UNCDF Jobs - 63796- Regional Technical Advisor (FIPA), UNCDF

Regional Technical Advisor (FIPA), UNCDF

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

15-Mar-2016

Application Deadline :

17-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year (renewable)

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

Candidates who applied for this positioin earlier, need to apply again

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is a UN organization with a capital mandate (unique in the UN System) focused on reducing poverty and inequality first and foremost in the least developed countries (“LDC”s). To support the realization of UNCDF’s Business Plan and drive the rapid expansion of the organization’s capacity to assist LDCs to meet their graduation goals, respond to LDC demand for its services, and increase its geographical coverage of and average investment size in LDCs, UNCDF requires a partnership and business development strategy. This strategy encompasses specific, and interlinked, strategies for partnerships, branding and communications, and resource mobilization, which capitalize on mandate-specific partnership building, inter-governmental/client relations, and specific business development opportunities.

UNCDF’s Financial Inclusion Practice Area provides seed capital and technical support through Inclusive Finance programmes to ensure that more households and small business gain access to financial services that expand opportunities and reduce vulnerabilities. Its ability to provide risk capital directly to the private sector is helping bring new financial products to underserved and hard to reach markets and spurring innovations. Through flexible grant and loan instruments, UNCDF supports a wide range of providers (e.g. FSPs, banks, cooperatives, money transfer companies, and mobile network operators) and financial products and services (e.g. savings, credit, insurance, payment services, remittances).

The Regional Inclusive Finance Technical Advisor (RTA) will provide technical leadership and managerial support to the inclusive finance programs of UNCDF, including the management of country-level staff in the implementation of UNCDF programmes.The Making Access Possible programme is a key initiative of UNCDF to develop a national roadmap and strategy on the basis of stakeholder process and country level diagnostics.

The RTA will be responsible for Programming approaches developed on the basis of the MAP diagnostics at country level including:

How to position MAP with national stakeholders and economic development programmes;
Engaging donors to support the implementation of the MAP roadmap and factor these priorities into their short to medium term programming;
Implementing priority areas emerging from the road maps in countries where MAP has been undertaken;
Building capacity of country co-ordinators and government officials to understand the MAP methodology and support implementation;
Planning (including stakeholder facilitation, country co-ordination, securing budgets for country programme implementation, procurement and project design);
Setting up and managing an Africa team to oversee the coordination and implementation of MAP as well as other GTI programming and country-level programming.

The incumbent is accountable for the identification and implementation of Cross-Practice collaboration with LDFP and the sound articulation of country-level strategies and opportunities related to UNCDF mandate while ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF. In doing so, she/he must translate corporate strategy into country programming and regional positioning, ensuring the development of synergies of technical/programme support and relationships with LDCs through a sound collaboration with UNDP and the UNCT at the regional and country levels.

As UNCDF increasingly changes it’s role to broader market development, particularly in LDC’s, it is essential that the RTA has sound private-sector as well as public sector/donor experience to be able to engage with both constituencies effectively. Sound management skills and expertise at a senior level together with large project experience is essential.

Duties and Responsibilities

Portfolio/Unit Management:

Provides portfolio management for the inclusive finance country programme and projects within the African respective region; focusing on achieving the following results:

Development and approval of sector assessments and programme documents, ensuring soundness of technical design and strategy;
Funding and implementation modality negotiated with UNDP and other UN agencies, donors and governments;
Review of work plans of country project teams, ensuring clear performance targets are established;
Effective management of all financial, performance and operational aspects of portfolio, including facilitating project implementation according to annual work plan of the project, ensuring achievement of outputs;
Assure and track quarterly reporting and inform management (Regional Bureau, UNCDF policy advisor) on a quarterly basis on overall performance including where inadequacies are found;
Reporting of project achievements, delivery and other areas of accountability to Inclusive Finance Unit for input to regular performance monitoring and ROAR; financial reporting and reporting arrangements for non-core resources to donors;

Technical Leadership/Policy Advice: Provides technical leadership and policy advice in the area of inclusive finance to key stakeholders in the region and country office networks, focusing on the following:

Technical leadership and support to the inclusive finance portfolio within the region;
Effective and innovative programme strategies, formulation and design, involving sector assessment, dialogue and negotiations with key regional stakeholders, including donors and other investors, government, UNDP country offices, central banks and the financial services sector;
Using the MAP stakeholder process and diagnostic documents to provide technical support to design of national policies, strategies and programmes, for development of enabling regulatory and legal frameworks and capacity-building of central banks. Serve as a key resource for policy advice to Governments and Central Banks in the region on how to create an enabling environment for inclusive finance and analyzing policy environments to identify and remove existing policy constraints;
Technical guidance to Programme Officers and country teams on programme preparation and implementation, and technical monitoring and follow-up of their work plans;
Will assume the role of Team Leader for Africa coordinating FIPA’s work in IF in Africa. Will work closely with the FIPA RTA based in Dakar;
Will develop strategic partnership with regional initiatives / programs active in the area of FI in Africa.

Business Development/External Relations: Provides regional leadership in applying business development strategies, tools and intelligence, to build and maintain strategic partnerships, capitalize on business opportunities and enhance resource mobilization in the region, focusing on the following:

Expanded support to more countries in the region to develop financial infrastructures that will provide improved financial services to clients;
Identification of promising investment opportunities for UNCDF in the region that meet established investment criteria;
Identification of key sources of financing (grants, loans, equity) in the region and developing strategic partnerships with these sources to assure that national strategies and action plans to build inclusive financial sectors can mobilize the resources required to achieve results. Strong regional partnerships with major multilateral and bilateral organizations for business development and cost-sharing, and increases in partner co-financing of inclusive finance projects in the region;
Developing strong partnership with UNDP and other UN agency country offices and regional policy practitioners to support governments, central banks donors and other key stakeholders in the region to establish national strategies, policies and interventions to develop an inclusive financial sector;
Effective working relationships with governments, central banks, the Bretton Woods Institutions and regional development banks, civil society and the microfinance industry;
Dialogue and outreach to key internal and external constituencies and partners, including UNDP regional and country office management, to increase visibility and awareness of UNCDF and UNDP comparative advantages and strategic niches in inclusive finance.

Knowledge Management: Provides regional leadership in the active acquisition and sharing of business-sensitive knowledge in Inclusive Finance, focusing on achieving the following results:

Identification, documentation and incorporation of lessons learned from Inclusive Finance experience in the region to increase UNCDF’s global visibility in inclusive finance, including collaborations with key partners, particularly CGAP.

Corporate Support: Provides support to Inclusive Finance Unit and UNCDF management on corporate initiatives and activities, focusing on achieving the following results:

Support to development of Inclusive Finance Unit and UNCDF programme and business strategies and to annual reviews;
Advice to UNCDF senior management on technical issues and business development opportunities, including inputs into corporate presentations and reports;
Advice on technical issues, knowledge management and business development opportunities having inter-regional and corporate relevance on Inclusive Finance;
Preparation of material related to the RBA Inclusive Finance portfolio for UNDP participation in the CGAP SMART Aid index.

Impact of Results:

Results of the work of the Regional Inclusive Finance Technical Advisor have major impact on the overall effectiveness, efficiency and growth of UNCDF Inclusive Finance programme in the region, as reflected in the ROAR, financial delivery, business development and resource mobilization, especially of non-core resources. It has a direct impact on the success of the Inclusive Finance Unit in achieving UNCDF’s Business Plan objectives as well as building an innovative and impactful African inclusive finance team.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

Influencing the public policy agenda;
Builds consensus concerning UNCDF’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives;
Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives;
Results-Based Programme Development and Management.

Achieving results through programme design and innovative resourcing strategies:

Identifies country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach;
Makes use of a variety of resources within UNCDF to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches;
Ensures the full implementation of country programme and Financial Resources to obtain results.

Building Strategic Partnerships:

Building strategic alliances;
Makes effective use of UNCDF’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships;
Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

Fostering innovation in others;
Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking;
Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources;
Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations).

Developing resource mobilization strategies at country level:

Contributes to the development of resource mobilization strategies at CO level;
Actively develops partnerships with potential donors and government counterparts in all sectors at country level;
Strengthens the capacity of the country office to mobilize resources.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Participating in the development of policies and innovative approaches and promoting their application throughout the organization;
Promotes UNCDF as a learning/knowledge sharing organization.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

Expert knowledge of own discipline;
Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures;
For managers: applies a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch;
Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally;
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Demonstrates expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments;

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNCDF’s Goals:

Influencing global and national initiatives;
Advocates for increased priority given to human development issues internationally and in national planning frameworks;
Advocates for increased resources at international and national level;
Client Orientation.

Meeting long-term client needs:

Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives;
Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services;
Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNCDF programmes and operations.

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;
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;
Ability to address gender equality and empowerment of women considerations in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in planning, commerce, engineering, economics, public administration, political science or related field;
A Bachelor’s degree with an additional two years of experience would also meet this requirement.

Experience:

At least 10 years experience in inclusive finance, or related field of finance, development, research, or policy development of which at least 5 years of management experience;
Experience working with the financial/ banking sector a plus;
Demonstrated strong technical knowledge in field of Inclusive Finance;
Proven practical knowledge of Inclusive Finance especially as applied in LDC context at both local and national levels;
Comprehensive understanding of the project management cycle and managing for results.

Language:

Proficiency in English;
French is an added plus.

Note:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload (as a *pdf attachment) the completed and signed UNDP Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded fromhttp://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.docx Completion of all the fields is required.

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.