Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to inclusive finance 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 can provide seed capital both grants and loans as well as technical support that will improve poor peoples’ lives.

UNCDF works to enlarge peoples’ choices: it believes that poor people and communities should take decisions about their own development. UNCDF works in challenging environments – remote rural areas, countries emerging from conflict – and paves the way for others to follow. Its programmes are designed to catalyze larger investment flows from the private sector, development partners and national governments, for significant impact on the Millennium Development Goals, especially Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger, Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, and Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

Established by the General Assembly in 1966 and with headquarters in New York, UNCDF is an autonomous UN organization affiliated with UNDP.

The Better Than Cash Alliance is 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.

The Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) is looking to hire a Digital Payment Analyst for Asia Pacific. For more information on BTCA, please visit the website: http://www.betterthancash.org/

Billions of dollars in cash payments and transfers are made daily in emerging and developing economies, including payment of salaries, social welfare and relief, payments to suppliers, remittances, etc. The problems with these cash payments include a lack of transparency, accountability and security, as well as inefficiency.

Furthermore, the individuals who receive the cash payments are often part of the 2 billion excluded from the formal financial sector.  This means they are excluded from access to a range of appropriate and affordable financial services to help them save safely take advantage of economic opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to risk.
 
Shifting these payments from cash to digital has the potential to improve the lives of low-income people, particularly women, while giving governments, the development community and the private sector a more transparent, time and cost efficient, and often-safer means of disbursing payments.

The Better Than Cash Alliance partners with governments, companies, and international organizations that are the key drivers behind the transition to make digital payments widely available by:

• Advocating for the transition from cash to digital payments in a way that advances financial inclusion and promotes responsible digital finance;
• Catalyzing the development of inclusive digital payments ecosystems in member countries to reduce costs, increase transparency, advance financial inclusion-- particularly for women-- and drive inclusive growth; and
• Conducting research and sharing the knowledge and experiences of our members to inform strategies for making the transition.
   

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and direction of the Asia Pacific Regional Lead, this assignment will support BTCA’s work with the BTCA’s Asia Pacific members and the implementation of the overall regional strategy of BTCA. Key responsibilities include:

1.    Support and track implementation of Asia Pacific Members (Governments and Corporate) Digital Payments Ecosystem Development (84 days)
Covering the following:

• Prepare monthly progress Reports on tracking the implementation of annual member work plans;
• Consult, identify and prepare quarterly updates/progress assessing and tracking members digital payments needs/challenges and work with the Asia Pacific Regional Lead to draft technical support solutions to address priority needs/challenges, including hiring of technical experts/consultants.
• Support the Asia Pacific Regional Lead in engaging relevant stakeholders within each member the Asian regional portfolio;
• Draft correspondence with BTCA high ranking government and corporate contacts internationally.

2.         Building digital payments capabilities through training workshops, peer learning exchanges and virtual learning sessions (70 days)

• Assist with planning and execution of digital payments ecosystem convening events and other related public engagements in member countries.

3.    Create and maintain a high-level analysis of digital payments ecosystem development (95 days)
Including digitization status, progress, achievements, challenges, opportunities, players, initiatives for each member in Asia Pacific though desktop research and stakeholder discussions – providing the inputs into the Alliance’s work on the overall regional strategy and portfolio for the Asia Pacific region

• Prepare detailed analysis, including background research on BTCA’s partners work on the digitization of payments and financial inclusion, covering focus countries and business operations across the region;
• Help identify partnerships with key regional platforms and initiatives for the Alliance to work with to scale up the digital payments agenda across Asia Pacific;
• Work closely with the Asia Regional Lead and the Head of Knowledge and Research, to develop knowledge products to support the knowledge building of regional Alliance members and the wider digital payments sector;
• Work closely with the Asia Pacific Regional Lead to prepare quarterly portfolio reporting; mid-year and annual progress reports and others as directed by the Managing Director.

Competencies

Core Competencies

• Demonstrates ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrates political acumen and calculated risk taking;
• Builds own competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
• Creates and promotes open communication;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Conducts fair and transparent decision making;
• Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
• Shows strong corporate commitment.

Functional Competencies
Professional

• Ensures the full implementation of a project and the financial resources to obtain results;
• Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources;
• Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives;
• Makes effective use of UNCDF’s and other BTCA member resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships;
• Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations;
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking.

Technical

• Working knowledge of current developments in payment technologies, including innovative payment methods (e.g., digital government, mobile financial services, pre-paid/reloadable/other cards, etc.);
• Impeccable diplomatic skills, particularly in working with governments of emerging economies in Asia Pacific;
• Solid skills in market assessments, business case/strategy development and data analysis/management (spreadsheets, data visualization tools like Tableau, etc.);
• Understanding of key issues and international good practice relating to financial inclusion and digital payments;
• Excellent presentation and representation skills in multicultural contexts;
• Ability to translate complex technical ideas to a non-technical audience in both verbally and in writing.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s level) in public/business administration, engineering, economics, international affairs, development, political science, or other relevant fields.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in digital payments, financial services, financial inclusion, ICT4D, Tech, economic development or digital government;
• Experience in effectively leading or managing services to a very diverse group of clients or members and maintaining positive relationships with peers;
• Experience in business case development and data analysis and using the analysis for program planning and implementation;
• Experience in dealing with governments and/or companies, particularly in emerging economies;
• Demonstrated excellent writing, editing and communications skills to an international standard including correspondence, reports, talking points and briefing material essential;
• Working knowledge of current developments in including innovative payment methods (e.g., mobile financial services, pre-paid cards, etc.) essential;
• Working knowledge of policy, legal and regulatory issues related to inclusive payment technologies and digital government desirable;
• Experience in event management and organization of high-level meetings with senior government officials and senior business leaders, desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English, both oral and written, is required.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the supervision and direction of the Asia Pacific Regional Lead, the assignment will support BTCA’s work with the BTCA’s Asia Pacific members and the implementation of the overall regional strategy of BTCA.   

Duration of the Work

This is an assignment that will have an initial duration of twelve (12) months with 250 working days.  Within the said period, UNCDF will determine the viability of extension subject to availability of funds and the performance.

Duty Station

• The duty station/location for the contract duration is Jakarta, Indonesia;
• If there is any approved travel, UNCDF will pay separately travel expenses (economy airfare, terminal expenses and per diems which include hotel and food expenses) according to standard UN rates based on evidence of approved and actual travel.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Payments will be made based on the percentage of contract price corresponding to the deliverables stated in Section D above, and   upon confirmation of UNCDF that the individual has delivered on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.  .

Recommended Presentation of Offer

The following documents are requested:

• When applying for this consultancy position, please apply with your official name as shown in the government issued identification document (e.g. passport and/or driver license). Contract award is subject to this verification;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references; link to P11: http://sas.undp.org/documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
• If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNCDF under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNCDF.  

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Consultants will be evaluated based on UNDP’s cumulative analysis method. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract shall be made to the consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable vis-à-vis the requirements of the TOR and the project operating environment; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial (30%) criteria.

The Better Than Cash Alliance will conduct a review of a profile (technical evaluation) that matches applicants experience and expertise to the key tasks outlined in the consultancy. These are detailed under each of the following Key work areas noted above:

• Programme Development and Management (20 points);
• Programme Support (50 points);
• Stakeholder and Partner Consultation (30 points).

Only the top candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points in the review of profile will be considered for Technical Interviews.  Technical interviews   will explore the same key work areas, in greater depth, with the same weighting.

Technical proposal = Review of a profile (30%) + Technical Interview (40%).

ndividual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

Both individual consultants and individuals 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. UNCDF 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.

Please include all documents into one file while submitting your application.

References

UNDP’s Individual Consultant’s General Terms and Conditions are provided here:
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf