Background

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 45 least developed countries (LDCs). 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. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF pursues innovative financing solutions through: (1) financial inclusion, which expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the local economy, while also providing differentiated products for women and men so they can climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; (2) local development finance, which shows how fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion, women’s economic empowerment, climate adaptation, and sustainable development; and (3) a least developed countries investment platform that deploys a tailored set of financial instruments to a growing pipeline of impactful projects in the “missing middle”.

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 with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

About UNCDF Inclusive Digital Practice (IDE) Area

The UNCDF strategy ‘Leaving no one behind in the digital era’ is based on over a decade of experience in digital financial inclusion in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. UNCDF leverages digital finance in support of the SDGs to achieve the vision of promoting digital economies that leave no one behind. The goal of UNCDF is to empower millions of people by 2024 to use services daily that leverage innovation and technology and contribute to the SDGs. To achieve this vision, UNCDF uses a market development approach and continuously seeks to address underlying market dysfunctions that exclude people living in the last mile.

UNCDF is looking for qualified interns to support its different activities related to the following functional areas in its Regional Office/Implementing countries located in Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, Fiji and other countries in the Asia Pacific region:

• Private sector engagement
• Data Management
• Partnership and Programme Expansion
• Monitoring & Evaluation and Operation
• Communications and Knowledge Management

The internship manager is committed to providing the intern with the training, guidance and support necessary to complete the below duties and responsibilities effectively and within the internship period. This will include, but not be limited to, scheduled meetings (weekly) to assess output progress, systems training (if required) and completion of required university reports for the purpose of meeting any necessary Degree requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

The key activities expected for Asia and Pacific interns are:

Private sector engagement

• Support the team in adhering with the recently introduced provisions for partnering with the private sector and various Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Support the team in conducting due diligence on private sector partners and putting together the package of documents required for solicitation and approval of the financing to private sector partners (checklist, request for applications/proposals, transaction memo, PPT etc).
• Support the team in managing the relation with the private sector partners through regular reporting, spot checks, field visits etc.
• Support the team in putting together comprehensive disbursement packages when the private sector partners achieve the agreed milestones.
• Other tasks as requested.

Data Management

• Data Management that includes working with team on analysing and arranging the data available and collecting missing data from the partners to ensure project results are properly collected and orderly stored.
• Transfer the data from excel to airtable for easy monitoring and complete any information gap that may be found.
• Update airtable sheets for different data categories (grant agreements, donor agreements, contracts etc) to ensure proper management of all the commitments for the projects.
• Curate other data collection repositories to ensure they are exhaustive and regularly updated.
• Other tasks as requested.

Partnership and Programme Expansion

• Undertake review of various intervention plans and leads including engaging in background research and stakeholder discussions to further develop these interventions into specific concepts or proposals that the project should implement in target countries.
• Support UNCDF staff to carry out a comprehensive donor mapping exercise and maintain UNCDF corporate pipeline up to date.
• Support in conducting background research on a country by country basis and in drafting concept notes, proposals, programme documents as requested.
• Support the teams in complying with the newly introduced guidelines for programming and the new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) introduced for resource mobilization.
• Other tasks as requested.

Monitoring & Evaluation and Operation

• Maintain the various countries and region Results Management Frameworks updated on a quarterly basis.
• Track the update of projects risk logs as well as other entries in the PPM module in Quantum (if access can be granted, otherwise track these aspects offline through excel files).
• Research regional and industry trends in financial inclusion and identify benchmarks that can be used by the Regional M&E teams and project managers.
• Support project’s day-to-day operation activities.
• Develop operation, monitoring and other tracking tools (for example for HR, grants, procurement and other key processes).
• Supporting the organization and coordination of workshops, conferences and inter-organization meetings.
• Provide assistance in procurement and recruitment efforts as well as logistical needs.
• Other tasks as requested.

Communications and Knowledge Management

• Pitching, writing, proofreading and editing thought leadership, human-impact and other stories and articles.
• Support the team in preparation of talking points and other collaterals (such as PPTs, banners, flyers etc) for events, workshops, webinar etc.
• Development of visual social media, web and print assets, supporting the preparation and dissemination of reports and other communications materials.
• Supporting the organization of various online/offline meetings/events when and as required.
• Other tasks as requested.

Competencies

• Demonstrable skills in research, analytical thinking, and communication;
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English;
• Proven ability to manage diverse and complex tasks, with tight deadlines;
• Able to take initiative and work independently, with minimum supervision;
• Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills with ability to work under pressure within an international setting;
• Interest in the UN system and general knowledge of development issues is a plus
• Self-starter; organized; able to multitask, balance multiple responsibilities, and work to deadline.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants to the UNCDF internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher) in food system management, economics, agro-economics or similar studies, bank and investments;
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
• Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
• Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Experience:

• Part or full-time work, paid or volunteer, in economics, policy related work, finance, inclusive finance, communications, knowledge management international development, sustainable development or related fields (for all Internships).
• Research and analytical capacity (for all Internships).
• Excellent computer, mobile apps, and digital tools operating capabilities (for all Internships).
• Must be able to work in a multicultural environment and be aware of political sensitivities (for all Internships).
• Exposure to pitching, writing, editing and proofreading various texts for diverse audiences for social media, web and print (for Communications and Knowledge Management Internship).
• Familiarity with social media platforms and graphic design and photo editing software applications – Canva, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop (for Communications and Knowledge Management role).
• Interest in internal knowledge management is an advantage (for Communications and Knowledge Management role).
• Proficiency or prior experience in MS Word, PowerPoint and/or Keynote (for Communications and Knowledge Management role).
• Experience in excel at a proficient level. Experience with other software such as airtable, STATA, Power-BI or other similar data management tools is an asset (for Data Management Internship).

Languages:

• Fluency in English required.
• For country office, fluency in local language is preferred.
• Knowledge of other UN languages will be considered a plus.

General Internships Terms & Conditions:

• UNCDF Internship programme is governed by the UNDP Internship Policy Framework and Rules.
• Under the new revised UNDP Internship Policy, UNCDF will provide a modest monthly internship stipend to its interns, in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship Policy. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the Intern or her/his sponsoring entity/institution. Stipends are available only for full-time and part-time internships at this time.
• Selected Interns must be able to share proof of education enrolment and/ or graduation, medical/ health and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out and be able to provide insurance documentary proof at the time of their selection;
• The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNCDF but to complement an Intern’s studies and learning growth
• There is no expectation of employment at the end of these internships.

Application Process:

• In your application, please state in one paragraph why you would like to be considered for the internship and your primary motivation to apply for this role;
• Please note that you will need to answer the mandatory questions on timeframe and availability (under Additional Questions section), which is a part of the internship application process, in addition to your cover letter;
• Please submit your Resume/CV and an application using the UNCDF Internship Application form: http://www.uncdf.org/download/file/127/2509/internshipdoc
• Applications should include the application form and latest resume. Applicants are welcome to submit any additional work samples or portfolios in one single file, preferably PDF;
• Please note that the UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents (CV/ Resume, Cover Letter etc. into a single file before uploading).
• Interested candidates can apply at any time indicating the timeframe of their availability in the internship form. However, only those candidates selected for interviews/ further assessment by hiring managers will be contacted.