Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office/Unit/Project Description

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to inclusive finance 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 can provide seed capital both grants and loans as well as technical support 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. 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.

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs). With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: savings-led financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; and by showing how localized investments — through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance — can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development. UNCDF financing models are applied in thematic areas where addressing barriers to finance at the local level can have a transformational effect for poor and excluded people and communities.

By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to SDG 1 on eradicating poverty with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

UNCDF hosts the Secretariat of the Better Than Cash Alliance.

The Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership of 75 governments, companies and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty, drive inclusive growth and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Billions of dollars in cash payments and transfers are made daily in emerging and developing economies, including payment of salaries, social welfare and relief, payments to suppliers, remittances, 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 payments are often part of the 1.7 billion excluded from the formal financial sector. This means they are excluded from access to a range of appropriate and affordable financial services to help them save safely, take advantage of economic opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to risk.

Shifting these payments from cash to digital has the potential to improve the lives of low income people, particularly women -who are twice as likely to be excluded from the financial system, while giving governments, the development community and the private sector a more transparent, time and cost efficient, and often safer means of disbursing payments. Digitizing payments can also contribute to women’s economic participation by providing them with more control over family finances, increasing personal security, and improving economic opportunities.

The Alliance Secretariat works with its 75 members to navigate their digitization journeys, by:

• Providing advisory services based on member priorities
• Sharing action-oriented research and fostering peer learning
• Conducting advocacy at national, regional and global level

The Better Than Cash Alliance Secretariat Core Values:

• Achieving together
• Striving for excellence
• Service oriented
• Results oriented

a) Rationale / background and the objectives of the unit or project

From a private sector perspective, payments completed in the value chain of businesses represent some of the most significant payment flows of national economies. As highlighted in the Alliance’s report on “The Future of Supply Chains: Why Companies are Digitizing Payments,” companies in different business sectors have benefited from the transition to digital payments in their supply chains and have thus played an important role in building an inclusive digital payments ecosystem. As part of catalyzing the global movement from cash to digital with the private sector, the Better Than Cash Alliance is committed to supporting digitization of companies’ payment flows in different business sectors across the corporate payment grid: Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-People (B2P), and People-to-Business (P2B).

For more information on BTCA, please visit the website: http://www.betterthancash.org/

b) Briefly describe how the required services will contribute to the work of the unit/project

The Alliance is looking to hire an international consultant to support the Alliance Digitization Work in Business-to-People (B2P) payments such as digital wages, with good understanding of the garment sector in particular. Globally, about. 230 million unbanked adults work in the private sector and get paid in cash only. — and 78 percent of these wage earners have a mobile phone (World Bank Findex 2017). The Alliance is working with its member companies (H&M, Gap Inc, Inditex, M&S and other), the International Labor Organisation (ILO) and governments to catalyze the digitization of wages in a responsible manner in the garment sector and beyond.

c) If applicable, explain any specific challenges around the unit, project and/or work required (e.g., security risks involved in conducting the work in certain communities, certain cultures and practices unique to the stakeholders, etc.)

Institutional Arrangement

The position will work under the supervision and direction of the Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation Team of the Better Than Cash Alliance.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

a) Briefly describe the required activities (scope, location, subjects, etc.) and other information that will help prospective Contractors understand the nature of the work

Under the supervision of the Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation Team, the incumbent will support the Alliance’s Wage Digitization Strategy, including the following duties:

1. Advisory services to members, partnership development with companies, business organizations and Apex Bodies:

• Maintain and grow relationship with Private sector corporate Alliance’s members, especially related to B2P (digital wages) in the garment sector and other. Support engagement, development and execution of membership workplan, new advocacy and advisory initiatives driving digitization of payments in companies value chains
• Ensure liaison and successful project management with company members, partners, Alliance’s management, and procurement teams to ensure delivery of project milestones
• Draft and develop project concept notes and seek input from relevant team members, partners and industry business experts, as needed;
• Draft background and briefing notes for missions, meetings and/or presentations for conferences and workshops on the digitization of wages in support of Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation Team and other relevant colleagues and members.’

2. Global Advocacy, coordination and advisory services with Apex bodies for business sector:

• Support the ongoing liaison on digital wages with partner organizations working on sustainable practices for the garment sector, including Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Social and Labour Convergence Project, IFC/ILO Better Work, Sedex, Business Social Responsibility (BSR), as well as individual brands members of the Alliance to ensure adequate resources are provided to meet the Alliance objective on driving digitization of wages
• Support the coordination and execution of joint initiatives with the ILO Global Center on digital wages for decent work: including regular meetings with ILO Global Center team, preparation of steering committee meetings, review and technical expertise on research topics, compiling lessons learnt from ongoing initiatives and ensure coordination between Global Center team and in-country initiatives led by the Alliance
• Conduct research and facilitate relations-building to build relations with new potential partners and develop new initiatives.
• Ensure input from projects is documented into different team monitoring systems and support liaison with relevant colleagues to ensure quality assurance of technical work, research and presentations as well as of communication, as needed;
• Provide administrative support to missions including mission preparation, scheduling meetings, conference calls, accompany the Private Sector Lead and/or other members of the team for in-country missions as needed;

3. Research, learning and dissemination:

• Conduct in-depth research and provide technical review of research reports on topics related to digital payments, digital financial services and financial inclusion in specific markets to inform the regional strategy and the drafting of concept notes for in-country initiatives and members’ workplan
• Pro-actively work with the Alliance’s Management, Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation Team and the Communication team to ensure lessons are regularly distilled from all in-country initiatives as well as related initiatives by partners.
• Keep abreast on the latest in the sustainable garment sector and identify opportunities for knowledge dissemination and new research opportunities on achievements -  and challenges – in driving the digitization of wages in companies’ supply chains;
• Working closely with country teams, monitor and identify advocacy opportunities for the Alliance, including potential targets, conferences, UN, regional and corporate events on wage digitization and payment digitization in companies’ supply chain, 

4. Communications and events:

• Support the organization of panels, events, conferences and specialized workshops, in close collaboration with the Alliance’s members, including the ILO Global Center on digital wages for decent, in liaison with the Head of Private Sector Digital Payment Innovation Team, Deputy Managing Director, and communications teams
• Document, write communication materials and share news and stories from Alliance member countries for social media and other communications channels, as needed;
• Other activities, as requested

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience