Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs). UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. UNCDF programmes are designed to catalyze larger capital flows from development partners, national governments and the private sector, for maximum impact toward the Millennium Development Goals.

UNCDF’s approach to Local Development Finance acknowledges the challenges for LDCs in enhancing local basic services, promoting local economic development and increasing local resilience to shocks in an increasingly uncertain world. The approach recognizes that LDC economies have reached levels of domestic capital (public and private) significantly greater than a decade ago. Yet underinvestment at the local level remains a feature of LDCs that is holding back structural transformation. In addition to external sources of development finance there is an additional need to find ways of channeling domestic resources for local development – including in rapidly growing urban areas.

This picture of overall growth, increased inequalities and stubborn pockets of poverty within LDC urban areas reveals an uncertain and differentiated development environment in which many localities are not sharing the benefits of growth. How can resources be reinvested locally to build resilience and reduce inequalities?

This is the challenge of local development and it is a challenge that becomes more and not less important as developing countries experience growth and capital accumulation but lack the means to reinvest that capital to promote sustainable, equitable and inclusive development. The result is localities lacking in infrastructure and capital investment that could support a more sustainable and equitable inclusion into the growing economy. Without this investment there is a tendency for value chains to be extractive and for a reduced scope to develop the clustering, linkages and labour markets that could recycle the proceeds of growth at the local level. There is also a tendency for poor quality infrastructure and for growing urban areas to lack access to the financial resources that are available centrally. This includes areas where local authorities have a comparative advantage such as climate change adaptation, food security, and women’s economic empowerment.

The growing differentiation at the local level is accompanied by two broad trends in development finance. Firstly the general decline of Official Development Assistance (ODA) since the 2008 economic crisis and secondly the above mentioned accumulation of significant capital surpluses in LDCs that are not reinvested locally due to perceived risk and a lack of investment opportunities, instead they are often held in unproductive real estate or in overseas accounts. These trends complicate the task of investing in public and private infrastructure for local development in those regions that are lagging behind.

Inclusive and sustainable growth requires resilient local economies that include a varied mix of public sector and private sector investment and that are not over dependent on one activity. Economic activities can contribute to inclusive local growth if they leverage and utilize other local resources, or they can be of an 'enclave' nature where the activity has little impact on the surrounding economy. Therefore not all local economic activity has the same impact on local development.

What is local development? It is not simply development that happens locally, as all activities happen somewhere. Instead Local Development means increasing the prosperity and wellbeing of localities and strengthening their resilience to economic and environmental shocks. This requires: Leveraging and using local resources; Providing benefits, employment and services to local people - In economic terms, promoting forward and backward linkages and positive externalities; Strengthening and using local institutions, and; Increasing local environmental resilience and sustainably exploiting environmental resources.

This is the development challenge addressed by UNCDF’s Local Development Finance Practice (LDFP) that works with Least Developed Country governments to:

• mobilize additional capital for local development including from the domestic public and private sectors (for example by promoting fiscal decentralization, increasing own revenue of local authorities and stimulating investment finance by domestic banks);
• design appropriate allocation mechanisms for this capital (intergovernmental fiscal transfers, public-private partnerships, structured project finance, municipal debt instruments);
• support local investments that provide a demonstration effect and lead to upscaling and mainstreaming of these mechanisms (including supporting UNCDF’s pipeline of investible projects);
• secure these investments within an accountable institutional environment that sustains and promotes local development (legal, political, administrative, social).

Women’s Economic Empowerment and Local Development

As stated in its Strategic Framework (2014-2017), UNCDF will support the efficient and effective use of public and private finance for local economic development. In line with this strategy, IELD will work with local governments in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in fostering women’s economic empowerment by creating the enabling environment necessary to achieve and sustain inclusive and equitable socio-economic development, with women’s access to local economic opportunities, women's entrepreneurship, and access to public services at the heart of the programme.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are at the heart of UNDP’s development mandate. UNDP’s strategic Plan (2014-17) is complemented and accompanied by the gender equality strategy (2014-17), which aims to contribute to the eradication of poverty and the significant reduction of gender inequalities by empowering women and promoting and protecting their rights to attain a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient world. The partnership with UNDP on the IELD will play a catalytic role in reducing inequalities and empowering women, especially at the local level.

IELD is a global programme of UNCDF, UN Women and UNDP, with the aim of supporting local investments that take into consideration the differentiated and specific needs and priorities of poor women and men, with a particular emphasis on unlocking barriers to women’s economic opportunities and empowerment.

With the objective of achieving gender equality and empowerment of women as mandated by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the IELD programme - using a Gender Sensitive Local Economic Assessment tool (LEA) and a tool for measuring the impact of investments on women’s economic empowerment – will identify, in consultation with the local governments and communities, the most pressing bottlenecks faced by women at the local level, and support the public and private investments that lift these barriers and therefore creating an enabling environment to achieve and sustain inclusive and equitable socio-economic development, and to enable women’s access to local economic opportunities, entrepreneurship, and public services.

This will be achieved by working with local governments and other local economic actors. IELD will promote local public investments that lead to women’s economic empowerment and develop a pipeline of investible projects that will mobilize (primarily) domestic capital resources for women’s economic empowerment at the local level.

UNCDF financing investments can be utilized to promote public and private investments targeted towards the empowerment of women and addressing the various barriers women face at the local level. The IELD Programme Manager supervises and leads IELD programme support staff, coordinates activities of the projects staff, and works in close collaboration with the operations team, programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP and UN Women HQ staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful IELD programme implementation.

The IELD Project Manager will report to the UNCDF Local Development Finance Practice Director on a day-to-day basis. The project manager is also accountable to the IELD Steering Committee in HQ, composed of senior representatives from UNWOMEN, UNDP and UNCDF. The IELD project manager will also receive technical guidance from the UNCDF’s LDFP gender focal point in HQ.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

• Provides technical leadership and policy advice in women’s economic empowerment, local development finance and local economic development – in particular in relation to infrastructure & service provision and local economic development in Least Developed Countries;
• Provides leadership in applying business development strategies, tools and intelligence, to build and maintain technical partnerships, capitalize on business opportunities and enhance resource mobilization for the IELD project;
• Provides project management, quality control and supervision for the IELD project – contributing to the achievement of corporate and project objectives of the three agencies involved;
• Contributes to knowledge management in the areas of women’s economic empowerment including in relation to Financing For Development, the implementation of the SDGs and the development strategies of Least Developed Countries;
• Provides technical support and advice to the IELD steering committee. This includes leadership in the active acquisition and sharing of business-sensitive knowledge in women’s economic empowerment.

Provides technical leadership and policy advice in the area of women’s economic empowerment – in particular in relation to women’s economic empowerment, local economic development and local governments in Least Developed Countries; This is about constructively engaging with central and local government and key stakeholders in each country.

The functions include:

• Maintain close working relationships and high levels of trust and support with government stakeholders in LDCs based on UNCDF’s mandate and a client-based approach – led by country demand. On this basis develop and implement strategies for the rollout of the IELD project in accordance with the project document. These strategies to be based on an adaptation of the LDFP approach to country level development challenges, to be coordinated with UN Women and UNDP gender teams in the respective countries, to be aligned to National Development Plans, the Istanbul Plan of Action for LDCs and other relevant national and international policies;
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of investible projects in women’s economic empowerment that leverage domestic resources for productive and infrastructure investments in LDCs (together with the LFI team at UNCDF);
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with the LDFP Regional Technical Advisors and country teams of all three agencies (UNCDF, UN Women and UNDP) and ensure a client-based approach in which the IELD project is introduced on demand and in accordance with local priorities;
• Support to the development of national policies in the areas of women’s economic empowerment, drawing on the latest research and ideas, lessons of policy pilots and substantive dialogue with key practitioners and major international institutions;
• Apply UNCDF’s local development finance diagnostic tools, instruments and approaches to constructively inform and contribute to these strategies and policies, in a way that leverages UNCDF support to promote the interventions and finance of others;
• Contribute to high-level debates and consultation processes at global, regional and country level related to UNCDF’s work in local development finance and the work of UNDP and UN Women in Women’s Economic Empowerment;
• Ensure effective coordination between the three implementing agencies and other development partners at the country and global levels;
• In collaboration with the LDFP focal point on Gender, and working closely with the IELD research analyst, the PM will ensure to regularly update the project approach, technical methodologies and best practices for IELD, in order to improve results and development impact on the ground.

Provides leadership in applying business development strategies, tools and intelligence, to build and maintain technical partnerships, capitalize on business opportunities and mobilization resources for the IELD project. This is about proactively leading resource mobilization for the project.

The functions include:

• Develop and negotiate funding proposals for the IELD project both at global level and for the countries implementing the project. Build partnerships to ensure replication, scaling up and to achieve greater impact;
• Increase cost-sharing opportunities for UNCDF programmes/projects;
• Maintain effective technical relationships with strategic partners, including LDC and selected non-LDC governments at local and national levels, European Union Institutions, development partners, research and academic institutions, civil society and the private sector;
• Dialogue and outreach to key internal and external constituencies and partners, to increase visibility and awareness of UNCDF’s comparative advantages and strategic niches in women’s economic empowerment within specific LDCs and selected non-LDCs;
• Work closely with the LDFP focal point on Gender, liaise with the internal UN system initiatives to explore operational and implementation synergies;
• Contribute through evidence and experience to the various UN frameworks and conventions including UNFCCC, COP among others;
• Prepare updates, speeches, or talking points to the Practice Director, focal point on Gender, or other senior management personnel for corporate representation in major events;
• Liaise closely with potential IELD implementation partners, international development actors, local governmental ministries, local governmental affiliates, among others.

Provides technical project oversight, quality control and supervision for the IELD Project – contributing to the achievement of corporate and project objectives. This is about accountability for the performance, results and impact of the UNCDF Local Development Finance activities.

The functions include:

• Manage the IELD project that engages local governments and local actors in promoting investments in women’s economic empowerment at the local level and builds on the platform and reputation of UNCDF’s support to fiscal decentralization and local economic development in LDCs over a 20-year period;
• Work with the UN Women, UNDP and UNCDF country team and UNCDF Regional Technical Advisor responsible for each LDC, design and support the implementation of IELD interventions;
• Design and implement a strategy for introducing pipelines of investible opportunities in Women’s Economic Empowerment that applies the Local Finance Initiative financing tools for infrastructure and SME finance and that bundle together separate projects with common measurable impacts. Liaise with the Local Finance Initiative project on the financing of these pipelines, preferably through domestic resource mobilization;
• Exercise oversight and accountability for the contributions to, and measurement of, LDFP business plan output and outcome indicators for the IELD;
• Exercise oversight and accountability for smooth running of project management, evaluations and reviews, procurement and HR, budgets, financial approvals, fiduciary controls and other programmatic and operational aspects of the project;
• Exercise direct financial approval rights, HR supervision and other ATLAS functions as appropriate;
• Apply UNCDF’s Results Based Management approach to the IELD project;
• Provide incentives for project staff and key partners to bring new technical knowledge, methodologies, best practices and innovations that can further improve IELD and women’s economic empowerment;
• Prepare and implement the project annual work plans and quarterly plans and ensure timely and effective delivery of the intended IELD activities as set in the appraised project document;
• Perform regular progress reporting to the IELD steering committee composed of UNCDF, UNWOMEN and UNDP;
• Manage and monitor the project risks initially identified and submit new risks to the IELD steering committee and development partners;
• Provide financial and planning reports, to the LDFP Programme Manager upon request and when needed, for financial planning, reporting and audit purposes;
• Oversee and facilitate, in collaboration with UNDP and UN Women, Request for Proposals (RFPs) in countries and oversee the selection process by conducting due diligence, short-listing and presenting recommended proposals to UNCDF Management and the IELD steering committee;
• Oversee the execution of agreed milestones in Memoranda of Understanding and ensure disbursements are made on time if/when conditions are met;
• Review quarterly performance reports, analyze performance and work with country and/or regional technical advisors to ensure timely intervention to keep operations on track.

Contributes to knowledge managementin the areas of women’s economic empowerment and associated thematic areas including in Financing For Development, the implementation of the SDGs and the development strategies of Least Developed Countries. This is about contributing to the global debate on Local Development Finance and sharing knowledge from UNCDF activities in this regard.

The functions include:

• Technical leadership in identifying, documenting and incorporating lessons learned with the objective of contributing to scaling up, policy influence and mainstreaming of the models developed;
• Inputs to global, regional and national level publications, seminars, and conferences to highlight UNCDF support to local development;
• Production and contribution to papers and other documentation of evidence and results of UNCDF interventions;
• Collaboration with key partners and local development practitioners, including UNDP practices, within the region for research and development of innovative strategies and approaches to build the reputation of UNCDF as a Centre of Excellence and sharpen delivery of local development projects in order to better achieve UNCDF Business Plan objectives and LDC’s SDG goals;
• Development and contribution to knowledge-sharing networks on local development initiatives within the region and globally.

Provides technical support and advice to the IELD Steering Committee on corporate initiatives and activities. This includes leadership in the active acquisition and sharing of business-sensitive knowledge in local development and local public finance. This is about supporting the leadership of the UN Women, UNDP and UNCDF on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Local Development issues.

The functions include:

• Technical support to the development of substantive inputs into the LDFP Business Plan and the plans of UNDP and UN Women;
• Active participation in retreats, LDFP Practice meetings and teleconferences;
• Advice to the LDFP Director and IELD Steering Committee, including inputs into corporate presentations and reports;
• Exploration of synergies with the Inclusive Finance Practice;
• Advice to UNCDF Senior Management on technical issues and business development opportunities, including inputs into corporate presentations and reports;
• Preparation of substantive inputs into the LDFP Business Plan and to the Results-Oriented Annual Report.

Impact of Results

The IELD project will have a major impact on the overall effectiveness and growth of UNCDF, UN Women and UNDP support to women’s economic empowerment in LDCs. These include the policy impact, the leveraging of additional resources for women’s economic empowerment and the indicators included in the UNCDF 2014 -2017 business plan. The performance of the Project Manager will have a major impact on the reputation of UNCDF as partner to the LDCs and as a centre of excellence in Local Development Finance. The performance will also have an impact on the three agencies efforts to collaborate in this field. Success in engaging key actors, in strategic partnerships and in joint programming of local development and public finance projects will contribute to the development goals of partner countries.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:      

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

• Analysis and creation of messages and strategies;
• Creates effective advocacy strategies;
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
• Contributes to UNCDF practice areas and builds knowledge in at least one practice areas, and shares.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management:

• Contributing to results through provision of information;
• Provides information for linkages across programme activities to help identify critical points of integration;
• Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation;
• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals;
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals.

Building Strategic Partnerships:

• Identifying and building partnerships;
• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda;
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency meetings.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

• Developing new approaches;
• Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals;
• Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations;
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking;
• Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor.

Resource Mobilization:

• Implementing resource mobilization strategies;
• Ability to provide high quality policy advice services on related issues;
• In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
• Experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Developing tools and mechanisms;
• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter;
• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments;
• Analyzes information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach;
• Identifies and compiles lessons learned;
• Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals:

• Analysis and creation of messages and strategies;
• Performed analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
• Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it for use at country level.

Client Orientation:

• Contributing to positive outcomes for the client;
• Anticipates client needs;
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective;
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality.

Core Competencies:

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
• Building support and political acumen;
• Building staff competence,  creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
• Building and promoting effective teams;
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards;
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
• Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking;
• Ability to address gender equality and empowerment of women considerations in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Business, Public Finance, Public Administration, or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years relevant, practical working experience in the field of international development, preferably working on local development or gender and development related interventions with proven management experience;
• Working within the context of least developed countries (LDCs) both at field level or regional or global level is considered an advantage;
• Minimum 5 years of experience (good performance) in managing UN/multi-partner projects at the global, regional or country level is a must;
• Good knowledge of local governments, development planning and capital investment programs implementation;
• Experiences with similar assignments in LDCs and developing countries is an advantage;
• Familiarity with the UN system Project management cycle and standards, Including UNDP/UNCDF’s financial rules and regulations;
• Experience with new product development, testing, roll-out;
• Resource mobilization experience and record of success in reporting to and managing donor grants and reporting mechanisms;
• Ability to mainstream gender equality and empowerment of women in the programmatic and policy work of UNCDF;
• Strong programme and project management experience with emphasis on monitoring, evaluation and incorporating lessons learned into local development projects and programmes;
• Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills, including solid experience in financial management;
• Experience in managing a portfolio of projects in a plus;
• Strong financial analysis and business project appraisal skills a must.

Language:

• Proficiency in English, with outstanding written and oral communication skills;
• Knowledge of French is an asset.

Note:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload (as a *pdf attachment) the completed and signed UNDP Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded fromhttp://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.docx  Completion of all the fields is required.

Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.