Digital Finance Services Consultant



Advertised on behalf of :

Location : Lusaka, ZAMBIA
Application Deadline :08-Apr-19 (Midnight New York, USA)
Additional Category :Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :
 English  
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)		20-May-2019
Duration of Initial Contract :24 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :Can be Extended

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.


Background

 

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.

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. 

UNCDF MM4P is looking for a Digital Finance (DF) consultant based in Lusaka, Zambia.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the UNCDF´s Regional Technical Specialist Digital Finance Zambia (RTS DF) the consultant will support the following activities and deliverables tied to the project.

Providing technical in outs to TS in procuring consultants and consulting firms for DF projects at selected partners. Including:

  • Technical assistance in supporting 2 Go to Market Strategies for two different DFS providers to decrease customer dormancy and increase women and youth customers
  • Technical Assistance in leading a Design Sprint with at least 3 DFS providers to improve/create design of financial products suited for Zambian women
  • Technical Assistance to Bank of Zambia: Improve Data for Decision Making Automation
  • Technical Assistance to at least 2 organizations to develop and pilot innovative agent network expansion models.
  • Co-create at least 2 Feedback2Action Workshops engaging public and private DFS sectors on issues of common interest

 

To reach the above objectives the consultant would undertake the following activities and the deliverables. The below activities have been outlined based on the some of the broader outcomes that have been outlined above and are representative and can be more than that.

Timeline

Activities

Deliverables

%

Project:  Support 2 Go to Market Strategies

Month 1 to 4

Pilot preparation

Project plan validated by partner

5

Month2 to 5

Building capacity of the project team

Training materials + approved business case

5

Month 6 to 12

Pilot launch

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

5

Month 13

Pilot closure

Pilot closing report

5

Project:  Co-Lead Design Sprint

Month 1 to 4

Sprint preparation

Sprint design validated by partners

2.5

Month 2 to 5

Sprint communication to partners

Commitments from at least 3 DFS providers to participate

2.5

Month 6 to 12

Sprint launch

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

2.5

Month 13

Sprint follow up

The scale of at least two products focused on women

2.5

Co-create at least 2 Feedback2Action Workshops

Month 2

Determine issues of focus

Issues validated by Regulator and at least 3 private sector stakeholders

2.5

Month 3

Determining format of engagement

Agenda for workshop and ToR

2.5

Month 4

Launch workshop

Workshop completed with minutes and photos as well as commitments from relevant stakeholders on next steps

2.5

Month 5

Follow-up items from workshop

Validatation of minutes from relevant stakeholders

2.5

 

Project: Bank of Zambia: Improve Data for Decision Making Automation

Month 4

Product prototype

Prototype completed.

2.5

Month 5

Product development

Business case and product plan approved by BOZ and UNCDF

2.5

Month 6 to 12

Pilot of the solution

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

2.5

Month 13

Closing event

 Event materials completed. Product demonstrated.

1.5

  Project(s): 2 projects with organizations to develop and pilot agent network expansion models.

Month 4-5

Partner selection

Product descriptions completed and approved by UNCDF and partner. Partner appraisal report completed

3

Month 6-10

Pilot preparation

Project plan validated by partner

15

Month 11-16

Building capacity of the project team

Training materials + approved business case

15

Month 17 to 23

Pilot launch

Launch completed, 6 months of monitoring reports

15

Month 24

Pilot closure

Pilot closing report

3

Total

 

 

100.0

Competencies

Competencies:

Professional:

·        Takes on innovation and new approaches and fosters innovation in others.

·        Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking.

Client Orientation:

·        Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives.

·        Ability to interact and adapt communication with various management level at our partners.

·        Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services.

·        Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities, and resolve problems.

·        Focus on impact and results for clients and stakeholders.

·        Builds trust in interactions with others, facilitates partnerships; excellent networking capabilities to link people/businesses from diverse horizons.

  • Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude and responds positively to feedback


Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications:

Education:

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

Experience: 

·        A minimum of four years-experience in progressively more responsible positions in the financial services and/or telecommunications field is mandatory.

·        A minimum of three years- experience working with branchless banking and mobile financial services is mandatory.

·        Experience in working with the implementation of branchless banking and mobile financial services projects.

·        Experience in project management.

·        Experience in writing project and programme documents or similar type of documents is preferred, but not mandatory.

·        Experience in Zambia, East or Southern Africa is a plus.

Languages:

  • Excellent written and oral English is mandatory.

Timeline, total number of working days, duty station:

  • Timeline: 20 May 2019 – 20 May 2021;
  • Total Number of Working Days for Assignment: 480.
  • Duty station: Lusaka, Zambia.

Travel:

Payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Please note that UNCDF cannot guarantee residence permits or visas for consultants. Consultants are responsible for securing their work documentation. In the case of national consultants, applicants that are not nationals of the duty station requested will have to prove their residence status.  

Please note that consultants residing in the duty station will not be compensated for living expenses.

Provision of Monitoring, Progress Controls & Payments:

  • The primary contact for reporting for this TOR shall be the UNCDF Regional Technical Specialist Digital Finance in Zambia;
  • Payment will be made at the end of each phase against satisfactorily achieved deliverables. All payments are subject to the clearance and approval of the Regional Technical Specialist Digital Finance in Zambia.
  • Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant.

Application process:

Interested individuals must submit the documents mentioned below as proposals in order to demonstrate their qualifications (Note: the system does not allow multiple uploads of documents. Applicants must make sure to upload all documents in one PDF file).

All applications must contain the following information:

  • Cover letter with a summary statement of competencies in relation to the Terms of Reference (TOR);
  • Earliest availability and proposed schedule for consultancy;
  • Curriculum Vitae;
  • Completed and signed P11, Personal History Form with names and current contacts of 3 referees (available from http://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc)
  • Signed financial proposal for the assignment outlining: All-inclusive fee (including professional fees and other professional expenses, such as insurance, taxes, etc.), and relocation travel costs (e.g. daily subsistence allowance (DSA) and the cost of one return ticket to Lusaka, Zambia from place of origin) (if applicable). Available at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916). The consultant’s hosting is provided by UNCDF, therefore no DSA or living allowance is to be quoted in the financial proposal.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. 

Selection process: 

Step I: Screening: Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting.

Step II: Technical Evaluation:

Shortlisting (20 points): UNCDF will produce a shortlist of candidates and technically evaluate candidates as per experience requirements in the Terms of Reference. As applicable, only the first top 3 ranked applicants shall be considered for an interview. Criteria for shortlisting:

20- Education/Qualification;

20- Functional competencies for assignment (technical, analytical and writing skills);

30- Experience

Interview (80 points): An interview shall be conducted for the top 3 shortlisted candidates.

Step III: Financial Evaluation: Only candidates with scores above 70% of the technical evaluation (70 Points or above) will be considered. 

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%.

Award Criteria

The contact shall be awarded to the applicant whose offer have been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and Having received the highest combined weight (technical scores) 70% + financial 30%= 100%.

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 IC must do so in their individual capacity (providing a CV so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly). Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.

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