Historique

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.

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.

The Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) is looking to hire a Curriculum Development consultant. For more information on BTCA, please visit the website: http://www.betterthancash.org/

Devoirs et responsabilités

Summary of key deliverables

1.    Training modules (20 Days): Using existing BTCA and partner research, develop in-person, activity-based training modules around key digital finance topics for an audience of senior and mid-level officials within Ministries of Finance and central banks. These modules should convey the benefits of digital payments and impart a methodology for digitizing payment streams, and will be used by trainers working with BTCA members, in collaboration with BTCA Regional Leads, in-country consultants, and other UNCDF personnel.

• Minimum of three (3) training modules completed and certified by KR Manager.

BTCA Indicators:

• Increased availability of knowledge and tools to help members to understand the state of digitization and digitize payments
• Increased member knowledge of various means and methods that governments have used to implement digitization and drive acceptance of digital payment modalities;
• Increased technical capacity to shift payments including know-how and ability to prioritize
• BTCA members make a significant improvement globally in the number of low-income and poor people served by innovative payment technologies, including those that were previously unbanked.

2.    Identification and training of trainers (15 Days): Support Knowledge and Research Manager to identify, procure, and onboard qualified trainers to deliver the learning modules.

• Minimum of three (3) individuals trained in delivering BTCA learning modules.

The key result expected is the successful development and extension of Knowledge services to Better Than Cash Alliance members, in fulfillment of Knowledge and Research programme targets.  The consultant will support in the following key results of the programme:

• Supporting effective training and delivery of knowledge and research outputs to governments, NGOs or private companies that increase their capacity to deliver end user-focused payment technologies;

BTCA Indicators to be in focus of this consultancy:

• Easily accessible knowledge products generated from BTCA and other actors’ activities that demonstrate how to implement electronic-payment solutions so that:

a) Electronic payments to the mass market can be offered on a profitable and thus sustained basis by financial service providers (FSPs);
b) Electronic payments are an affordable means for governments, development agencies, and other mass payment providers to distribute funds;
c) Poor recipients benefit from increased options for financial inclusion afforded by the transition from cash to e-payment solutions.

Compétences

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:

• Developing in-person, participatory curricula out of existing case studies
• Designing activity-based training for governments and/or private firms
• Thorough understanding of experiential learning processes and their application to professional settings
• Working knowledge of current developments in payment technologies, including innovative payment methods (e.g., mobile financial services, pre-paid/reloadable/other cards, etc.);
• Working knowledge of international donor organizations;
• Understanding of key issues and international good practice relating to financial inclusion;
• Ability to translate complex technical ideas to a non-technical audience in both verbally and in writing.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:

Master degree in education, curriculum & instruction, economics, public/business administration, social sciences, international relations or related fields, econometrics.

Experience:

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience designing participatory training for use in professional settings
• Experience adapting existing research and/or case studies into training modules
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in digital payments, financial services, financial inclusion, ICT4D, Tech or economic development. Experience in effectively leading or managing services to a very diverse group of clients or members and maintaining positive relationships with peers;
• 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 desirable.

Language:

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Professional competency in French or Spanish desirable.

Travel:

• 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 on standard UN rates based on evidence of approved and actual travel.

Evaluation Method:
 
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; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial (30%) criteria.

Evaluation Criteria:

70%: Technical (based on CV and interview)

• Desk Review (40%) of submitted CVs, with focus on technical skills and previous experience
• Interview (30%)

30%: Financial Proposal

Contract Award

The contract 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 proposal & Interview) 70% + financial 30%= 100%.

Payment

Payments will be made as specified in the actual contract upon confirmation of UNCDF on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

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
 
Application Guidelines

Interested candidate should submit the following information as part of the application package:

• 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;
• Detailed updated CV including past experience in similar projects or P11 link: http://sas.undp.org/documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc;
• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
• Confirmation of availability to take up assignments for the whole period;
• Three professional references including name, affiliation and email addresses;
• Financial proposals will be requested only from the shortlisted candidates.

Individual 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