The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries (LDCs). 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. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies, which connects 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; (2) local development finance, which capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and (3) investment finance, which 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 SDG 1 on eradicating poverty with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

In Laos, UNCDF is implementing three programmes these being:

A UN Joint Programme (UNJP) with UNDP Lao PDR on governance and public administration reform programme to strengthen the capacity and service delivery of local administration. The Lao government counterparts for this Joint Programme being; (i) Ministry of Home Affairs, (ii) Ministry of Finance and (iii) Ministry of Planning and Investment and other concerned local administrations.

A UNJP on Social Protection. This is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance, World Bank and IMF. UNCDF is providing technical assistance (TA) and policy advisory to the government concerning the financing of social protection including the development of a comprehensive Chart of Accounts (CoA) for SP public sector revenue and expenditure streams and facilitating the government to establish a new SP fund, applying the Thailand model as a reference and UNJP on SDG Financing with MPI, MoF and MoFA, MoH.

A UNJP to support the introduction of the UN Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) - see https://developmentfinance.un.org/2019-integrated-national-financing-frameworks-sustainable-development. UNCDF are supporting the tagging of the CoA to enable improved monitoring and transparency of the national budget. This works will be conducted in partnership with UNESCAP and UNDESA and directly provide technical support to the national CoA committee, Ministry of Finance and work in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

UNCDF Lao PDR is recruiting a national DFA to help contribute to its work programme and provide technical and operational support to UNCDF office including the support to incoming missions and international consultants. In this context the DFA will be directly working on the above-mentioned projects at technical and organisation level, creating effective partnerships with the project counter-part UN Agencies and government ministries.
The national DFA will be part of the UNCDF LDF team and based full-time in the UNCDF country office at UN House, Vientiane Capital and will support achieving UNCDF’s project/programme results while working closely with all UNCDF staff and relevant Lao government officials under the on-going Joint Programmes and future UNCDF standalone projects/programme. The national DFA will also interact and coordinate with concerned government officers, project staff and other UN colleagues in UN House and other UN agencies and DPs as required.

Domestic travels to the project sites may be required but subject to the funding availability and approval by the primary supervisor. S/he will work closely with the programme and operations teams and other colleagues in the UN House and also collaborate with colleagues in the regional office if required. S/he is also expected to develop and maintain a network and good relationships with colleagues across UN/development partner agencies, government institutions, the private sector, and civil society.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, the national DFA will be primarily responsible for the following work streams:
• Support the Programme Specialist (PS) in undertaking fiduciary management and monitoring of UNCDF grants issued within the framework of the UNCDF portfolio in Lao PDR;
• Support the PS to develop and populate data fields of a simple monitoring tool for UNCDF grant projects in Laos being implemented under GIPD, UN SDG Fund and others;
• Assist in-country IC missions as agreed the PS
• Assist in document preparation including correspondence, work plan, reports and other required papers;
• Translate, where appropriate, papers, documents and mission reports required and/or produced by ICs missions;
• Accompany the IC missions and help interpretation during meetings/workshops;
• Assist the Programme Specialist in checking, reviewing and commenting the documents submitted by the project team and other government counterparts;
• Collect relevant data and information for the UNCDF CO and project as required;
• Support in organizing events for the team and the missions including making meeting appointments and follow up for confirmation;
• Assist in analyzing the data and entering data onto a required format for reporting purpose.

Corporate Competencies:
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNCDF;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
Functional Competencies:
Knowledge Management and Learning:
• Shareknowledge and experience and contributes to UNCDF Practice Areas and actively works towards continuing personal learning and development;
• Ability to provide high quality work and client services;
• Sound practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues.
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
• Ability to contribute to strategic planning, results-based management and reporting if required;
• Ability to support and contribute to formulation and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
• Ability to understand the specific country social, economic, and political context.
Management and Leadership:
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback;
• Encourages risk-taking in the pursuit of creativity and innovation;
• Demonstrates team spirit and shows team building skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors.

Education:
• Minimum Master’s Degree in Development Finance related areas/Public Finance/MBA or related fields.
Experience:
• 7 years of relevant development/public finance experiences at the national level;
• Extensive experience in operations, administration, facilitation and coordination;
• Direct experience providing technical support/advice to IC missions and government officials;
• Some experience in data collection and analysis, organizing events, monitoring and evaluating development projects preferred;
• Experience using computers and office software packages, including MS and programmes for statistical analysis of data;
• Knowledge of the SDGs and their application at the national level is an advantage.
Language Requirements:
• Fluency in English & Lao

Requirements for submission of application:

All interested and qualified candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP website at  https://www.la.undp.org/content/lao_pdr/en/home/jobs.html

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information otherwise your application will be considered incomplete.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. A cover letter, explaining why you are the most suitable for the work;
2. CV or P11 Form  including past experience in similar project and contact reference of at least 3 references for whom you have rendered preferably the similar services;
3. OFFEROR’S LETTER _ Annex III

Please kindly refer to the Terms of Reference TOR Annex I, and the Procurement Long Notice for detailed information

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Note:  Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to the following e-mail: thilaphong.oudomsine@uncdf.org and/or surith.sengsavang@undp.org