UNDP Jobs - 90208- Consultant for SDG Impact Assurance Standards

Consultant for SDG Impact Assurance Standards – Africa (IRH)

Location :

Home-based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

20-Feb-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated March 2020 - 30 December 2020

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

app. 40 days

UNDP 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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and committed to the principles of universality, equality and leaving no one behind, SDG Impact is a UNDP flagship initiative focused on supporting mobilization of private sector capital and investments in support of the SDGs. The vision of SDG Impact is “to contribute to a world where all private sector capital flows contribute to the SDGs”. It will do so by providing investors, businesses and others with clarity, insights, tools and capacities required to authenticate their contributions to achieving the SDGs and to identify SDG investment opportunities in emerging economies and developing countries.

SDG Impact is a “start-up” which aims to develop and demonstrate a viable approach for UNDP to support countries to mobilize significant volumes of private sector investments for SDG achievement. The initiative emphasizes experimentation, innovation and partnerships as it focuses on developing prototype products and services that will be tested, refined and brought to the market in a relatively short time frame.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 176 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners that can bring about results. UNDP, as an integral part of its mission to fight poverty and improve the lives of people around the world, is committed to being open, transparent and accountable.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant is expected to bring his/her experience, network, and knowledge in the subjects of impact investing, blended finance, innovative financing models, and other areas to assist UNDP in implementing and scaling the initiative.

The overall purpose of this assignment is to provide support to the initiative in the following areas:

Facilitate and lead the consultation process for the SDG Impact, in particular SDG Impact Practice Assurance Standards, in agreed forums and local markets;
Assist the Director and Team in positioning SDG Impact within high-level forums and other related multilateral and bilateral activities;
Provide high-level advice on the topic of standards, certification, partnership analysis;
Advocate for the SDG Impact Practice Assurance Standards at the key constituencies level and support the dissemination of information regarding the SDG Impact Practice Assurance Standards at relevant forums.
Provide advice (written or verbal) per Director’s request and contribute to strategy development for SDG Impact as needed, including on communication and engagement strategies.
The technical inputs of the Consultant will both draw on and inform UNDP’s ongoing work in SDG Impact.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Develop a framework for consultations, including content and agenda drawing on SDG Impact material

by 30 March 2020; 20% of total amount

Facilitate and lead 10 consultations (1 consultation each month) (webinar or in person) of the SDG Impact Assurance Standards in local markets with key stakeholders. UNDP and Consultant to agreed on key countries to be included in the consultation process.

Produce an “Outcome Document” for each consultation (which would include issues discussed, key takeaways, lessons learned, participants and other insights useful to development and communication of SDG Impact.)

5 “Outcome Document” by 31 July 2020; 35% of total amount
5 “Outcome Document” by 30 November 2020; 35% of total amount

Provide key takeaways from the relevant forums attended 30 June 2020 5% of total amount

by 31 December 2020; 5% of total amount

Institutional Arrangement

The Consultant will be directly responsible to the Director of SDG Impact in the Executive Office and will work in close collaboration with the Private Sector Hub Director and SDG Impact team. Deliverables will be certified by the Director of SDG Impact.

Duration of the Work

The duration of the assignment is app. 40 days. The expected start date is in March 2020 and the end of contract will be 30 December 2020.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Commitment to UNDP and OCHA mission, vision and values;
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Functional Competencies

Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations
Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities
Exceptional communication and organizational skills
Proven ability to manage projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum Master Degree in Business Administration, International Relations, or equivalent experience and qualifications in a related field;

Required Skills / Experience:

At least 7 years of demonstrated experience relating to impact investing, blended finance, and development finance, including in a multilateral or bilateral setting;
At least 5 years of demonstrated experience in facilitation and engagement strategies with a diverse mix of stakeholders;
Experience in advising innovative social financing and impact strategies.

Preferred experience:

Experience in an investment advisory or portfolio management capacity is an asset
Experience with standards and impact management processes is an asset
Experience in project management is an asset

Language skills:

Excellent skills in writing / communicating in English

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11/CV desk reviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

Criteria A (experience in impact investing and development finance) – max points: 20
Criteria B (Experience in an investment advisory or portfolio management capacity) – max points: 15
Criteria C (Experience with standards and impact management processes)– max points: 15
Criteria D (Experience in project management)– max points: 10
Criteria E (Methodology)– max points: 10
Criteria F (language skills) – max points: 5

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Application procedures

The application submission is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications.

Step 1: Interested candidates must include the following documents when submitting the applications (Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF attachment as the system only allows upload of one document):

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.
Brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work.
Filled P11 form or CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please mention past experience in at similar projects

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and requested to provide a financial offer.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling 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

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.