Historique

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 47 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. UNCDF Local Development Finance Practice (LDFP) promotes and supports transformative investments through local governments and domestic banks in LDCs by piloting and scaling up innovative financing mechanisms and policies in the public and private sectors. Specifically, LDFP works with LDC governments to: mobilize additional capital for local development including from the domestic public and private sectors (for example, by promoting fiscal decentralization, increasing own revenue of local authorities and stimulating investment finance by domestic banks); design appropriate allocation mechanisms for this capital (intergovernmental fiscal transfers, public-private partnerships, structured project finance, municipal debt instruments); support local investments that provide a demonstration effect and lead to upscaling and mainstreaming of these mechanisms (including supporting UNCDF’s pipeline of investible projects); secure these investments within an accountable institutional environment that sustains and promotes local development (legal, political, administrative, social).

UNCDF’s approach to Local Development Finance acknowledges the challenges for LDCs in enhancing local basic services, promoting local economic development and increasing local resilience to shocks in an increasingly uncertain world. The approach recognizes that LDC economies have reached levels of domestic capital (public and private) significantly greater than a decade ago. Yet underinvestment at the local level remains a feature of LDCs that is holding back structural transformation. In addition to external sources of development finance, there is an additional need to find ways of channeling domestic resources for local development – including in rapidly growing urban areas.

Reporting directly to the Regional Advisor for the Local Development Finance Practice, the Senior Expert will support the Municipal Investment Finance (MIF) Program Manager in the development of the Municipal Investment Finance program in Senegal and West African Region, which has the objective of supporting towns, cities and urban areas in the region to secure the capital and recurrent financing required for their growing infrastructure and service requirements The MIF program operates in Senegal and other selected LDCs in the Western Africa region in coordination with the respective UNCDF country team under the direct supervision of the Regional Technical Advisor who is based in Dakar, Senegal.

The aim of the MIF Programme is to increase the ability of local governments and other sub-sovereign entities to address key urbanization challenges through access to sustainable sources of capital financing. The Programme will improve quality of life in LDC cities in Africa and Asia, especially for the poor. Specific objectives include (i) improving access to capital for investment in critical urban infrastructure and services in LDC cities targeted by the program, (ii) creating or strengthening financial markets and market intermediaries so that they can facilitate capital access for cities, and (iii) establishing policies, standards, and practices that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the capital financing process in beneficiary countries.

The Senior Expert will provide technical assistance to local governments and local banks as partners of choice and builds on the platform and reputation of UNCDF's support to fiscal decentralization in LDCs over a 20-year period. This includes piloting and testing improved mechanisms, instruments and tools for: Fiscal transfers from central to local government institutions; Improvements in local taxation and fees; Debt instruments (loan borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance; and project / SME finance for infrastructure largely in the productive sectors. Furthermore, the expert will work with municipalities on the process of accessing capital.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Provides technical support and policy advice in the area of municipal finance, local

public finance and local private finance — in particular in relation to infrastructure &

service provision, local economic development and the strengthening of municipal capacity in Senegal and the region;

• Help enhance resource mobilization for the MIF program;
• Support municipalities in identifying projects, project preparation and the process of accessing capital;
• Provide technical support for training the municipality personnel as per the requirement.
• Provides technical guidance on implementation, quality control and support for the country-level MIF program — contributing to the achievement of corporate and project objectives;
• Provides technical support in policy development and knowledge management in the areas of local development, local development finance, municipal finance and associated thematic areas including in relation to Financing For Development, the implementation of the SDGs and the development strategies in Senegal and the region;
• Provides technical support and advice to the MIF Program Manager, LDFP Director and to UNCDF Senior Management on UNCDF corporate initiatives and activities. This includes leadership in the active acquisition and sharing of business-sensitive knowledge in local development and local public finance.

Specific functions:

• Maintain close working relationships and high levels of trust and support with government stakeholders in Senegal, based on UNCDF's mandate and a client-based approach — led by country demand. On this basis develop and implement strategies for the rollout of the MIF program in accordance with the project document;
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with the LDFP Regional Technical Advisors and country teams and ensure a client-based approach in which the Municipal Finance Initiative is introduced on demand and in accordance with local priorities;
• Support to the development of national policies in the areas of municipal finance, drawing on the latest research and ideas, lessons of policy pilots and substantive dialogue with key practitioners and major international institutions;
• Apply UNCDF's local development finance diagnostic tools, instruments and approaches to constructively inform and contribute to these strategies and policies, in a way that leverages UNCDF support to promote the interventions and finance of others;
• Develop funding proposals for the Municipal Finance Initiative;
• Dialogue and outreach to key internal and external constituencies and partners, to increase visibility and awareness of UNCDF's comparative advantages and strategic niches in municipal finance within specific LDCs and selected non-LDCs.
• Support piloting and testing improved mechanisms, instruments and tools for: Fiscal transfers from central to local government institutions; Improvements in local taxation and fees; and Debt instruments (borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance;
• Design and support initiatives in Local Development Finance that engage with local banks and other providers of capital resources for local infrastructure and building local productive capacity in the region's LDCs; This includes piloting and testing improved mechanisms, instruments and tools for: Investments by the domestic banking sector in local infrastructure and SMEs (largely in productive sectors); Debt instruments (borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance;
• Apply UNCDF's Results Based Management approach to the MIF.
• Inputs to regional and national level publications, seminars, and conferences to highlight UNCDF support to local development;
• Production and contribution to papers and other documentation of evidence and results of UNCDF interventions;
• Advice to the LDFP Director, MIF Program Manager, and Regional Team Leader, including inputs into corporate presentations and reports;
• Advice to UNCDF Senior Management on technical issues and business development opportunities;
• Preparation of substantive inputs into the LDFP Business Plan and to the Results-Oriented Annual Report;
• Support to the development of the annual LDFP Work Plan;
• Availability to travel around Senegal and the Western Africa region.

Compétences

Core Competencies:

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
• Building support and political acumen;
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;

Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNCDF & setting standards

• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
• Fair and transparent decision making;
• calculated risk-taking;
• Ability to address gender equality and empowerment of women considerations in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent in Economics, Business, Public Finance, Public Administration, Law, or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant, practical working experience in the west African region in the field of international development working on local development finance, preferably in Senegal or other least developed countries (LDCs) in the Western Africa region;
• Proven experience in municipal finance issues or in private sector financing of infrastructure projects;
• Deep technical knowledge of local development planning and capital investment programming in urban or rural areas;
• Experience in developing project documents and start-up of new projects;
• Experience with new product development, testing, roll-out;
• Proven resource mobilization experience and record of success in building partnerships,
  negotiating financing, reporting to and managing grants from development partners;
• Strong program and project management experience including budget and financial management, staff supervision, teambuilding;
• Experience of managing a bond process is a bonus.
• Strong financial analysis and business project appraisal skills;
• Familiarity with UNCDF/UNDP rules and procedures is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Written and spoken fluency in English and French;
• Another UN official language is an asset.

Application procedures:

Interested individuals must submit the following as proposals in order to demonstrate their qualifications: (NOTE: the system does not allow multiple uploads of document. Applicants must make sure to upload all documents in one PDF file).

All applications must contain the following information:

• Cover letter with a summary statement of competencies in relation to the TOR.
• Earliest availability and proposed schedule for consultancy.
• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP.
• Personal CV, 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.
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive daily fee, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

• Technical Evaluation Weight - 70%
• Financial Evaluation Weight - 30%

Evaluation:

• Only shortlisted candidates will be considered for the Technical Evaluation. The shortlisting will be based on respective educational background and minimal requirements for work experience. The Individual consultant will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative Analysis:

• When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual 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 and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% or above on the scoring of the technical aspect of their proposal will be considered for financial evaluation.

• Criteria A:  Master’s degree in Economics, Business, Public Finance, Public Administration, Urban Development, Law, or related field; 20 points.
• Criteria B:  Minimum of 10 years relevant, practical working experience in the field of local development finance, preferably in developing countries and LDCs; 20 points.
• Criteria C:  Proven experience in the design and application of municipal finance instruments and experience in infrastructure financing projects, experience working for local governments and / or development banks financing local governments is an asset; 40 points.
• Criteria D:  Proven ability to motivate staff, share knowledge and build effective teams to implement municipal finance initiatives; 20 points.

Payment:

• The consultant will be paid monthly on a lump sum basis as per agreed  monthly/quarterly workplan;
• Payments will be based on submission of the Certificate of Payment, time-sheets and deliverables achieved.

Travel:

The consultant may be requested to conduct specific missions to the field. If requested, UNCDF will arrange and cover the cost of the Travel in line with UNCDF’s rules and regulations.