Antecedentes

Background: 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 two channels: financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; and by showing how localized investments — through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance — can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development. 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 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 number of different SDGs.

UNCDF’s ‘Shaping Inclusive Financial Transformations’ (SHIFT) program aims to catalyze access to formal financial services to advance women’s economic empowerment and gendered financial inclusion for millions of women in the ASEAN and SAARC markets in the next four years. SHIFT leverages product innovation, data analytics, technical training and policy advocacy services at different levels to change the behavior of market players. Data crosscuts into all SHIFT’s activities as the shaping of inclusive financial transformations cannot be accomplished without the use of good data and research to inform and facilitate markets and address the gender research gap. SHIFT advocates evidence-based financial inclusion policies and practices that expand access and usage of financial services for women by facilitating, informing and incentivizing FSPs, regulators and governments and by stimulating collective dialogue between them.

As of now SHIFT programme has been investing in directly enhancing income, employment and overall livelihoods of low-income, women, micro and small businesses populations in Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.  Indirectly it has been benefitting stakeholders and enterprises in other ASEAN and SAARC countries.

The program works through its four inter-related outputs:

Fund Facility: Support financial service providers to develop new prototypes and bring to scale viable business models that serve low-income individuals, micro-entrepreneurs, and small and medium businesses, especially women within these markets, in the ASEAN frontier economies;

Learning and Skills Development Portal: Support business development service providers by leveraging ICT solutions to develop and bring to scale viable e-learning models for professionals in financial institutions to improve productivity and professionalism;

Data and Analysis Hub: Produce, consolidate and communicate data and information on supply, demand and regulation in financial markets to strengthen the evidence base and investment decisions of providers, regulators and policy makers, specifically targeted towards low-income individuals, micro-entrepreneurs, and small and medium business, especially women within these markets;

Policy and Advocacy: Influence policy makers, financial service providers and governments to enable financial markets to be more responsive to the wider development priorities of governments and its people.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Duties and Responsibilities

The intern is expected to provide support in the following areas, working closely with Operations Colleagues and under supervision of SHIFT Programme Manager, based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Programme Support:

• Assisting the development and dissemination of a survey on the applications to the Women MSME FinTech Innovation Fund, and an additional survey for the participants in mentorship sessions for the Innovation Fund component;
• Provide input and support on operational guidelines by collecting the lesson learned from other projects within the practice area and other international agencies;
• Conducting the client-satisfactory analysis on operational performance across functional areas, including procurement, finance, HR, logistic, etc. and draft the proposal on best practices;
• Monitor, catalogue, and update regularly the project database and develop a user-friendly guideline for comments and finalization;
• Support with data collection and updates for regional programme activities, provision of inputs to various online databases, worksheets, presentations;

Operational & Logistics Support:

• Supporting the organization and coordination of workshops, conferences and inter-organization meetings including organizational and logistical support to the national and/or regional events, developing tracking tools for events, prepare budget projections, communication with internal and external clients, prepare invitation letters, provide assistance during the events, note taking and drafting the discussions points for comments and finalization;
• Support the preparation of the project auditing;
• Support budget monitoring and financial reporting exercises;
• Provide assistance in procurement efforts and logistical needs;
• Support procurement of supply and services, reviewing specifications, collecting price offers from international and national suppliers and consolidating selection reports;

Programme Communications:

• Support the preparation of project communication materials;
• Support and maintain good relationship of project team members, partners, stakeholders; and 
• Perform other office duties as assigned by the internship supervisor.

Learning:

The intern will acquire a good overview and practical experience on project management, event management, financial reporting and administrative work in UNCDF and a basic understanding of the roles of the UNCDF in ASEAN and SAARC countries.

Competencias

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

• Candidates may be enrolled in a bachelor’s or Master's degree or equivalent studies in Business Administration, Political Science, Economics or related fields. Candidates who are within one year after graduation from a relevant education degree, will also be considered.

Experience:

• Demonstrated understanding in operational assignment including administrative and procurement related, finance, inclusive finance or related fields;
• Excellent analytical skills are required and experience in research, drafting and editing documents;
• Previous related work experience in a national or an international entity would be an asset but is not a requirement;
• Previous experience in event organization and administrative assignments would be an asset but is not a requirement
• Hands on experience in preparing budgets, financial reporting and preparing PowerPoint presentations would be an asset but is not a requirement
• Excellent computer literacy (e.g. MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and some design software, (e.g. Photoshop, InDesign) are considered an advantage.

Language:

• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in written and spoken Thai is considered an advantage.

Important Information:

• UNCDF Interns are governed under the framework of UNDP/UNCDF Internship Policies. Interns are not financially remunerated by UNCDF. The costs associated with the latter must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his/her own arrangements for travel, accommodation, etc. Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out (i.e. Bangkok, Thailand);
• The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNCDF but to complement an intern’s studies; therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
• Please submit your Resume/CV and an application using the UNCDF Internship Application form: http://www.uncdf.org/download/file/127/2509/internshipdoc
• Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file.