Posted on :
26 Mar, 2020
26 Mar, 2020
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 is bringing its expertise in promoting a green and climate-resilient local communities and economies for returnees, youth and women to support job creation in regions of departure, transit and return in Ghana, creating local ecosystems that facilitate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and enabling the transition of local economies to green and climate-resilient development under the “Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana” program to be funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa.
Job Description
Job Title: Programme Assistant
This program will contribute to addressing the root causes of irregular migration through green and climate-resilient local economic development and improving future prospects of beneficiaries, by creating employment and enterprise opportunities in selected sectors and regions (Ashanti and Western). The action aims at supporting job creation in regions of departure, transit, and return of Ghana, creating local financial ecosystems that facilitate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and enabling the transition of local economies to green and climate-resilient development.
The program will use the lessons learned from UNCDF experiences in (i) Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRGs) which support investments for green and resilient local economies as well as (ii) Youth finance which introduces best practices to advance financial inclusion.
The PBCRG provides a country-based mechanism to increase awareness and response to climate change at the local level, integrate climate change adaptation into local governments’ planning and budgeting systems in a participatory and gender-sensitive manner, and increase the amount of finance available to local governments for climate change adaptation. The PBCRG is currently being implemented in the 14 countries around the world called, the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL). This mechanism combines PBCRGs with technical and capacity-building support. It uses a demonstration effect to trigger further flows for local adaptation, including national fiscal transfers and global climate finance for local authorities, through their central governments. Since its global scale-up in 2014, LoCAL has engaged 99 local governments in 13 countries, representing over 6 million people. Between 2014 and 2017, it delivered close to USD 14.5 million, with grants and technical assistance to countries totaling USD 9.8 million. During the same period, 507 climate change adaptation interventions were finalized across 11 countries using grants, with another 68 under implementation or being planned. With the use of the PBCRG approach, UNCDF will support the implementation of Result 1 “Local economies are stimulated and short-term job opportunities for youth, women, and returnees are created through green and climate-resilient investments” under the program.
UNCDF has also developed great expertise in youth finance by bringing access to financial services to nearly 1,000,000 youth in 8 different countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Financial Services Providers (FSPs) participating in the program mobilized USD 23M in savings and granted USD 66M in loans to 330,700 young entrepreneurs. UNCDF has also worked in Ghana by supporting FSPs to expand access to savings, and particularly, to link informal savings groups to banks and other formal financial institutions. Simultaneously, UNCDF has expanded its support across countries to develop digital financial services for smallholder farmers, women, families with children, pensioners, and micro, small and medium enterprises. These efforts have led to creative approaches to the development of human-centric services and have fostered an innovation ecosystem around financial services. This UNCDF program approach will be utilized in implementing Results 3 “Increased access and usage of financial services, leveraging remittances and digital solutions, adapted to the needs of (i) youth, women and returnees benefiting from cash for work schemes and (ii) local communities and MSMEs”.
The program will be implemented in conjunction with SNV, using their model for youth entrepreneurs ‘Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) program’, SNV’s most advanced multi-country program thus far, which targeted 27,000 rural out of school youth in Tanzania, Rwanda and Mozambique. The program has been implemented in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors. Currently, OYE has become a global SNV product and new OYE projects have started in other countries, such as Mali and Niger, both funded by EUTF.
SNV will support Result 2 “Employability of youth, women and returnees are improved through orientation support and assistance, to transition to skills development, for the benefit of green and climate-resilient local economies” and Results 4 “SMEs, offering decent and sustainable jobs to youth, women, and returnees, are incubated and/or accelerated and contribute to green and climate-resilient local economies” whilst working closely with the two other result areas.
The main results under the UNCDF-EUTF agreement are the following:
The Programme team located in Accra will be responsible for the daily management of the project including overall gender-sensitive monitoring of project implementation and substantive and financial reporting, working in close coordination with the LoCAL and Youth Finance Programme Managers, based in Brussels, Belgium and Dakar, Senegal respectively and their respective teams of technical experts. The program team will include the following technical staff: National Technical Specialist (local government finance Expert), an International UNV Climate Change Expert, Financial Inclusion Expert, National UNV Field Officers, Finance and Administrative Assistant and a Driver.
The Programme Assistant will work in close collaboration with Ghana’s Programme Management Specialist, P3 (supervisor), other Programme team colleagues, operations and programs in the UNCDF Dakar Regional Headquarters, New York headquarters, UNDP Ghana and any other UN agency as needed.
This position will be based in Accra, Ghana.
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of key functions:
The key results have an impact on the overall performance of the Programme and will contribute to the success in the implementation of the program strategies. The team will be well-functioning receiving adequate support from other UN units, which maintains a high level of service and professionalism with its partners, contractors, vendors and other stakeholders.
Competencies
Core CompetenciesInnovation
Analyzes and recommends
Leadership
Takes initiative
People Management
Seeks opportunities to learn and share
Communication
Listens, eager to develop a professional voice, shares information
Delivery
Completes work under established methods
Technical/Functional
Project Management
Knowledge Sharing & Management
Managing Complexity & Teams
Client Orientation
Performs defined tasks efficiently and deepens knowledge of the area of work
Required Skills and Experience
Education: Secondary Education, preferably with specialized certification in Management, Accounting or Finance. University Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences and Social Sciences would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.
Work Experience:
Five (5) years progressively responsible administrative experience is required at the national or international level or;
Language Requirements:
Excellent speaking and proficient writing skills in English are necessary.
Working knowledge of French and local language is considered an asset.
Disclaimer
Important applicant information
All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP 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 at the same grade level and with the similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Closing Date : 31 March, 2020