UNDP Jobs 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 a 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, funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa.

Job Description

Job Title: Technical Specialist (Financial Inclusion)

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 programme will use the lessons learnt 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 programme.
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 programme 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 programme 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 programme will be implemented in conjunction with SNV, using their model for youth entrepreneurs ‘Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) programme’, SNV’s most advanced multi-country programme thus far, which targeted 27,000 rural out of school youth in Tanzania, Rwanda and Mozambique. The programme 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:
Result 1 (R1): Local economies are stimulated and short-term job opportunities for youth, women and returnees are created through green and climate resilient investments.
Result 2 (R2): 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 (cash for work beneficiaries).
Result 3 (R3): 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 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 Ghana Programme team will include the following technical staff: National Technical Specialist (local government finance Expert), an International UNV Climate Change Expert, Technical Specialist (Financial Inclusion) P-3, National UNV Field Officers, Programme Associate, and a Driver, led by a Programme Management Specialist, P3 based in Accra, Ghana.
UNCDF is seeking to hire a Technical Specialist, P-3 (Financial Inclusion), who will be responsible for managing and implementing the financial inclusion component of the GREEN Programme. The Programme Specialist, P-3 will report to the Programme Management Specialist, P3 based in Accra, Ghana and the Youth Finance Portfolio Manager based in Dakar, Senegal. S/he will receive technical input from other FIPA global, regional and countries teams. The incumbent is expected to manage and supervise a team of consultants providing technical advisory services, in Ghana.
This new fixed-term staff role is based in Accra, Ghana.
Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of key functions: Under the supervision of the Programme Management Specialist, Ghana and overall guidance of YouthStart Programme Manager, the Technical Specialist (Financial Inclusion) will:
Ensure effective, efficient and accurate programme portfolio management for Component 3 (40%)
Provide targeted technical assistance to selected partners and other stakeholders to ensure they have the necessary support to develop, test and scale up financial services for women and youth (30%):
Generate, facilitate, and disseminate research and information sharing to ensure stakeholders are informed on current trends, best practices, market conditions, and special topics as needed (15%):
Provide support to UNCDF management on corporate initiatives and activities, focusing on achieving results (15%)
1) Ensure effective, efficient and accurate programme portfolio management Component 3 (40%):
In coordination with the GREEN Programme Management Specialist P3, organize annual strategy and budget for the Component 3
Organize quarterly plans and budget reviews
Develop and lead Requests for Applications to targeted partners in Ghana, work with the YS-E team to prepare initial scoring of applications (qualitative and quantitative), prepare recommendations for financing to the FIPA Investment Committee
Work with RFA applicants to refine, clarify applications as needed;
Draft project descriptions and performance-based agreements with disbursement conditions and targets and negotiate with applicants on final agreements;
Manage the FSP agreement executions and ensure disbursements are made on time if/when conditions are met;
Review quarterly and annual performance reports, analyze performance and work with YS-E team to ensure timely intervention to keep investments on track;
Assist the GREEN Programme Management Specialist to manage donor budget and ensure Component 3 targets are met or exceeded; prepare quarterly and annual donor reports
Outcome: The FIPA portfolio in Ghana is regularly monitored to achieve desired results; workplans and budgets are updated accordingly; and programme quality is maintained to the highest standards
2) Provide targeted technical assistance to selected partners and other stakeholders to ensure they have the necessary support to build successful financial and complementary non-financial services for youth and women, using digital as an accelerator when appropriate (30%):
Develop a cadre of consultants that can work with GREEN partners on particular issues related to digital financial services, remittances, crowdfunding, SME finance and other issues related to increase access to finance for youth
Develop work plans of consultants, ensuring clear performance targets are established
Provide on-going technical assistance to partners on the development and/or integration of innovative products, services and tools to strengthen financial capabilities of beneficiaries (including mobile applications)
Provide advice as needed to other stakeholders, including the Bank of Ghana, to build overall awareness and acceptance of services;
Assist partners in identifying opportunities with others, including recommending or fostering strategic, financial or technical partnerships.
Coordinate and closely monitor the activities of other Program partners in FD;
Challenge delivery models and strategies of some actors to increase the level of innovation and creativity in the country;
In partnership with country and regional colleagues, develop and maintain partnerships with relevant regional and national stakeholders including the central banks, telecommunication companies, financial service providers and donors;
Build effective and efficient partnerships at the operational level with major donor agencies to coordinate financial inclusion, including financial literacy, activities in country.
Outcome: UNCDF partners capacity is increased to ensure programme outcomes and sustainability overtime are achieved
3) Generate, facilitate, and disseminate research and information sharing to ensure stakeholders are informed on current trends, best practices, market conditions, and special topics as needed (15%):
Collaborate with key partners and stakeholders for research and development of innovative, cutting-edge strategies and approaches to sharpen delivery of services;
Identify learning, training, and knowledge sharing opportunities for partners and key stakeholders and provide scholarships for attendance
Conduct trainings on relevant technical areas aimed at building the capacity of key stakeholders in financial inclusion in Ghana;
Conduct learning events with UNCDF financial inclusion partners to foster lateral learning
Actively contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
Outcome: Programme implementation lessons are shared regularly with FIPA/UNCDF staff and relevant stakeholders.
4) Provide support to UNCDF management on corporate initiatives and activities, focusing on achieving results (15%):
In coordination with the GREEN Programme Management Specialist, P3, seek opportunities for coordinating and co-funding projects with other funders in Ghana, and other UN agencies, ensure the programme’s efforts complete those of other initiatives
Provide support to the YS-E programme Manager for inputs to corporate documents and proposals to donors for Ghana
Assist in implementation of mid-term and final evaluations of the programme;
Act as officer-in-charge of the programme in the absence of the GREEN Programme Management Specialist, P-3
Participate in annual FIPA Retreat and any other corporate/practice events, as needed.
Outcome: UNCDF programmatic agenda in Ghana is expanded and sustained overtime
IV. Impact of Results
The key result expected is the successful implementation and attainment of targets under Component 3 of the GREEN program linked with FIPA. The Technical Specialist, (Financial Inclusion) will pursue the following key results of the programme:
Sustainable, scalable, replicable FSPs providing access to affordable, demand-driven, appropriate, cost-effective financial services, especially savings and loans, to low income people in underserved areas – specifically women and youth in Ghana;
Well supported partners with access to the necessary technical knowledge and oversight to ensure the timely achievement of results;
Knowledge generated, including market research, and disseminated among providers, host country regulators and policy makers, donors and other stakeholders related to financial inclusion and digital, and efficiently managed, funded and evaluated grant programme.
Competencies

Core Competencies:
Innovation
Ability to make new and useful ideas work Level 4: Creates independently
Leadership
Ability to persuade others to follow Level 4: Creates excitement for work through demonstrated excellence
People Management
Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Level 4: Motivates excellence and engagement
Communication
Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Level 4: Advocates, able to change mind of self, peers and partners
Delivery
Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement Level 4: Makes new ideas work
Technical/Functional Competencies:

Subject Matter Expertise:
Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts related to digital innovation and financial inclusion.
Knowledge Management:
Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge.
Project Management:
Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Relationship Management:
Ability to engage and foster strategic partnerships with other parties, Inter-Agency Coordination and forge productive working relationships.
Results Based Programming:
Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work.