Historique

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital. 
 
The Inclusive Finance portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region is composed of sector-based programmes that provide support to building inclusive finance sectors at the macro (policy), meso (financial infrastructure), and micro (retail) levels, as well as new thematic regional and global programmes.
 
Shaping Inclusive Finance Transformations (SHIFT) in the ASEAN region is a newly developed programme to contribute to facilitating the transition, by the year 2020, of at least 6 million low-income people and MSEs in the ASEAN region, from using informal financial mechanisms to formally regulated higher-value financial services.
 
Output 1: Enabling Conditions for market development: Developed of enabling conditions for adoption of coherent strategies and prioritizing transformative mechanisms for more integrated pro-poor financial markets, supported by responsive regulation and supervisory arrangements.
 
Output 2: Regional Hub of Excellence for Financial Inclusion Data and Analysis: Delivered high-quality financial inclusion data and analysis on demand, supply and regulation, applied through regionally standardised methods.
 
Output 3: Financial Market-Interconnection and Access Fund Facility: Developed and promoted new, replicable and scalable partnerships and service delivery models that lower the cost of financial intermediation at client and retail levels, thus expanding the scale of access.
 
Output 4: Financial Usage Innovation Facility: Developed and promoted highly innovative client acquisition approaches to increase use of formal financial services, at a modest cost, for people that are fully, partially or intermittently excluded. The Innovation Facility will maximize usage within prevailing scales of access (i.e. without necessarily seeking to expand the scale of access).
 
Output 5: Regional Hub/s of Excellence for Training: Delivered high-quality demand-driven trained and certified labor-force by supporting and transforming existing training capacity and centers to have a more regional focus and broader reach.
 
To this end, the SHIFT programme will support at least 1 million people to be financially included in the ASEAN region as a result of technical and financial assistance to financial and support service providers in LDCs such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and lower MICs such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Furthermore, a further 5 million people will be included as a result of better region-wide data, knowledge, policies, training and support services architecture to leverage systematic market development.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Objectives of the assignment:

SHIFT seeks an experienced consultant to support the management of the SHIFT programme, with particular oversight on deliverables relating to Outputs 2 to 5, namely:

  • Advise and support the project management of the undertaking of UNCDF’s Making Access Possible (MAP) programme in Cambodia.
  • Support the management of consultants for the design of the Innovation and Market inter-connection facilities
  • Advise and support the project management of the design of the regional centres of excellence for training
Scope of Work:

The senior policy research expert will ensure high quality and timely delivery of the following outputs 

Meet with the SHIFT team to agree on the roll-out of the consultancy, as well as to clarify expectations and work-plan for the respective programme outputs discussed in Section 1.

  • Support the MAP Global Advisor in the project management of the undertaking of MAP in Cambodia which broadly include the following areas. Detailed tasks to be finalised upon consultation with MAP Global Advisor;
  • Confirmation of funding from donors and partners;
  • Organization of scoping visit and kick-off workshop;
  • Securing approval from the Government;
  • Development of project Terms of Reference;
  • Establishment of a Project Steering Committee;
  • Set up of Finscope Technical Committee;
  • Management of Diagnostic Consultation;
  • Advisory and support consultants on development of country context note and synthesis report;
  • Support organization of stakeholder workshop;
  • Advisory and support consultants on development of final diagnostic report;
  • Advisory consultants on roadmap design.
Support Project management of the Innovation and Market inter-connection funds which include the following tasks: 
  • Management of the RFP process;   
  • Participation in the selection of awarded consulting firm; 
  • Advisory and management of consulting firm on the design of both financial mechanisms; 
  • Supervision of desk research and market consultation in target countries; 
  • Assurance of high quality and timely design of both financial mechanisms; 
  • Execution of the first round of request for applications under the innovation fund.
  • Advise on and implement the finalisation of the design of the regional hub of excellence for training
  • Management and recruitment of consultant; 
  • Participation in the selection of the awarded consultant; 
  • Advisory and management of consultant on the design of regional hub of excellence for training; 
  • Advisory and supervision of consultant in the undertaken of both training demand and supply scoping activity; 
  • Support consultant in the organisation of think-shop [to elaborate]; 
  • Support and manage the consultant in undertaking a feasibility study.
Participation in key meetings (see below) and review of any other SHIFT-related documents and knowledge products : 
  • Meeting with ASEAN Heads of Finance Delegation from Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia in end-August; 
  • ASEAN Forum on Financial Inclusion in November; 
  • Additional ‘Think-shops’ (tentative) relating to defining the broader policy research agenda for SHIFT.
Deliverables:

The consultant will deliver the following final products with the indicated delivery dates, keeping in mind the requirements under (3) Scope of Work:

Monthly report on SHIFT related activities:
MAP Cambodia
  • Report/Minutes and Action Points of the Kick-off Workshop; 
  • Developed project TOR; 
  • Ensure timely delivery of country context note, synthesis and final report by consultants; 
  • Report/Minutes and action points of Stakeholder Workshop
  • Project management of the Innovation and Market inter-connection fund
  • Timely delivery of Funds operational manual;
  • Timely launch of first RFA under Innovation fund;
  • Design of the regional hub of excellence for training;
  • Timely delivery of training supply and demand analysis report;
  • Timely delivery of Think Shop report;
  • Timely delivery of Feasibility study report)

Compétences

Functional Competencies:
  • Excellent research skills;
  • Excellent understanding of the political economy of countries in the ASEAN region;
  • Access to a wide network of international researchers with experience in the ASEAN region;
  • Access to a wide network of senior policy makers from ASEAN member state governments;
  • Ability to deliver high quality policy papers by set deadlines (requiring minimal editing);
  • Strong presentation and communication skills;
  • Strong planning and coordination skills.

Corporate Competencies:

  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:
  • Master’s in business, finance, economics, and other related fields;

Experience:

  • At least 8-12 years of working experience in the microfinance sector, preferably in multiple countries and those in the ASEAN region;
  • Experience in project-management and working with governments and partner organisations from developing countries;
  • Previous experience with international organizations and government in the ASEAN region;
  • Excellent understanding of the political economy of countries in the ASEAN region;
  • Experience in undertaking high quality public policy research specificly relating to financial sector development and macroeconomic policy research;
  • Experience in managing other policy research experts;
  • Experience in the countries mentioned is an asset.
Language:
  • Proficiency in written and spoken English.
Evaluation Criteria:
  • Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% technical points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Financial Criteria weight: 30%
  • Technical Criteria weight: 70%
  • Experience in required field: 45%;
  • Written exam (Answering the questions in this Vacancy Announcement Online): 40%
  • Availability: 15%.
Note:

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined (i) Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and (ii) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.