UNDP Jobs - 57650- Chief, United Nations Social Enterprise Facility (

Chief, United Nations Social Enterprise Facility (UNSEF) Secretariat

Location :

Bangkok, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

TA International

Starting Date :

01-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

02-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

Less than a year

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

In today’s complex world, all sectors require agile entrepreneurial and innovative solutions that anticipate and rapidly respond to quick and adverse changes in the global environment, while at the same time addressing sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

In the past decade, and more recently within the Asia-Pacific region, there has been a surge of interest to apply market-based business models to development aid programming in a way that prioritizes and balances social, environmental and financial returns.

The traditional divide between for-profit enterprises seeking only financial gain and non-profit organizations seeking only social impact is blurring as hybrid organizations bring together profit-generating operations underlined by social missions. These hybrid organizations are commonly named social enterprises (SEs).

As a response, UNDP/RBAP was instrumental in establishing the ‘United Nations Social Enterprise Facility” or UNSEF on September 28, 2015.

UNSEF has been established in accordance to the UNDG Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO), which currently manages USD $7 billion in 103 counties (http://mptf.undp.org/overview/funds). Ms. Mari Matsumoto, is the Senior MPTFO Advisor in New York.

Reporting structure and partners

UNSEF is very unique in that it is the only Social Impact Investment arm of the UN and is positioned to benefit all stakeholders. The primary goal is to support high-potential SEs scale across borders but also to develop the necessary financial and capacity/technical/talent infrastructure so that today's start-ups have an ecosystem (financial, technical assistance and policy frameworks) in place to leverage.

The United Nations Social Enterprise Facility (UNSEF) is a multi-partner, multi-sector social impact facility utilizing a ‘market-based development’ approach to identify and fund established high-potential Social Enterprises (SEs) that require expansion-stage technical and financial support that prioritized a blended return of environmental, social and economic dividends to increasing overall development impact, resilience and sustainability.

UNSEF is a global second-stage ‘scale-up and expansion’ investment platform that will identify, select and fund successfully established Social Enterprises (SEs) that have a high-potential to scale across borders – regionally and globally.
UNSEF will offer a tailored incubation/acceleration program coupled with an investment combination of grants, equity and/or quasi-equity of up to US$ 1,000,000 for each Social Enterprise;
Partnering with public and private investors, UNSEF is positioned as a financial intermediary that combines the traditional funding pathways of pooled individual, foundation, CSR and venture philanthropy grants with parallel debt, equity and quasi-equity investors;
UNSEF is the only UN backed Social Impact Investment fund and will invest in SEs that operate within the MDG/SDG thematic areas including the challenges associated with SME and mSME development, renewable energy, aging populations, urbanization, health, disaster preparedness and education and women/youth empowerment and social innovation/entrepreneurship.
UNSEF secondary but equally important goal is to create the financial, expertise and policy frameworks, value-chain and ecosystems necessary to enable the next-generation of SEs to leverage important new technologies including Internet+, ‘Internet of Things’ sensors, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and Wearable technologies that have a huge opportunity to benefit society in the future;
Traditionally, scaling up social impacts refers to local impact – district, province and sometimes nationally. UNSEF is designed, through its global reach and multi-sector partnership to enable regional and global scale that spreads social impacts across borders
This facilitates and supports South-South Cooperation and social entrepreneur exchange programmes that support the creation of financial, expertise and policy frameworks, value-chain and ecosystems necessary to enable the next-generation of SEs.

The UNSEF Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by three UN agencies (PUNO’s):

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Demonstrating the relevance of innovation as a critical design principle for programming is a key priority for the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP). Particular emphasis has been placed on alternative and innovative development models, approached and resource mobilization to scale social impacts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Identification, partnership and pooling of traditional and non-traditional technical and financial assistance with established Asia-Pacific based SEs that have a high-potential to amplify and scale inclusive social, environmental and economic impacts focusing on the following generally expected deliverables results:

Securing resources needed to establish the UNSEF Secretariat and initial activities;
Expanding the current beneficiary levels of social, environmental and financial impact from local or community-based to national and regional levels, increasing overall impact, resilience and sustainability;
Expanding the exchange of resources, technology and knowledge between countries of the global south facilitating increase awareness and capacity of social business models and promoting these ideas supporting SSC;
Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of policy and market frameworks in order to better address social, environmental and economic barriers and challenges to inclusive growth;
Enabling SEs to achieve self-sustainability within their respective marketplace, thus amplifying social impacts and reducing the need for non-working capital, grants and development aid;
Establishing new M+E and results frameworks that support the quantification and monetization of social impacts over the short and long-term;
UNSEF will also consider expanding operations globally in the next few years.

Management of UNSEF’s operational activities:

Maintain continuous resource mobilization efforts from sector stakeholders that expand, benefit and ensure the continuation of UNSEF;
Preparation of operational manual and procedures including guideline and templates;
manage sourcing of SE’s working in collaboration with UNSEF partners and network to ensure a continuous pipeline of applications for consideration;
Promoting the use of harmonized procedures and policies in line with the UNDG guidance on MPTFS and Joint Programmes and guarantee compliance with UNSEF rules and procedures;
Organizing meetings of the UNSEF Board and Technical Committee and other ad hoc meetings including preparation of required documents, minutes documenting decisions, and timely follow-up;
Managing communications among UNSEF partners as well as outreach and visibility including monitoring/mapping policy environment, organizing events with partners to position UNSEF and publishing communication products for dissemination to targeted audiences;
Liaise with the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office in New York as Administrative Agent of the UNSEF.

Provision of UNSEF’s technical analysis and support:

Managing the review of SE applications and business plans based on approved eligibility criteria and preparation of short-list of eligible SE’s for consideration by the Technical Committee;
Work with SEs to assist writing applications, thus building a relationship and adding value, while ensuring a streamlined application process;
Maintaining access to technical experts, through its membership and/or a roster of consultants, to provide short and long-term technical assistance as required to review and/or formulate UNSEF proposals, and provide assistance directly to UNSEF partners or other ad hoc requests from the UNSEF Board;
Manage review of technical and financial assistance resource programme proposals submitted by the Participating UN Organizations including review by secretariat and examination by two UNSEF technical partners prior to submission to the Board ensuring the format of proposals complies with requirements, review of logical framework and budget before submission to the Board for approval;
Managing UNSEF knowledge platform(s) including organization, tracking and review of knowledge products and resources, as well as website and knowledge network development, maintenance and facilitation.

Monitoring and Reporting of UNSEF’s portfolio:

Design and implementation of a portfolio level impact measurement framework;
Ensure that results monitoring and evaluation (M+E) of portfolio risks and performance, and recommendations to the Board on remedial actions required as identified;
Developing and managing monitoring processes to track the UNSEF Board approvals, allocations and implementation progress with a view toward identifying challenges and adequately capturing the evidence base on the impact of the programme;
Managing compilation, development and final design and publication of Annual Report including receipt of the narrative reports submitted by Participating UN Organizations each calendar year and upon completion of each project;
Contracting independent third party to carry out reviews, impact analysis, assessments and evaluations of post-graduation progress;
Coordinating socio-environmental impact assessments of technical and financial resource programme and initiatives undertaken by consultation teams, and supplying information to the Board;
Consolidating knowledge, national and regional policy developments to provide evidence and enable mainstreaming new approaches and solutions into government planning and policy procedures.

UNSEF Outreach:

Conduct thorough regional and sector research to identify SEs with high quality, innovative, scalable social business models;
Engage UNSEF partners, allies and other networks to provide support for identification and referral of SEs that meet the minimum eligibility criteria;
Conduct due-diligence reviews of all SEs prior to engaging in outreach conversations to ensure minimal risk to UNSEF and its partners;
Attend key industry South-South Cooperation, Social Impact and UNSEF partner events to meet and identify new resource mobilization and/or investment opportunities;
Collaborate with partner organizations in co-creation of high-level events to drive new UNSEF commitments and participate in flagship UN events attracting the participation and support of private sector companies, bilateral donors, developing country governments, and multiple UN agencies, while fostering South-South partnerships in particular;
Conduct annual partner consultations.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Innovation:

Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership:

Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management:

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication:

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery:

Ability to get things done.

Technical/Functional Competencies

Primary

Resources Mobilization:

Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources (definition is unclear and not well linked to the stated competency).

Negotiation:

Ability to reach an understanding, resolve point of difference, or gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue.

Partnerships:

Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships.

Relationship Management:

Ability to engage with other parties and forge productive working relationships.

Innovation outreach and partnerships:

Ability to communicate within and at large, participate in peer communities and engage substantively.

Secondary

Knowledge Management:

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Substantial Networking:

Ability to substantively engage and foster networks with academia, research institutions, and think tanks.

Marketing:

Ability to communicate the value of a product or service.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in business finance especially entrepreneurship and start-up investing.

Experience:

A minimum of ten years of increasing responsibility in international development and with knowledge of international organizations, including experience with UN agencies;
Experience of facilitation of international and multi-sector committees;
Experience of working in Asia and the Pacific;
Proven record of strong networks of business sector partners.

Language:

Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.

Other:

Extensive knowledge of start-up and scale-up business modeling;
Extensive knowledge designing incubation/acceleration curriculum, mentoring, knowledge transfers is highly desirable;
Required computer skills in a standardized language;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to present coherent and convincing positions both in writing and orally; Good facilitation skills.