UNCDF Jobs - 50718- Ebola Response Financial Specialist Pool of Expert

Ebola Response Financial Specialist Pool of Experts ( Primarily in bola-affected countries, with some home office or other locations possible)

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Primarily in ebola-affected countries, with some home office or other locations possible

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Varies from immediately up until December 2015

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Varies from a few days to several months

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 United Nations Mission for Emergency Ebola Response (UNMEER)

The United Nations Mission for Emergency Ebola Response (UNMEER) is the first-ever UN emergency health mission and it is being set up in response to the unprecedented outbreak. The Mission will be temporary and will respond to immediate needs related to the fight against Ebola. To achieve this, the strategic priorities of the Mission will be to stop the spread of the disease, treat the infected, ensure essential services, preserve stability and prevent the spread to countries currently unaffected. Advance teams were immediately deployed to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as to the mission headquarters in Ghana. The UN Secretary-General stated, on 9 October 2014, a need for a twenty-fold increase in international support. Further in-country specialists are actively being sought, including individual consultants hired directly or through a firm.

UNCDF

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 least developed countries with a focus on inclusive finance and local development finance. It is providing technical support to UNMEER on financial sector and payments issues in ebola-affected countries. UNMEER as the coordinating body for the UN and other partners’ response to the Ebola crisis has recently recognized cash delivery as an essential service. Health Care Workers’ salaries and incentives need to be paid in an effective way for them to continue working and to ensure others can be brought in. Social protection payments will become increasingly important as the crisis is contained and the focus turns to rehabilitation. All of these rely on effective payment mechanisms supported by donors, the private sector, and the Governments. UNCDF is focusing on this issue under the UNMEER umbrella.

The Consultancy

UNCDF is looking to establish a pool of International and National Consultants who may be invited to support UNMEER’s work on making payments to health care workers and social transfer beneficiaries as an essential service. This call for applications is only for consultants willing to work within ebola-affected countries, for at least part of their total assignment. These assignments may be short-term or long-term, part time or full time, and combine on-site and off-site work. Each assignment opportunity will be discussed with candidate(s), who will be free to accept or decline the offer(s) for each assignment. Inclusion in the pool of experts does not guarantee a contract with UNMEER or UNCDF.

Contractual, working and reporting arrangements will be negotiated on an assignment basis but may include direct engagement with UNCDF, UNMEER, UNDP, and other international organizations working through the UNMEER non-cluster cash and social protection working group. By submitting an application to this pool of experts, candidates agree that their application details can be shared with these organizations on a confidential basis. Consultants may apply as an individual alone or as an individual to be contracted through a firm.

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Areas of responsibility will be specified individually for each assignment according to the country and tasks involved. Applicants must have substantiate knowledge of and experience in one or more of the following subjects:

National payments infrastructure at a retail and wholesale level;
National payments regulation and supervision as well as the regulatory frameworks through which governments receive and make payments;
Coordination at a senior level among donors, governments and private sector in financial sector development;
Financial sector strengthening during and post crisis situations;
Working with the banking sector including ATMs and POS devices as delivery channels for salaries, incentives, vouchers, and cash/social transfers;
Working with non-bank financial institutions including MFIs as delivery channels for salaries, incentives, vouchers, and cash/social transfers;
Working with mobile money operators and technology innovators as delivery channels for salaries, incentives, vouchers, and cash/social transfers;
Working with third party managers of bank agents, branchless banking solutions including wheeled or kiosk solutions, and/or mobile money agents as delivery channels for salaries, incentives, vouchers, and cash/social transfers;
Targeting, identification, registration, and KYC and delivery channels for salaries, incentives, vouchers, and cash/social transfers; and/or
Cash and liquidity management for any actors listed above for both international and local currencies at the levels of central management, distribution channel and last mile.

More senior responsibilities will be required of those with experience during and post crisis situations.

Duties

The duties will be specified for each assignment according to the country and tasks involved. The following list of activities is indicative:

Design and/or implement diagnostic studies, surveys and interviews that will help identify risks and challenges in terms of national payment regulation, service providers, payment infrastructure, delivery channels, payment solutions;
Design and/or implement diagnostic studies, surveys and interviews that will help identify risks and challenges in terms of marketing and communications to access points and recipients, among others;
Support elaboration of an informed and sound payment system strengthening strategy in a crisis and post-crisis situation and subsequent evolution towards an inclusive financial ecosystem;
Manage and effectively implement ongoing projects for payment solutions and overall payment system strengthening;
Help ensure payment and incentives delivery for health care workers and social transfers by both Government and international community, with special emphasis on UN, UN-family and UN-partners’ payments and disbursements in affected areas;
Support the targeting, identification, registration, KYC and delivery for salaries, vouchers, cash transfers and social protection benefits with special emphasis on activities during and post crisis;
Provide support, training and build capacity of main payment system stakeholders including support with the management of cash transfer, vouchers, salary and social protection delivery channels;
Help financial services providers ensure reliable delivery channels, including but not limited to: branches, mobile money, agent networks, ATMs, POS, microfinance institutions, and others;
Design, implement, monitor and evaluate cash and liquidity management strategies for all actors mentioned above in a crisis environment;
Design, implement and monitor client, agent and staff training as well as client enrollment strategies and programs;
Be a local focal point for UNCDF, UNMEER non-cluster working group, and other UN-family agencies and UN-partners, communicating and developing relationships with Governments, private sector and development organizations, participating in working groups and meetings, and preparing mission reports.

Contracting Arrangements

Successful candidates will be included in a pool of experts for support support to the UNMEER non-cluster cash and social protection working group. Application details may also be share, on a confidential basis, with UNMEER, UNDP, and other international organizations formally on the working group. Inclusion in the pool of experts does not guarantee a contract with UNCDF or any other organization.

When a request for services arises, the hiring unit/office shall:

Contact the UNCDF focal point to access the list of qualified consultants;
Send the procurement notice and ToRs for the assignment to the selected experts with a request to confirm availability;
Review the submissions and financial proposals;
Select an expert for the assignment based on the ‘Best value for money’ approach;
Negotiate the details of a specific contract including Terms of Reference (ToR) for the assignment;
Issue an Individual Contract to the expert, to them alone or to a firm for the expert’s direct services;
Notify the UNCDF focal point of the decision and of the duration of the contract issued to the expert;
Submit a performance of the expert to the UNCDF focal point once the assignment is completed; and before the final payment is issued.

Exemptions to this process may apply according to UNDP rules in exceptional circumstances.

Work permits:

Both national and international candidates are accepted. The UN will request all the required Visa and work permits as required.

Pay

A daily fee must be quoted as specified in the online application process which will be used by the UNCDF focal point to score the application. This daily fee will only include the professional fees and any overhead costs charged in the case that the applicant is applying through a firm. Other benefits and cost reimbursements such as Daily Subsistence Allowances, Telecommunications, Transportation, Hazard Pay, and others will be agreed upon on an assignment basis according to UN rules for the assignment location at the time of the contract negotiations.

Travel

Travel expenses will be covered as pre-agreed with the supervisor in writing. These may include economy airfare, terminal expenses and per diems which include hotel and food expenses according to standard UN rates based on evidence of approved and actual travel.

Competencies

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Self-development, initiative-taking;
Demonstrated capacity for strategic thinking;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty;
Excellent analytical and writing skills;
Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
Creating synergies through self-control;
Managing conflict;
Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others;
Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
Informed and transparent decision making.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Bachelor’s degree on a subject relevant to the core responsibilities is required;
Master’s degree and/or technical certification on a subject relevant to relevant to the core responsibilities is required is desirable.

Experience:

Minimum of 7 years total professional work experience is required to apply to join the pool of experts. Much more may be required for specific assignments needing senior consultants;
Strong subject-matter expertise, knowledge, and demonstrated work experience in one or more specific areas of the core responsibilities is required;
Work during or post-crisis or conflict situations is desirable;
Experience in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and/or Ghana is desirable.

Languages:

Professional fluency in English or French is required;
Proficiency in other geographically specific languages or dialects may be required on an assignment basis.