Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital.  UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Pacific, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis.  It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help microfinance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples’ lives.

UNCDF works to enlarge peoples’ choices: it believes that poor people and communities should take decisions about their own development.  Its programmes help to empower women – over 50% of the clients of UNCDF-supported microfinance institutions are women – and its expertise in microfinance and local development is shaping new responses to food insecurity, climate change and other challenges.  UNCDF works in challenging environments – remote rural areas, countries emerging from conflict – and paves the way for others to follow. Its programmes are designed to catalyze larger investment flows from the private sector, development partners and national governments, for significant impact on the Millennium Development Goals, especially Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger, Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, and Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

Established by the General Assembly in 1966 and with headquarters in New York, UNCDF is an autonomous UN organization affiliated with UNDP.

Despite the rapid growth of the microfinance industry in the past ten years, it is estimated that between two and three billion people still lack access to a broad range of financial products and services on a sustainable basis. The situation is particularly dire in the LDCs, where often more than 90 per cent of the population is denied access to financial services from the formal financial system. UNCDF focuses its strategy on Financial inclusion, which is universal access, at a reasonable cost, to a wide range of financial services, provided by a variety of sound and sustainable institutions. The range of financial services includes savings, short and long-term credit, leasing and factoring, mortgages, insurance, pensions, payments, local money transfers and international remittances.

UNCDF manages a number of initiatives related to digital financial (DF).  It is in discussion to  consolidate the technical assistance and research aspects of these programmes into a single team.  This team will serve UNCDF’s needs in regard to DF, particularly for two programmes:  Mobile Money for the Poor and the Better than Cash Alliance, but DF also requires support in a number of UNCDF country and global programmes. 

Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P)

With support from Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (“DFAT” formerly AusAid) and by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), UNCDF launched Mobile Money for the Poor (MM4P) in March 2012, a global thematic initiative to address the opportunities and challenges of implementing branchless banking and mobile money in challenging markets in Africa and Asia.  MM4P’s long-term mission is to help low income and rural households in LDCs increase their financial security through appropriate, affordable and secure means to receive, manage and save money through these “digital financial services” (DFS).  To do so, its intermediate goal is to help build inclusive digital financial sectors such that a wide range of digital financial services are provided responsibly, and at reasonable cost, by sustainable institutions in a well-regulated environment.  UNCDF’s starts by defining the different stages of a market’s development and the range of interventions needed at different levels (i.e. macro, meso, micro, client) to move it across the stages.  This combines a making markets work for the poor approach with UNCDF’s traditional operational model of directly supporting the most crucial level – retail service providers.  UNCDF is currently implementing this in five countries (Laos, Nepal, Liberia, Malawi and Uganda). 

In July 2014, MM4P secured a partnership with the MasterCard Foundation (MCF) for the roll out MM4P activities in three additional countries in sub-Saharan Africa for a period of five years (2014 to 2019), including Francophone (Benin, Senegal) and Anglophone (Zambia) Africa. The MCF agreement supposes a significant increase of workload for MM4P.  To address this workload, MM4P has put forward a new staffing strategy and plan which has been approved by the FIPA director and MCF. This includes placing most technical positions in MM4P countries, with emphasis on the most high profile and advanced in each region.  It also takes into consideration the high availability of funding in certain countries. 

Better Than Cash Alliance

The Better Than Cash Alliance is an alliance of governments, private sector and development organizations committed to accelerating the shift from cash to electronic payments. 

Billions of dollars in cash payments are made daily in emerging and developing economies, including payment of salaries, social welfare and relief, payments to suppliers, etc. The problems with these cash payments include a lack of transparency, accountability and security, as well as inefficiency. Furthermore, the individuals who receive the cash are excluded from the formal financial sector. There were approximately 2.5 billion people excluded from the formal financial sector in 2012.

Shifting these payments from cash to electronic has the potential to improve the livelihoods of low-income people by advancing financial inclusion and enabling people to save, while giving governments, the development community and the private sector a more efficient, transparent and often safer means of disbursing payments

The Better Than Cash Alliance seeks to leverage the leadership of governments, the networks of development organizations and the expertise of the private sector in payment technologies to replace the use of cash in their programming and payment streams with electronic payments, where appropriate. It also seeks to build the financial capability of low-income clients who will benefit from electronic payments and a wider range of financial services.

  • Advocates for the use of all forms of electronic payments where they provide a preferable payment option to cash;
  • Collaborates with program partners to mobilize available technical expertise and resources to identify; and
  • Implements the most effective approach to make the transition from cash to electronic payments;  and
  • Conducts research, documents good practices and produces knowledge products to address the barriers to adoption and drive the effective shift from cash to electronic payments globally. 

BTCA is in the early days of its technical assistance facility implementation.  These two UNCDF programmes are together more frequently.  The MM4P team is overseeing the implementation of one of the first BTCA performance-based agreements with a partner in Malawi.  UNCDF is also in the process of concluding an agreement with USAID for joint funding of BTCA and MM4P for work in Malawi. 

FSD Zambia

Utilizing the making markets work for the poor (M4P) approach, FSDZ works to affect systemic change and facilitate linkages and coordination among consumers, financial service providers, government, and other key market actors in Zambia. FSDZ will contribute to an increase in the expansion of income opportunities or a reduction in vulnerability of 138,750 poor households and micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. By 2018, it will enable access to financial services for 300,000 additional people and microenterprises, 50,000 smallholder farmers and 12,000 small enterprises.  UNCDF is also in the process of finalizing a memorandum of understanding with the Financial Sector Deepening Programme Zambia (FSDZ), which is the largest inclusive finance support programme in the country. The purpose of this MoU is to ensure that all DF work is done in close consultation and, wherever possible, jointly. 

Duties and Responsibilities

As part of this new staffing strategy, MM4P is looking for a DF consultant based in Lusaka, Zambia. The consultant will be based in FSDZ assuming successful completion of the MoU.  The consultant will benefit from support from FSDZ’s Senior Intervention Manager – digital financial services and the administrative team of FSDZ.  The DF expert will report to the Technical Specialist Digital Finance Zambia (TS DF). This position is currently under recruitment.  Until the post is filled, the the DF Expert will report to the MM4P Lead Technical Specialist, based in Brussels, Belgium and to the FSDZ Director on a daily basis.  

Under the direct responsibility of the TS DF and daily direction of FSDZ, the Consultant will specifically:

Act as primary DF technical resource in the joint UNCDF/FSDZ digital finance team

  • Support in developing, implementing and updating joint MM4P and FSDZ Country Strategy and Work Plans for digital finance.
  • Manage range of technical activities implemented by the team;
  • Become the DF technical point of contact in country for all stakeholders willing to enter or expand in the DF market;
  • Provide high quality technical input on various DF topics (regulatory, product design, agent network, etc.);
  • Challenge existing DF ideas and ways of working in order to raise the discussions between stakeholders to more impactful and innovative business models;
  • Promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the country and seek all potential ways to accelerate the DF development in country;
  • Identify need for additional experts on key topics (agent network, product design, processes, technology, etc.) to support the ecosystem development on specific areas, draft technical TORs;
  • Coordinate with DF experts in other MM4P countries to share experience, lessons and innovative ideas between the programme.

Assist in the development and the implementation of activities at country level (ecosystem activities) to raise stakeholders knowledge and capacity on DF

  • Support TS DF and FSD Zambia to set-up and animate a DFS working group gathering key DF stakeholders (Central Bank;Government, Banks, MFIs, Telecom Operators, donors, etc.), providing technical input and support, so that it may act as the key coordination body on all DF aspects and promote communication between all stakeholders;
  • Through regular contact and training, build a strong relationship with the Central Bank and raise all departments’ knowledge and capacity. Promote open and innovative DF ecosystem and continuous communication between public and private sectors;
  • Based on the work plan, take lead role in implementing ecosystem activities.  Plan, organize, animate and participate in various workshops/trainings on DF topics open to all stakeholders to raise their knowledge (strategy, agent, customers experience, product development, partnerships, etc.);
  • Based on work plan, participate and coordinate market research activities (customer experience, customer demand, agent network diagnosis, agent network challenges, payment flows diagnosis, data analytics, etc.) in order to gather the necessary information and market knowledge to reach MM4P objectives in country;
  • Involve key stakeholders during market research work to raise their field knowledge.  Furthermore, work with these stakeholders to improve their DF services based on lessons learned from the market researches;
  • Write briefing notes, research highlights and knowledge documents tailored responding to specific expectations and challenges of the Zambian DF market;
  • Disseminate key information to all stakeholders to raise their DF capacities;
  • Organize regular informal exchange sessions with key stakeholders to share information within the market.

Assist all stakeholders in the development of innovative ideas, plans and projects to enter or expand in the DFS (ecosystem, regulatory, customer, high volume, agent work streams) to develop a pipeline of projects

  • Take the technical lead in identifying, vetting, and developing DF projects and monitor their progress;
  • Build good and continuous relationship with all existing and potential DF stakeholders and have regular contact (at least monthly) to be aware of all DF market dynamics;
  • Assist specific stakeholders individually on DF related topics according to their needs;
  • Challenge stakeholders about their DF businesses and strategies in order to raise the level of innovation and creativity in country;
  • Foster partnerships between stakeholders to develop new business models and innovative ideas;
  • Based on outcomes from workshop/training, market research and stakeholders’ contacts, establish a ranking of most promising stakeholders for direct support from UNCDF.  Update this ranking continuously based on market dynamics;
  • For most promising stakeholders, develop project descriptions and support the TS DF in assessing and appraising the projects;
  • Collect necessary documents for UNCDF project endorsements and appraisals.

Support and participate in direct technical assistance to selected partners (providers workstream)

  • Support DF TS in procuring consultants and consulting firms for DF projects at selected partners, by drafting TORs, defining outputs and timelines;
  • Work closely with other consultants and consulting firms working with MM4P and FSDZ partners. Provide the necessary programme knowledge in order to have consultants aligned with programme objectives in country;
  • Coordinate and regularly follow-up work of consultants;
  • For some selected partners, provide direct technical assistance to support project implementation.

Coordinate and support TS DF on reporting at country and stakeholders level.

  • Plan, organize and animate the monthly progress call with TS FD and MM4P key people.  Prepare agenda for the call and write meeting minutes.  Develop monthly action plans;
  • Plan, organize and animate the quarterly progress call with MM4P partners;
  • Support MM4P in collect reporting information from MM4P partners on a quarterly basis;
  • Support MM4 in collecting information from Central bank;
  • Support the TS DF to report on DF activities and developments in country.

The outcome of this work will be: 

  • Based on MM4P Theory of Change, help and hasten the shift of Zambia DF market from start-up stage they are firmly in the expansion stage at end of 2019, so that at least 20% active DF users (90 days) of the adult population in Zambia at end of 2019;
  • Assist the Zambia DF market into an innovative and creative ecosystem where several stakeholders are testing and implementing new ideas and innovative business models;
  • Work closely with FSDZ team to coordinate DF activities in Zambia.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

  • Excellent speaking and writing skills in English are necessary;
  • Proficiency in French preferred;
  • Excellent analytical skills;
  • Proven ability to manage projects;
  • Strong IT skills, including ability to work regularly with MS Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint;
  • Proven cross-cultural communication. The candidate(s) should be able to function effectively in an international, multicultural environment and manage a team consisting of multiple nationalities.

Core Competencies:

  • Promotes ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
  • Political acumen;
  • Builds staff competence,  creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
  • Builds and promoting effective teams;
  • Creates environment for open communication and fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
  • Takes fair and transparent  decisions; calculated risk-taking;
  • Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards;
  • Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all persons fairly without favoritism;
  • Shows strong corporate commitment;
  • Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNCDF and UNDP.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • A Master’s degree in technology, economics, public/business administration, social sciences, or related discipline or the equivalent experience.

Experience: 

  • A minimum of five (5) years’ experience in progressively more responsible positions in the financial services and/or telecommunications field;
  • A minimum of three (3) years’ experience working with branchless banking and mobile financial services;
  • Experience in working with the implementation of branchless banking and mobile financial services projects;
  • Experience in project management.
  • Experience in Zambia, East or Southern Africa is a plus.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in  English.

Consulting fees, standard travel costs and living expenses:

  • Consulting fees/personnel costs: Applicants should note that the maximum daily rate under UNCDF policy is us$1000 for individual consultants;
  • Travel: Any travel expenses to join duty station (Lusaka) must be quoted in the financial proposal. Occasional travel may be required and will be compensated according to UNCDF polices.    

Application:

Applications close on 13 November, 2014. Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions.  The best proposal that will be awarded the contract shall be selected through the following method: 

Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals as set out in the Request for Proposal.  The weight distribution shall be 70% technical and 30% financial. 

All applications must contain the following information in one word or PDF document combining the following:

Other:

Both individual consultants and individual employed by a company or institution are welcome to apply. 

Any individual employed by a company or institution who would like to submit an offer in response to a procurement notice for Individual Contractor must do so in their individual capacity (providing a cv so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly). Please not that in such case the company institution will be asked to issue a Reimbursable Loan Agreement.   http://www.vn.undp.org/content/dam/vietnam/docs/Legalframework/Reimbursable%20Loan%20Agreement.doc

Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.