UNCDF Jobs - 73714- Intern, SHIFT Programme (UNCDF)

Intern, SHIFT Programme (UNCDF)

Advertised on behalf of

UNCDF

Location :

Bangkok, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

02-Oct-2017

Application Deadline :

31-Aug-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

3-6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Pls. note that this is an open call for applications, pls. indicate your availability from Oct 2017

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 Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)’s mission is to reduce poverty in the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs) by focusing on local development and financial inclusion. 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 ‘Shaping Inclusive Financial Transformations’ (SHIFT) program aims to catalyze access to formal financial services to advance women’s economic empowerment and gendered financial inclusion for millions of women in the ASEAN and SAARC markets in the next five years. SHIFT leverages product innovation, data analytics, technical training and policy advocacy services at different levels to change the behavior of market players. Data crosscuts into all SHIFT’s activities as the shaping of inclusive financial transformations cannot be accomplished without the use of good data and research to inform and facilitate markets and address the gender research gap. SHIFT advocates evidence-based financial inclusion policies and practices that expand access and usage of financial services for women by facilitating, informing and incentivizing FSPs, regulators and governments and by stimulating collective dialogue between them.

The program works through its four inter-related outputs:

Fund Facility: Support financial service providers to develop new prototypes and bring to scale viable business models that serve low-income individuals, micro-entrepreneurs, and small and medium businesses, especially women within these markets, in the ASEAN frontier economies;
Learning and Skills Development Portal: Support business development service providers by leveraging ICT solutions to develop and bring to scale viable e-learning models for professionals in financial institutions to improve productivity and professionalism;
Data and Analysis Hub: Produce, consolidate and communicate data and information on supply, demand and regulation in financial markets to strengthen the evidence base and investment decisions of providers, regulators and policy makers, specifically targeted towards low-income individuals, micro-entrepreneurs, and small and medium business, especially women within these markets;
Policy and Advocacy: Influence policy makers, financial service providers and governments to enable financial markets to be more responsive to the wider development priorities of governments and its people.

The intern may also provide support to UNCDF’s CleanStart programme which works in close collaboration with SHIFT to catalyze digital energy finance (or Pay-Go energy systems) as a promising solution to reduce energy poverty for over 175.000 consumers, in particular women and poor people in rural areas.

Objectives of the assignment

The Intern will assist the SHIFT team in undertaking work supporting the implementation of one of the outputs listed above: 1. fund facility, 2. learning and skills development, 3. data analysis and/or 4. policy and advocacy. It is requested that the applicant state which of these areas are of interest in the applicants cover letter.

Duties and Responsibilities

Challenge Fund:

Conduct case studies and trend analysis of challenge fund investments performance and/or risks.
Prepare presentations and reports for SHIFT’s investment committee and Board on the business models and performance of SHIFT’s investments.
Support in the collection of financial and milestone reporting requirements of grantees and support due-diligence processes.
Provide inputs and support throughout the request for proposal and contracting process of grantees including support to the development of key performance indicators, etc.
Document lessons learned.
Provide support to other ad-hoc assignments directed by the supervisor.

Learning and Capacity Building:

Explore the options for training/capacity building and/or training of trainers program amongst industry associations related to gender and women economic empowerment.
Prioritize capacity building needs for various stakeholders SHIFT works with, and customize and standardize these tools or package of practice for wider dissemination.
Support the integration of lessons learnt into the activities of the broader SHIFT Programme.
Support SHIFT’s monitoring and evaluation by supporting the review and analysis of activities, field reporting, key indicator tracking and informing key findings to SHIFT management.
Document key monitoring findings in SHIFT’s monitoring dashboards.
Provide support to other ad-hoc assignments directed by the supervisor.

Data Analysis:

Support in-depth data analysis to inform SHIFT’s programmes and policy publications.
Analyze, consolidate and communicate data and information on supply, demand and innovation challenge fund in financial markets to strengthen the evidence base;
Produce and analyze and disseminate data on financial inclusion, with focus on sex, gender and household disaggregation and analysis;
Curate and analyze demand, supply and challenge fund data, collected through Finscope surveys, Big Data projects and regular monitoring.
Conduct deep-dive research and thematic analysis on financial inclusion with specific reference to gendered financial inclusion, remittances, loans and savings mobilization, energy finance, digital financial services;
Analyze regional trends and market segments at local, provincial, sector and national levels.
Produce and coordinate easy-to-use presentation and communication material including data dashboards, maps, graphs, charts, info-graphics, blogs and other presentation material.
Synthesize research outcomes and lessons learned into formats tailored to government, digital finance service providers, private sector and donors.

Policy and Advocacy:

Conduct case studies, analysis and policy research on financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment: topic areas may include, remittance, SMEs, agricultural value chain financing, financial product and services innovations, digital financial services, etc.;
Support advocacy efforts through the development of relevant content and messaging for key stakeholders;
Support the SHIFT team in the organization of FI conferences;
Provide support and facilitation to the current projects undergoing in the regional office’s Financial Inclusion Practice Area;
Support the UNCDF regional office with administrative, promotional or communicational duties.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Commitment to UNCDFs vision, mission, and strategic goals;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty;
Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills;
Able to work effectively in a team and in an international environment.

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrable skills in research, analytical thinking, and communication;
Excellent writing and editing skills in English;
Proven ability to manage diverse and complex tasks, with tight deadlines;
Able to take initiative and work independently, with minimum supervision;
Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills with ability to work under pressure within an international setting;
Interest in the UN system and general knowledge of development issues is a plus;
Ability to perform a variety of administrative tasks.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidates may be enrolled (or one year after graduation) in a Master’s degree or equivalent studies.

Experience:

Demonstrated experience, part or full-time, paid or volunteer, in economics, policy related work, finance, inclusive finance or related fields;
Demonstrated research and analytical capacity;
Excellent computer capabilities.

Language:

Strong writing and speaking abilities in English.

Duration of Assignment:

Please note that this is an open call for applications, please indicate your availability from September 2017 to February 2018.

Conditions:

Interns are not financially remunerated by UNCDF. The costs associated with the latter must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his/her own arrangements for travel, accommodation, etc. Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out (i.e. Bangkok, Thailand);
The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNCDF but to complement an intern’s studies; therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
Please submit your Resume/CV and an application using the UNCDF Internship Application form: http://www.uncdf.org/sites/default/files/internship.doc