UNCDF Jobs - 59941- Financial Inclusion Specialist (MAP and CleanStart

Financial Inclusion Specialist (MAP and CleanStart) - (For Cambodian Nationals Only)

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

18-Oct-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 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

UNCDF provides investment capital and technical support to both the public and the private sector. It provides capital financing -- in the forms of grants, soft loans and credit enhancement – and the technical expertise to unleash sustainable financing at the local level.

UNCDF’s work on inclusive finance seeks to develop inclusive financial systems and ensure that a range of financial products are available to all segments of society, including low income men and women, at a reasonable cost, and on a sustainable basis. UNCDF supports a wide range of providers (e.g. microfinance institutions (MFIs), banks, cooperatives, money transfer companies) and a variety of financial products and services (e.g. savings, credit, insurance, payments, and remittances). UNCDF also supports newer delivery channels (e.g. mobile phone networks) that offer tremendous potential for scale.

Making Access to Finance Possible (MAP) Programme

Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations (SHIFT) is a UNCDF programme that responds to the constraints and opportunities in small-scale financial systems. SHIFT aims to facilitate a shift in the frontier of financial inclusion in Least Developing Countries (LDCs) with the smallest financial systems within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. The programme adopts a regional approach to take advantage of policy processes, achieve economies of scale in addressing common constraints across a number of countries, and reduce the restrictions imposed on work in individual countries along with small-scale financial systems to increase financial inclusion.

SHIFT seeks to change the behavior of financial institutions and the broader ecosystem of financial services providers, in order to respond to excluded groups, especially women and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) led by or primarily employing or serving women. However, behavior change can be challenging, due to socioeconomic and cultural norms. Data and analysis is an important component to understanding the constraints that prevent the delivery and use of financial services, and can be used to inform the transformation of the financial market to allow larger numbers of people and businesses to benefit from and contribute to the delivery and use of financial services.

SHIFT will apply the Making Access Possible (MAP) Diagnostic and Roadmap methodology to offer a robust evidence-base and a strategic dialogue process to help multiple stakeholders in Cambodia align resources with key programming and policy-reform priorities that have the greatest prospect of accelerating financial inclusion in Cambodia; meanwhile, creating a follow-up post-MAP mechanism to monitor and support the roadmap drawing on capabilities within Cambodia and the ASEAN region. MAP’s contribution will be realized by supporting the development of a strong financial sector in Cambodia, inclusive for low-income households and (their) micro and small enterprises.

Making Access to Finance Possible (MAP) is a diagnostic and programmatic framework to support expanding access to financial services for individuals and micro and small businesses. MAP has been developed by UNCDF as one of its main thematic initiatives to enhance financial inclusion in LDCs. The MAP framework creates the space to convene a wide range of stakeholders around evidence-based country diagnostic and dialogue and leads to the development of national financial inclusion roadmaps. The roadmap identifies key drivers of financial inclusion and includes specific actions that will contribute to greater financial inclusion. Besides the roadmap, MAP also has the potential to further inform the development of the programming framework in Cambodia.

CleanStart Programme

UNCDF has further developed a global programme to support 2.5 million poor people to obtain access to reliable and affordable clean energy through microfinance (called CleanStart). To this end, CleanStart will support 18 financial service providers (FSPs) across six countries in Asia and Africa to build their capacity in providing financing for clean energy systems. The programme is already active in Nepal, Uganda and Ethiopia. In parallel, the programme will also strengthen the supply chains of technologies being financed and advocate for policy and business environments that promote the growth of energy markets serving low-income people.

Clean Start (2012-2017) will be delivered through four outputs:

Finance for Clean Energy to strengthen capabilities of 18 FSPs to provide microfinance for clean energy to low-income households and micro-entrepreneurs;
Technical Assistance for Clean Energy to remove barriers to the successful deployment of those technologies and services for which the selected MFIs will provide microfinance;
Global Knowledge and Learning, to enhance understanding and awareness globally of the potential for microfinance to scale-up access to clean energy and make available the tools and knowledge needed to scale-up access to clean energy beyond the project; and
Advocacy and Partnerships to create an enabling policy and business environment to expand microfinance for clean energy.

Clean Start finalizes the selection of pilot countries through a two-stage process: 1) scoping-assessment and 2) business planning/activity pilot process. In Cambodia, scoping/assessment work is already complete and UNCDF is preparing a process to introduce the programme in close coordination with the Government of Cambodia, the UNDP and others.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions

The Financial Inclusion Specialist will report to UNCDF SHIFT Programme Manager with inputs from the CleanStart Programme Manager in the UNCDF Regional Office in Bangkok. UNCDF requires a Financial Inclusion Specialis for a period of 364 days maximum. The objective of the termporary assignment is to provide technical support to UNCDF on two key financial inclusion activities in Cambodia: 1) MAP diagnostic and 2) CleanStart Business Plan and launch.

The Financial Inclusion Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day implementation and management of project activities in close consultations with the SHIFT and CleanStart Programme Managers. For this assignment, the Financial Inclusion Specialistwill both manage and undertake the mapping of potential stakeholders in Cambodia, gather data and information about products and services from various financial inclusion organizations, provide strategic technical advice to UNCDF on implementation of these activities, and contribute to the final documents.

Overall the Financial Inclusion Specialistwill:

Ensure effective day to day management and implementation of MAP in Cambodia;
Ensure and launch activities for CleanStart in Cambodia.

Ensure effective management and implementation of MAP activities in Cambodia:

Act as the coordinator for MAP in Cambodia with government, donors and partners, including for MAP technical partners such as FinMark Trust and Cenfri;
Manage the planning, and scheduling of MAP meetings and provide initiation support to the implementation of MAP;
Responsible for setting up and arranging high level meetings with government, the National Bank of Cambodia, National Institute of Statistics, other ministries, as well as donors and liaising with the MAP Global Management Committee, Technical Working Group, etc;
Conduct the identification, development and management of stakeholder groups, incorporating gender considerations and sensitivity, with MAP technical partners, FinMark Trust, Cenfri and others;
Monitor and follow-up on the delivery of activities as per project plan and budget;
Oversee the collection of data and information for the products and services template, ensuring data and information can be easily disaggregated by gender;
Participate in interviews of key stakeholders for supply-side and regulatory diagnostics and provide Khmer-English interpretation and translation services when needed for successful interviews;
Support facilitation of synthesis and consensus building efforts based on MAP results;
Organise the launch of the FinScope data and results of supply-side and regulatory diagnostics, and ensurethe data analysis provides insights in key market segments (gender, age, etc.);
Coordinate fortnightly calls with MAP partners, Cenfri and FinMark Trust in order to ensure timely progress as per the project plan;
Prepare a monthly report to be submitted to UNCDF SHIFT team and Global MAP Programme Manager, include specific reporting on challenges and achievements;
Responsible for translation of MAP-related documents, wider dissemination among relevant partners and promoting of the MAP results;
Contribute actively to the UNCDF meetings and workshops and ensure immediate follow up in close coordiantion with the UNCDF regional team;

Ensure effective management and implementation of the preparatory CleanStart activities in Cambodia:

Act as the coordinator for CleanStart activities in Cambodia with government, donors and partners;
Identificaty, develop and manage stakeholder groups in connection with CleanStart;
Oversee local project co-ordination for CleanStart activities in Cambodia;
Ensure careful planning and scheduling of CleanStart meetings and implementation of CleanStart activities in Cambodia in close coordination with UNDP and other partners;
Monitor and follow up on the delivery of activities as per project plan and budget;
Secure the buy-in and official approval of CleanStart strategy in Cambodia from the Government as well as the key partners;
Lead the launching and managing of the Request for Application (RFA) process;
Map and oversee the deployment of technical assistance activities for partner organizations, ensuring gender sensitivity principles are integrated into such activities;
Ensure that Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)Framework is establi8shed and implemented for CleanStart in Cambodia;
Collaborate with UNDP and other key stakeholders in the field of energy access;
Prepare a monthly report to be submitted to the CleanStart Programme Manager, include specific reporting on gender challenges and achievements;
Coordinate fortnightly calls with CleanStart team and related advisors;
Contribute actively to the UNCDF meetings and workshops and ensure immediate follow up in close coordiantyon with the UNCDF regional team;
Responsible for translation of CleanStart-related documents, wider disemination among relevant partners and advocating about clean energy financing matters.

Impact of Results

The position will contribute in strengthening support towards developing financial inclusion strategy and commencement of renewable energy financial services for addressing financial needs of low-income and disadvantaged population of Cambodia.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Promoting Ethics and Integrity / Creating Organizational Precedents;
Building support and political acumen;
Building staff competence, Creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
Building and promoting effective teams;
Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNCDF & setting standards;
Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy / Advancing Policy Oriented Agenda: preparing information for advocacy:

Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNCDF, UNDP and Financial Inclusion mandate;
Maintains a functioning network of contacts with a variety of stakeholders to promote a better understanding on financial inclusion and to support advocacy efforts.

Results-based Programme Development and Management: Contributes into results through primary research and analysis:

Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into SHIFT and CleanStart work;
Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development;
Participates in the formulation of RFPs and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly.

Building Strategic Partnerships: Maintaining a network of contacts:

Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues;
Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders;
Establishes and nurtures positive communication with partners.

Innovation and Marketing new Approaches: Enhancing processes or products:

Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches;
Documents bottlenecks, problems and issues, and proposes effective solutions;
Embraces new approaches.

Resource Mobilization: Providing inputs to resource mobilization strategies:

Analyzes information/databases on potential and actual donors;
Develops a database of project profiles. Identifies opportunities for project proposals for presentation to donors.

Job Knowledge and Technical Expertise: Fundamental knowledge of own discipline:

Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
Identifies new and better approaches to work processes and incorporates the same in his/her work;
Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

Client Orientation: Establishing effective client relationships:

Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external client;
Actively supports the interests of the client by making choices and setting priorities to meet their needs;
Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in economics, finance, business or public administration or related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of relevant, practical working experience within the financial sector and/or microfinance;
Proven experience in stakeholder management, preferably in an emerging market;
Experience in working with Cambodian government departments and ministries; having strong networks and related skills within Cambodian financial sector;
Experience on monitoring, evaluation and reporting is preferable;
Solid experience in financial analysis, financial management, business project appraisal and undertaking research;
Experience with household clean energy access initiatives is preferable;
Familiarity with UN/UNCDF rules and procedures is an advantage.

Language:

Fluency in Khmer and English (both spoken and written).

"Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply."