ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is a multilateral donor agency under the administration of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It promotes a sector-based approach to financial inclusion and is both a facilitator and an investor in the industry. UNCDF offers a unique combination of investment capital, capacity building, and technical advisory services to promote microfinance and local development in the least developed countries (LDCs). It is channeled primarily to poor rural areas in the LDCs where poverty reduction, capacity, and governance challenges are typically the greatest.
Background: The Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) is a joint program of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). PFIP receives funding support from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the European Union (EU), and the New Zealand Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The purpose of the PFIP is to increase access to sustainable, appropriate, and affordable financial services by low-income and rural people in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). PFIP does this by providing technical advice and assistance to public and private stakeholders and by making performance-based grants to financial service providers. The primary countries of focus of the PFIP are Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands (SOI), Tonga and Vanuatu.
ABOUT THE JOB:
UNCDF is seeking a Technical Specialist - Financial Inclusion. S/he will be responsible for contributing to knowledge management and sharing of experiences to promote the best practices in financial inclusion and assist in regional activities of the PFIP, including travel to the UNDP Pacific Centre in Fiji and other Pacific Island countries.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
Donor coordination and partnership management support and events planning entailing regular contact with partners through electronic and personal contact and resulting in well executed workshops, conferences, and other learning:
Provide assistance where required to the above-mentioned partners and their consultants operating within the country. Document and share experience on partnership interactions as input into corporate business intelligence;
Work closely with the UN resident coordinator in strengthening and integrating financial inclusion outcomes in national programming.
Participate in the identification, development, and oversight of a diverse mix of strong projects that support PFIP outcomes:
Work with donors and stakeholders, develop a pipeline of potential projects that help PFIP achieve its outcomes. Projects will be related to branchless banking, mobile phone banking, inclusive insurance, remittances, and potentially other areas;
Work with shortlisted partners to develop strong financial inclusion projects that reach low income and rural households, including a high percentage of women and youth.
Monitor progress of projects and initiatives – ensure that projects are running on time and smoothly, problems are identified early and remedial steps proposed:
With the PFIP team, manage a reporting schedule for partners and monitor the receipt and quality of reports. Provide analysis and feedback to partners;
Undertake regular contact with partners to monitor the implementation of projects supported by grants from PFIP;
Assist partners in fulfilling reporting requirements, including to the Mix Market.
Manage financial inclusion research. Knowledge generation and knowledge sharing. PFIP and stakeholders are informed on current trends, market conditions, and special topics as needed:
Carry out or oversee research and studies, independently or as a counterpart to consultant(s) hired by PFIP, on various issues relating to financial inclusion in PNG. These may include financial services sector assessments, financial competency surveys, studies of branchless banking and mobile phone banking, agent networks, government to people payments, client preferences and uptake of financial services, microinsurance supply, and demand studies;
Provide support in organizing in-country events to disseminate knowledge and results of research, including venue and support services identification, lists invitees, and invitation process.
Provide support to PFIP management on corporate initiatives and activities:
With the concurrence of organization and the UN resident coordinator, to represent UNCDF on the UN country team in the promotion of a one UN agenda;
Generate and manage donor reporting on PFIP program activities in PNG.
Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Economics, Public/Business Administration, Social Sciences, or related discipline;
Minimum 5 years of experience in progressively more responsible positions in the banking, finance or development field, including in financial inclusion;
Experience working in or with MFIs, or financial inclusion support projects;
Ability to develop project documents, corresponding budgets, and monitoring and evaluation plans;
Experience in monitoring development projects with financial component, conducting basic financial analysis, establishing and monitoring performance-based indicators, and investigating impact;
Working knowledge of current developments in inclusive finance, including one or more of the following: branchless banking, microinsurance, social performance, financial literacy;
Working experience and knowledge of socio-economic issues, which results in the exclusion of various groups, in particular women, from the financial sector and ability to generate strategies to address those issues;
Working knowledge of international donor organizations and development partners and preferably experience in preparing proposals for funding;
Demonstrated broad knowledge of development issues, especially in the areas of poverty alleviation and local development;
Excellent analytical skills with proven ability to manage projects;
Strong IT skills, including ability to work regularly with MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint;
Experience in the Pacific is preferred.
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply Online
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