to a wide network of financial institutions in CLMV countries;
Ability to deliver high quality synthesis papers by set deadlines (requiring minimal editing);
Strong presentation and communication skills;
Strong planning and coordination skills;

Corporate competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters or PhD in business, finance, economics, and other related fields.

Experience:

At least 10 years of working experience in the training/human resources sector, preferably in multiple countries and specifically in the ASEAN region;
Experience in creating and conducting surveys/questionnaires;
Experience in conducting training needs assessments;
Experience in undertaking high quality financial inclusion research;
Experience in designing training programs in the ASEAN regions, especially in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV);

Language:

Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Evaluation Criteria:

Technical Criteria weight: 70%:

Education in required field: 10%;
Experience in required field: 45%;
Expertise in the are related to this ToRs: 45%

Financial Criteria weight: 30%

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined:

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.