Background

INTRODUCING UNCDF

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 47 Least Developed Countries (LDC). UNCDF uses its capital mandate to support LDCs pursue inclusive growth. UNCDF promotes financial inclusion, also through digital financial services (DFS), as a key enabler of poverty reduction and inclusive growth; and it demonstrates how localizing finance outside the capital cities can accelerate growth in local economies, promote sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure development, and empower local communities. Using capital grants, loans and credit enhancements, UNCDF tests financial models in inclusive finance and local development finance; ‘de-risks’ the local investment space; and provides proofs of concept, paving the way for larger and more risk-averse investors.

With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” financing models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local development. UNCDF targets low-income and underserved populations and areas in the LDCs where resources for development are the scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where increased national economic prosperity does not reach a large part of the population. UNCDF focusses on local development finance and inclusive finance, using its capital mandate paired with strong technical and policy support to help communities and individuals save, borrow and invest.

UNCDF’s objective is to develop inclusive financial systems in which a range of financial products are available to all segments of society, at a reasonable cost, and on a sustainable basis. UNCDF supports a wide range of providers (e.g. microfinance institutions, banks, cooperatives, money transfer companies) and a variety of financial products and services (e.g. savings, credit, insurance, payments, and remittances).

INTRODUCING DIgital Finance In UNCDF

UNCDF manages several initiatives in LDCs in Asia and Africa, to develop an inclusive digital finance eco-system that offers a wide range of financial services specially for low income vulnerable communities. Specifically, UNCDF provides a mix of policy, technical and financial support to a range of government and private sector actors in each country, as well as invests in research and other public goods that benefit all market actors. By supporting the development of digital finance eco-system in these countries, UNCDF aims to increase the financial security of low income and rural households through access to appropriate, affordable and secure means to receive, manage and save money.

UNCDF’s INTERVENTIONS IN CHINA

Working closely with UNDP, UNCDF in China is focused on driving innovations that leverage digital solutions for access to finance, enhanced financial health and wellbeing for vulnerable population including smallholders and ageing population. UNCDF started its intervention in China in 2019 and since then partnered with two private sector financial institutions, CD Finance supporting access to finance and inputs for smallholders through e-commerce and Anhui XA Bank supporting digital lending to women entrepreneurs. UNCDF is also implementing a research on financial needs of ageing population in the country. All these interventions are being implemented under the larger innovations work stream as part of UNCDF’s new strategy of leaving no one behind in digital era. To support the work in China, UNCDF is recruiting junior digital finance experts who will work closely with partners to ensure successful implementation of projects and achievement of KPIs.

In this context, UNCDF is planning to on-board an International Digital Finance and Innovation Consultant in China to act as the coordinator and lead technical expert for managing UNCDF’s portfolio in country.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Digital Finance and Innovation Consultant will report to Regional Technical Specialist and will closely work with guidance and support from DFS Expert- Agriculture. The Consultant will be responsible to support the various partners to implement the project activities in accordance with the agreed work-plan and ensure the achievement of the project targets. S/he will also be responsible to coordinate in-country relationships with stakeholders such as government ministry (at central and federal level), UN agencies and other development partners.

The Consultant will be responsible to carry out following activities with specific deliverables:

Competencies

• Open to work with challenging projects that required in-depth support to partners largely on operations levels
• Experience in managing clients and partners—from early stage companies to mature organizations.
• Solution-focused and medium-agnostic, willing to step out of your core skill set or discipline to find the correct solution to a challenge.
• Open to work in multi-cultural and diverse team of professionals
• Results-driven, problem-solver with structuring and analytic capabilities.  
• Strong ability to think and act strategically, even in situations of ambiguity, to develop both short- and long-term visions.   
• Strategic thinking for planning country strategy and resource mobilization plan for same
• Inspires others, influences and builds trust.
• Strong communicator that can serve multiple functions as needed.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelors’ Degree in either economics, social or international development, finance, business administration, public policy or related field

Experience:

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in digital finance, social development, banking, microfinance, telecom or agriculture sector preferably in China
• Proven experience of independently managing projects/tasks with defined KPIs and timelines 
• Previous experience of managing or implementing or provide technical assistance to digital finance, agri finance or social development projects
• Strong network with different stakeholders including private sector, government, regulators and development partners in China
• Experience in designing and managing qualitative or quantitative research is a plus
• Experience in writing case study, research papers or other learning materials
• Exceptional written and oral communications skills.
• Prior experience working for the United Nations is a plus

Language:

• Excellent written and oral Chinese and English is mandatory.

Timeline, total number of working days, duty station:

• Timeline: February 2020 to February 2021
• Total Number of Working Days for Assignment: up to 200 working days within 13 months
• Duty station: China

For unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed according to UNCDF rules and regulations.

Please note that UNCDF cannot guarantee residence permits or visas for consultants. Consultants are responsible for securing their work documentation. In the case of national consultants, applicants that are not nationals of the duty station requested will have to prove their residence status.  

Please note that consultants residing in the duty station will not be compensated for living expenses.

Progress Controls & Payments:

Payment will be made against each satisfactorily achieved deliverables. All payments are subject to the clearance and approval of the Regional Technical Specialist – Asia. Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant. The consultant would work under the technical oversight of an appointed person from the UNCDF Asia team. The payments would be made based on submission of exact deliverables. Certificate of Payment (COP) submissions need to be accompanied by respective deliverables for which the payment is drawn.

Application process:

Interested individuals must submit the documents mentioned below as proposals in order to demonstrate their qualifications (Note: the system does not allow multiple uploads of documents. 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 Terms of Reference (TOR);
• Earliest availability and proposed schedule for consultancy;
• Curriculum Vitae;
• Complete and signed P11, Personal History Form with names and current contacts of 3 referees (available from http://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc)
• Signed financial proposal for the assignment outlining: All-inclusive fee (including professional fees and other professional expenses, such as insurance, taxes, etc.), Available at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916). The consultant’s hosting is provided by UNCDF, therefore no per diem or living allowance is to be quoted in the financial proposal.

Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. 

Evaluation: 

Step I: Screening: Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• Bachelors’ Degree in either economics, social or international development, finance, business administration, public policy or related field;
• 8 years of professional experience in digital finance, social development, banking, microfinance, telecom or agriculture sector preferably in China

Step II: Technical Evaluation:

UNCDF will produce a shortlist of candidates and technically evaluate candidates as per experience requirements in the Terms of Reference. As applicable, only the first top 3 ranked applicants shall be considered for an interview.

        Shortlisting scoring: (100 points x 20%)

30 points- Education/Qualification;

35 points- Functional competencies for assignment;

35 points- Experience.

        Interview (100 points x 80%): An interview shall be conducted for the top 3 shortlisted candidates.

The applicant may also be asked to submit his previous writing work.

Step III: Financial Evaluation (100 points x 30%): Only candidates with scores above 70% of the technical evaluation will be considered.

Payment will be made against each satisfactorily achieved deliverable. All payments are subject to the clearance and approval of the Regional Technical Specialist – Asia.

Award Criteria

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose profile has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received score of 70% and above out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%) and financial criteria (30%).

Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology.

• Technical Evaluation Weight - 70% x [(Desk review 100 Points X 20%) +(Interview: 100 Points x 80%)
• Financial Evaluation Weight 100 points x 30%

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.