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

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 46 least developed countries. 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. These models work through two channels: firstly through 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 secondly, by showing how localized investments can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development by strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels. 

Policy Accelerator

UNCDF operates the Policy Accelerator (PA), which supports countries to strengthen their regulatory environments around Digital Financial Services. It does this by providing expert-guided policy advice, encouraging data and insights for decision-making, supporting multi-stakeholder dialogue, delivering tailored capacity building, and introducing countries to global policy examples. The PA also partners with governments to ensure policies are intentional about strengthening financial consumer protection and addressing the barriers women face to becoming digitally and financially included.

Institutional Arrangement

The position will directly report to the Global Policy Lead and will operate in close collaboration with other Policy Accelerator and UNCDF colleagues across the regions

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

UNCDF is looking for a Gender Policy and Advocacy Specialist to contribute to its digital ecosystem policy and regulatory agenda, directly supporting the UNCDF global network with gender analysis, grant management, and gender mainstreaming where applicable, with a view to enable gender-intentional technical assistance and advocacy to policymakers and regulators in emerging markets.

1. Implement a gender strategy to support for policymakers and regulators and other stakeholders on gender-intentional approaches:

• Provide technical advice and support to central banks, regulators, and ministries, on the various mechanisms to design, implement, and supervise gender-intentional policy and regulations;
• Design strategies and tools (e.g., toolkits) to support various stakeholders, especially policymakers, to implement gender-intentional policy reforms;
• Assist UNCDF teams and partners in identifying opportunities for collaboration on gender-related projects, including participation in global platforms like Generation Equality.

2. Lead the implementation of the Policy Accelerator activities and grants:

• Support technical specialists by helping to identify priorities, strategies, and key milestones to promote gender-intentional policies and regulations related to digital financial services;
• Oversee the Results Measurement and Evaluation of gender related grants and track the success of Policy Accelerator projects from a gender impact perspective;
• Lead the drafting and review of workplans and grant reports to ensure alignment between programme goals and key performance indicators; and
• Lead planning and oversight of financial resources and provide ad hoc operational support to deliver on multiple projects.

3. Support research and capacity building to share knowledge with internal and external stakeholders:

• Support training and learning activities through desk research and field research as required, as well as the dissemination of research findings through a variety of communication channels;
• Collaborate with government representatives to deliver tailored training to identify gender gaps in relevant policies and regulations, and to define potential pathways to address them.
• Work with the communications team to draft evidence-based articles, presentations, social media posts, talking points, and others as required.

4. Grow strategic partnerships and advocate for gender-intentional policies and regulations:

• Develop approaches for advocacy that garner support from external stakeholders across government, private sector, civil society and academia, to advance policies and regulations that enable inclusive digital financial services that meet the needs of women;
• Coordinate the dissemination of successes and lessons learned to secure financial support from existing and new relationships with governments, policymakers, donors and multilaterals; and
• Represent the Policy Accelerator in workshops, trainings, and conferences as needed to discuss digital inclusion from a gender perspective.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA