Background
UNDP Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) leads and supports the organization in cultivating, building and nurturing strategic relationships and alliances that are essential to advancing and successfully achieving the mission of UNDP. These relationships encompass a wide range of key constituencies, including programme countries, existing and prospective donor countries/emerging economies and multilateral institutions.
BERA team at UNDP Geneva has nurtured strong relationships with the financial sector. The team acts as a facilitator and catalyst of strategic engagement with UNDP’s private sector partners and actively supports new partnerships and resource mobilization to maximize UNDP’s development impact.
BERA team at UNDP Geneva has established in 2016 a flagship event, the Social Good Summit Geneva, that aims at bringing together investors and the development community to collaborate to scale up bankable solutions for the SDGs. The team also supports regional and country-specific collaboration with the financial sector as well as multilateral development banks, regional, sub-regional and national development banks. As an advocacy platform, it also enables UNDP to establish solid relationships with investors and the private sector, to support its own mandate through the promotion of its corporate programs and country-level UNDP projects.
UNDP India Country Office
The UNDP India country locally support financial initiatives to increase SDG-aligned investments toward the most vulnerable and to enhance SDG financial innovation.
More precisely, the office supports three SDG investment funds: India Impact Finance Fund (investing in Non Banking Financial Companies); India Housing Fund (focusing on affordable housing); Women’s Entrepreneurship Seed Fund (providing financing to women driven enterprises).
Over the course of 2019, UNDP Geneva aims at organizing 2 meetings on behalf of UNDP India with Swiss based private sector players to establish strategic partnerships and support the investment funds’ activities.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision the Communication Specialist, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
Contributes to the implementation of UNDP India engagement activities within the Swiss Financial sector
- Individual mapping exercise: Conduct a mapping exercise of the fund managers, development institutions, banks, donors, impact funds, large companies and any other relevant swiss based parties focusing on Affordable Housing, Financial Inclusion, Social Impact Bonds and Indian markets;
- Coordination: Liaising, outreach and coordination of the meetings including logistics (convening and bilateral meetings) with targeted invitees and partners identified.
Support the engagement with the Financial sector for the Social Good Summit Geneva
- Support the mapping exercise to identify most relevant players and outreach to commercial Swiss-based investors looking for small and large tickets investment in developing countries such as: impact investors, investment funds, venture philanthropist, foundation, banks, family offices, development finance institutions;
- Support the mapping exercise to identify most relevant players and outreach to institutional investors committed to impact in emerging markets namely insurance companies and pension funds.
Support the organization of high-level encounters with UNDP senior management
- Support mapping of new financial sector actors and outreach to potential participants
- Prepare brief, background notes and talking notes prior to meeting
- Manage logistics of the events
- Prepare meeting minutes/notes to the file
- Undertakes follow-up actions as needed
D. Expected Outputs and Deliverables
Deliverables / Outputs | Estimated Duration to Complete | Target Due Dates (approximate dates, but changeable depending on externalities out of control of the consultant) | Review and Approvals Required |
Map large companies and financial institutions in Europe interested to invest in India with a focus on the SDGs | 7 days | May 2019 | Communication manager |
Support the organization of two meetings with the Swiss business community including investors on behalf of UNDP India country office including preparing briefs on financial institutions, reaching out, liaising with external contractors | 10 days | May, 2019 October 2019 | Communication manager, Director, UNDP Geneva and India |
Map impact funds, family offices and venture philanthropists that have invested in large ticket investment entrepreneurs focusing on the SDGs and conduct relevant outreach | 7 days | May, 2019 | Communication manager |
Map most relevant institutional investors in Europe committed to impact in emerging markets namely insurance companies and pension funds and conduct relevant outreach | 7 days | June, 2019 | Communication manager |
Develop investment profile template to be submitted to shortlisted entrepreneurs in consultation with investors and UNDP teams; review final 10 profiles to be shared with the financial community. | 6 day | June, 2019 | Communication manager |
Support the organization of a meeting with investors to validate selection criteria and investment profiles developed for the Call for nominations to identify large tickets investment in developing countries | 3 days | June, 2019 | Communication manager |
Organize side sessions during the Social Good Summit targeting specifically investors | 5 days | September 2019 | Communication manager |
Support the preparation of a private meeting for UNDP senior management by preparing briefs on financial institutions, reaching out, liaising with external contractors | 5 days | September - October, 2019 | Communication manager, Director, UNDP Geneva |
Competencies
Competencies
- Analytical Skills: Excellent ability to articulate, conceptualize or solve complex problems by making decisions that are sensible given the available information
- Written communication: Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write in a clear, simple, concise way for non-technical external audiences
- Knowledge Management: Ability to efficiently research, analyze and share information and knowledge
- Organizational skills: Ability for problem-solving, multi-tasking, meeting deadlines and working under pressure
- Teamwork: Ability to engage with other units/teams and forge productive working relationships Ability to work as part of a team in a constantly evolving work environment
Required Skills and Experience
Required Skills and Experience
Experience
- At least six months relevant experience (mapping, external engagement, event organization, briefings preparation) in development finance, impact investing, blended finance or related field.
- At least six months relevant experience in event planning, coordination
- Academic and work related experience in development and SDGs financing
- Knowledge of and/or professional experience working with institutional investors and the banking sector is highly desirable
- Professional experience within the United Nations System is desirable
- Understanding of political, social and economic research tools and instruments
Sound understanding of Sustainable Finance specific issues
Academic Qualifications
- Enrolled in Master’s Degree or equivalent Advanced Degree in economics, finance, international affairs or a related area.
Language Requirements
- Excellent command of written and spoken English and French
- Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments
UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:
- is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications / candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation); and
- has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.
Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points
Criteria A: Theoretical and practical familiarity with SDGs Financing, sustainable Finance, especially in Switzerland, impact investing in developing countries and organization of events – max points: 50
Criteria B: Educational background– max points: 10
Criteria C: Adequacy of brief proposed methodology for the consultancy– max points: 10
Financial Criteria – 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points
Application Procedure
Qualified and interested candidates are requested to apply by midnight of 19 April 2019.
The application should contain:
- Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. A brief note on proposed methodology for the consultancy
- Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability-please fill in the attached form. On page 3, please fill out section I. Personnel costs only. No need to fill out section B. (http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780 )
Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded; therefore please include all documents in one file.
*Please also note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period). All envisaged costs must be included in the financial proposal.
Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply. Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
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's Individual Consultant's General Terms and conditions are provided here: www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf