Job Identification : 12761

Locations : New York, United States

Posting Date : 08/01/2023, 03:54 PM

Apply Before : 08/23/2023, 03:59 AM

Job Schedule : Full time

Agency : UNCDF

Vacancy Type : International Personnel Service Agreement

Practice Area : Management

Contract Duration : 1 Year with Possibility for extension

Education & Work Experience : Master’s Degree – 2 year(s) experience OR Bachelor’s Degree – 4 year(s) experience

Required Languages : Full working proficiency in English is required

Desired Languages : Working proficiency in French will be considered a distinct advantage

Vacancy Timeline

3 Weeks

Job Description

I. Background, Office/Unit/Project Description

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP/UNCDF: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP/UNCDF including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP/UNCDF 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.

Founded by a General Assembly resolution in 1966, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries (LDCs). With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers financial solutions that try to mobilize public and private resources, both internationally and domestically, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.

UNCDF uses a combination of grant, reimbursable grant, loans, guarantees and technical assistance to support early stage businesses, SMEs, projects, microfinance institutions and municipal investments. UNCDF’s investment activity is structured around on-balance-sheet catalytic investments and off-balance-sheet third party managed funds, for which UNCDF sources pipeline aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily in LDCs. In response to the need to deploy different kind of risk tolerant capital, a blended finance impact fund was launched by Bamboo Capital Partners, as the result of a joint initiative between UNCDF and this private asset manager. The fund, called BUILD, is able to provide finance to an additional set of potential investees coming from UNCDF and the wider UN system. The BUILD Fund is complemented by a sidecar technical assistance (TA) vehicle, the BUILDER TA Facility which is specialized in providing pre or post investment business advisory services. Such advisory support is fundamental to de-risk financial transactions, both for UNCDF and potential co- or follow-on investors, and to maximize the developmental impact of the investment.

UNCDF’s LDC Investment Platform (LDCIP) serves as UNCDF’s center of excellence on innovative development finance by creating the conditions for investment viability in financially underserved areas, in the LDCs. The aim of the LDCIP is to be part of a system that (a) demonstrates to domestic and international investors that LDC markets can and do generate returns, provide opportunities for successful investment, and merit the attention of a wider range of investors and that (b) uses those demonstration effects to support policy and regulatory improvements which will help the scale up of investment activities.

The LDCIP team in New York now consists of thirteen people among which a team member managing the Technical Assistance activities. The LDCIP team is lead by a Director assisted by a Deputy Director. LDCIP has also established a country-based network of six investment specialists in Africa

II. Scope of Work

The TAF Analyst role is based in New York and will support the work of the TA Facility Manager. The TAF Analyst will contribute to the development of the UNCDF’s technical assistance transactions deployment and advocate for its achievements namely with regards to SDG and impact, with a specific focus on supporting the operationalization of UNCDF’s Theory of Change, supporting TA as strategically aligned to UNCDF’s 2022-2025 Strategic Framework and impact narrative. The TAF Analyst will contribute to move TA transactions along the TA process cycle as well as playing a key role in the management of the TA pipeline using the available corporate IT tools. The main functions could be summarized as:

Summary of key functions:

1. Management and development of SDG and impact related TA activities.

2. TA pipeline and TA portfolio monitoring.

3. Advocacy, reporting and knowledge management.

Detailed Description of Job Roles and Responsibilities:

i. Management and development of SDG and Impact related TA activities

•  Contribute to launching and scaling impact-related activities at the TA portfolio level, as they pertain to improving UNCDF’s impact narrative.
•  Support the due diligence and business need diagnostics of the potential TA recipients/investees.
•  Support in collecting, analyzing SDG and impact data, and compiling impact reports at individual TA recipient level and at a consolidated TA portfolio level, in order to measure the results/impact of the TA initiative. This might require working with external stakeholders.
•  Support TA Facility’s beneficiaries in the preparation of KPIs and monitoring reports.

ii. TA pipeline and TA portfolio monitoring

•  Support the deployment of the pre-investment and post investment TA packages
•  Support in TA pipeline and TA portfolio monitoring along the TA cycle:

Support in performing TA needs analysis with a focus on ESG and impact areas;

Support in carrying out the procurement process/recruitment of consultants;

Support in TA package monitoring and TA package closing (quality controls, communication flow

with consultants and TA beneficiaries, etc.);

Contributing to the drafting of TA contractual documentation for TA packages (TA term sheets,

contracts with TA recipients, contracts with TA consultants or consulting firms).

•  Support in updating the TA Project database periodically.
•  Support in problem resolution with the rosters of individual consultants and consulting companies.

iii. Advocacy, reporting and knowledge management

•  Support in collecting, analyzing SDG and impact data, and compiling impact reports at individual TA recipient level and at a consolidated TA portfolio level, in order to measure the results/impact of the TA initiative.
•  Support in preparing periodic performance reports for the entire TA portfolio.
•  Create and maintain a knowledge base management for TA projects and SDG/impact management activities with multiple formats of learning including (but not limited to) solution articles or FAQs, white papers, “wiki-TA”, tutorials, videos/photos, troubleshooting guide, etc.
•  Support in organizing convenings, events, advocacy, communication, planning, and analysis related to impact related activities and TA projects.

III. Institutional Arrangement

The TAF Analyst will be directly reporting to the TA Facility Manager of the LDCIP Unit in New York.

IV. Competencies

Core

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area Name Definition

Business management – Project Management

•  Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Business Management – Monitoring

•  Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Business Direction & Strategy – System Thinking

•  Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Procurement – Data Analysis

•  Ability to extract, analyse and visualize procurement data to form meaningful insights and aid effective business decision making.

Digital & Innovation – Design thinking

•  Solving problems by putting people at the centre, visualising ideas and making them tangible in order to improve them through and iterative process of developing and testing. Strong empathy skills, being able to put yourself “in someone else’s shoes”, understand needs, abilities, preferences, motivations, (everyday) experiences from different perspectives as well as their cultural, social, economical and political contexts. Ability to identify and challenge assumptions, (cognitive and social) biases and dominant mental models by generating new perspectives and frames that help redefine the problem, solution and opportunity space. Being able to work with incomplete information, ambiguity and opposing views, needs and constraints and synthesize them into solutions that are viable, technically feasible and useful.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – SDG Integration

•  SDG Monitoring and Reporting.
•  Responsive investment and impact measurement

Finance – Contributions management

•  Ability to receive, record, report and manage contributions received.

V. Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

Minimum Education requirements

•  An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Development Studies, Economics, Finance, or Business Administration.
•  A first university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in related fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience will be considered, in lieu of a master’s degree.

Minimum years of relevant work experience

•  A minimum of 2 years with Master´s degree and 4 years with Bachelor´s degree of relevant work experience in either the blended finance/inclusive finance industry or the private sector or a mix, preferably with an impact investor, a consulting/business advisory company; and/or small business management expertise, or providing business advisory services to private sector entities/small businesses
•  At least 2 years working knowledge of ESG and impact related topics and project implementation/management is highly desirable: i.e., familiarity and ability to analyze and understand how to improve small business enterprise impact narratives and/or donors’ requirements as per impact reporting standards and best practices

Required skills

•  Communication and relationship management (Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform): Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis.
•  Report Writing: Ability to prepare quality reports.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

Further, the interested applicants should be able to demonstrate:

•  Active interest in impact investing in emerging/frontier markets and understanding of emerging market environments, opportunities and barriers to investing
•  Strong knowledge of capacity building mechanisms and funding, and financing for sustainable development, with ability to apply them to strategic and/or practical situations.
•  Familiarity with analyzing small businesses’ financial statements, analyzing institutional needs and translating them into actionable work plans.
•  Minimum 1 year working experience in drafting terms of reference, performing monitoring and evaluations, report writing, knowledge management activities and data measurement, analysis and visualization experience are considered as an asset.
•  Ability to work in a multicultural environment, with a willingness to travel
•  Computer literacy (Office Suite), including proficient use of MS Project. Use of research and applied software is an added advantage.

Required Language(s)

•  Full working proficiency in English is required;
•  Working proficiency in French will be considered a distinct advantage.

Professional Certificates

•  Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent with minimum 1 year project management practical experience is an asset.

VI. The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

a) Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

b) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

c) Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP/UNCDF, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP/UNCDF advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP/UNCDF is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP/UNCDF rosters

Note: UNDP/UNCDF reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP/UNCDF at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP/UNCDF has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP/UNCDF is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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