Background

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 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.

UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: inclusive digital economies, connecting individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in the local economy, and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; local development finance, that capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and investment finance, that provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization. By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to Sustainable Development Goal-SDG 1 on eradicating poverty and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a broad diversity of SDGs.

Since 2008, UNCDF has been supporting digital finance with significant success which has led UNCDF to make digital finance the largest part of its inclusive finance portfolio. UNCDF is also host to the Secretariat of the Better than Cash Alliance (BTCA), a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth. UNCDF also serves as the secretariat for the UN Secretary- General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the SDGs, which will consider the next wave of digitalization of finance and how the systemic changes to the financial ecosystem due to digital technologies will impact financing for the SDGs. For several years UNCDF’s work in digital finance has led it to support new digital solutions linked to finance, to further drive financial inclusion and to achieve the SDGs. This includes projects linked to on an off-grid energy, agriculture, employment, health and transport.

UNCDF is in the process of consolidating its financial and technical resources to create a comprehensive team of experts in various domains to drive the new strategy “Leaving no one behind in the digital era”.

Based on over a decade of experience applying a market development approach in digital finance in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, UNCDF started in 2017 to expand the scope of its programmatic agenda to go beyond digital finance. Through the “Leaving no-one behind in the digital era” strategy, UNCDF shifts from focusing only on digital finance to the development of inclusive digital economies. The strategy recognizes that reaching the full potential of digital financial inclusion in support of the SDGs aligns with the vision of promoting digital economies for the following reasons:

 

  • The value of Digital Financial Services (DFS) becomes more obvious, especially to poor and vulnerable populations, when it is closely linked to their ability to respond to the specific constraints and needs they face to participate in agriculture, access education, health, energy and other basic services key to overcome poverty.
  • New innovative services should be developed to address these unmet needs. Innovation will come from traditional providers but mainly from a range of new players (entrepreneurs, start-ups in various sectors, and platforms like Facebook, Grab, WeChat, etc.).

The UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015. The 2030 Agenda recognizes migration as a core-development consideration, marking the first time that migration is explicitly integrated into the global development agenda. It also recognizes a major relevance of international migration as a multidimensional reality of and for the development of countries of origin, as well as transit and destination, which requires coherent and comprehensive responses.

Migration is also considered key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The adoption of the SDGs and explicit references to migration in 76 of its 17 goals, mainstreamed migration into global development policy. Migration can reduce poverty (SDG 1), improve health and education outcomes (SDGs 3 and 4), gender equality outcomes (SDG 5), foster growth and innovation (SDGs 8 and 9) and reduce inequality (SDG 10).

Remittances, on the other hand, can also contribute to reaching the SDGs in a variety of ways:1) Household level: by recognizing the positive socioeconomic impact of remittances on families and communities; 2) Community level: Benefits associated at sub-national or municipal levels including reduced rural poverty, lower income inequality, increased micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) activity, and strengthen resilience to adverse effects of climate change or disaster risks; 3) Government level: Benefits for public sector institutions including greater transparency, better communication with citizens, and increased private sector development and entrepreneurship as a result of access to capital and domestic credit; 4) Macro level: At macro-economic level, remittances can foster much needed foreign currency exchange, stabilize BOP, reduce dependency on government aid, and re- allocate capital resources into more productive investments and other financial services – moving money from international to domestic, consumption to investment, and from urban to rural.

Guided by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and informed by the Declaration of the High-level dialogue on International Migration and Development adopted in October 2013, the Heads of State and Government and High Representatives adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration in 2018 that expresses a collective commitment to improving cooperation on international migration, leading to the focused objectives on remittances:

  1. Empowering migrants to catalyze their development contribution, and to harness the benefits of migration as a source of sustainable development
  2. Promoting faster, safer, and cheaper transfer of remittances by enabling competition, regulation, and innovation in the remittance market
  3. Initiatives to implement these objectives will also lead to developing financial safety net and wealth stock for migrants and their families in the home countries and have the potential to facilitate dignified and sustainable return of the migrants.

UNCDF requires a Administration and Financial Analyst (Service Contract) to support the regional remittance program implementation. The admin & financial analyst will play a critical role in supporting the workflow of the team. He/She will support key functions such as procurement, admin support, budget revisions and reporting, as well as all clerical and support staff roles for the programme.

Under the guidance of the UNCDF Regional Digital Manager WCA (with matrix reporting line to Technical Specialist (Migration and Remittance Lead), this Admin & Financial Analyst will ensure effective delivery of the regional remittance portfolio in West and Central Africa by supporting the programme implementation in accordance with UNCDF/UNDP rules and regulations. 

The Admin & Financial Analyst will work in close collaboration with the operations and programme staff in other UNCDF offices/teams such as headquarters/ Office of Finance and Management Services’ regional and HQ colleagues, Procurement and Operations colleagues and will lend support in the management of contracting, vendor management and budget-related issues for the two projects referenced above.

This local service contract is based in Dakar, Senegal.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

  1. Provides effective administrative management and logistical support;
  2. Supports regional programme financial resources management;
  3. Supports the management of procurement processes related to regional programme implementation; and
  4. Supports the management of resources mobilized by the regional programme.

 

 

1. Provides effective administrative management and logistical support focusing on the achievement of the following results and work products:

  • Ensuring smooth running of daily operations in the office; 
  • Preparing and monitoring budget forecasts, cost allocations, and expense reports;
  • Planning travel, including the quarterly travel plan, travel requests, UNDSS requests;
  • Arranging travel and hotel reservations, preparing travel authorizations, processing requests for visas, passports and other documents;
  • Coordinating visa approvals and travel authorizations issued by the government counterpart in close collaboration with UNDP Visa Unit;
  • Processing travel expense claims (TEC) by preparing and collecting supporting documents, ATLAS voucher transactions, DSA calculations, approval obtainments;
  • Coordinating new personnel arrangements such as requests for organizational email accounts, ID cards, vendor forms;
  • Translating and preparing official documents as necessary;
  • Creating requisitions in ATLAS;
  • Requesting payments (against Purchase Order (PO) / contract/ agreement, and non-PO payment vouchers), and dispatching the same;
  • Requesting certificates of payment from consultants and preparing payment requests;
  • Assisting the Project Manager to resolve questions related to budgets, payments, procurement and resources;
  • Maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in ATLAS;
  • Maintaining records on assets management and preparing reports;
  • Preparing logistics for programme meetings, workshops and seminars;
  • Developing and maintaining the filing system, ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials;
  • Organizing shipments, customs clearance arrangements, preparing documents for shipments and mail (received and sent);
  • Translating simple correspondences, as needed; and
  • Supporting the programme in the management of knowledge sharing events and logistics related the knowledge management and communication activities.

 

2.  Supports programme financial resources management focusing on the achievement of the following results and work products:

  • Full compliance with UN/UNDP/UNCDF rules, regulations, and policies on financial activities, financial recording/reporting system and audit recommendations;
  • Routinely monitoring financial exception reports for unusual activities, transactions, and investigating anomalies;
  • Checking that requisitions, POs and vouchers are adequately labeled; and
  • Supporting as needed in the projects’ audit and controlling the follow up.

 

3. Supports the management of procurement processes focusing on the achievement of the following results and work products:+

  • Coordinating procurement and recruitment processes including drafting terms of references (TORs) and contracts in close collaboration with HQ Management Support Team and UNDP Procurement Office;
  • Acting as a liaison with UNCDF programme support, operations and finance units.  Managing programme procurements with technical input from the team, determining procurement strategy and requirements and implementing procurement according to UNCDF policies;
  • For local procurement – developing requests for quotes (RFQs) from local vendors and local consultants, obtaining quotes, evaluating and proposing vendors for selection. Monitoring procurement with other UNCDF units to ensure timely advertising and collection of quotes. Verifying vendors’ eligibility and ensuring they are in the UNCDF ATLAS system. Verifying quality and receipt of goods;
  • For international procurement – proposing strategies for procurement with team input. Developing and maintaining the UNCDF expert roster for the programme. Monitoring international procurement with UNCDF HQ to ensure Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are adequately advertised and responses collected. Assisting in the evaluation and finalization of the selection reports;
  • Preparing supporting documents for contract approval and case submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP);
  • Managing contracts through the monitoring of contract expiration, the on-time renewal of contracts, and/or the tracking of deliverables;
  • Preparing inter-office memorandums, justification notes, and other supporting documents as necessary for procurement matters;
  • Managing the Uganda-programme procurement plan and coordinating the timely procurement of services and goods;
  • Supporting in the development and management of supplier rosters, the elaboration of supplier selection and evaluation, and quality and performance measurement mechanisms;
  • Managing the relationship with all programme vendors and consultants. Soliciting necessary forms and information, requesting evidence of completed tasks.  Ensuring that consultant evaluation forms are solicited upon completion of work and results are analyzed; and
  • Timely payment for services and goods rendered.

 

 

4. Supports the management of the resources mobilized by the regional programme focusing on achievement of the following results and work products:

  • Analysis of information on donors’ funding;
  • Tracking of and reporting on mobilized resources;
  • Reviewing of contribution agreements, managing and monitoring contributions in ATLAS;
  • Advising programme staff on donor reporting requirements; and
  • Monitoring financial reports to be submitted to donors.

 

Competencies

Core

 

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Level 2: Proactively identifies new opportunities and challenges

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 2: Analyzes complex technical materials (including data) and makes concise, relevant recommendations

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Level 2: Takes ownership of responsibilities

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Level 2: Understands, explains and shares information on assigned tasks with accuracy and clarity

Delivery

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Level 2: Meets goals and timelines for delivery of products or services

Technical/Functional

 

Operations/Finance Interface

Provide support to Operations & Finance Interface including position management, chart of accounts, certification of financial resources for position extension, creation etc.

Office Administration

Ability to manage day-to-day office activities (including but not limited to travel management, facilities and asset management, policy and procedures maintenance) to meet operational needs

Operational Efficiency

Ability to identify and execute opportunities to improve operational efficiency

Purchase-to-Pay

Knowledge of purchase-to-pay cycles, concepts, principles and policies and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations

Procurement

Ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source

Sourcing

Ability to find, evaluate and engage suppliers of goods and services

Logistics

Knowledge of logistics operations, principles and methods, and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations

Contract Management

Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations

Required Skills and Experience

 

Education:

  • A minimum three (3) years (with Masters’ degree), or, minimum five (5) years (with Bachelors’ degree) of relevant experience at the national and/or international level in project/programme formulation, management, accounting, finance, operations, administration or audit services.

 

Experience:

  • Minimum three (3( years (with Masters), or, min five (5) years (with Bachelor Degree) of relevant experience in Programme management, budget administration or programme support service and related fields.
  • Experience with a UN organization/agency is desirable.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of UNCDF programs in West and Central Africa is an asset.
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office package such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Skype is required.
  • Specialized training in office management and administration is highly desirable.

 

Language Requirements:

  • Both full Fluency in both French and English is required.

 

Nationality

  • This position is for Senegalese Nationals only