Office/Unit/Project Description 

The UN Capital Development Fund assists developing countries in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans and guarantees, first and foremost for the least developed among the developing countries.  As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact where the needs are greatest—a capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate—to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.

UNCDF builds partnerships with other UN organisations, as well as private and public sector actors, to achieve greater impact in development; specifically, by unlocking additional resources and strengthening financing mechanisms and systems contributing to transformation pathways, focusing on such development themes as green economy, digitalization, urbanisation, inclusive economies, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

UNCDF is seeking Innovative Finance Specialist to enhance the capacity of its innovative design function in order to scale-up resource mobilisation, pipeline building, and portfolio synergies at the Trust Fund level. To support its roles in the hosting and development of trust funds (including support to UNITLIFE, NIF and CAFI), UNCDF is seeking the Innovative Finance Specialist to work closely with the Global Trust Funds team located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Scope of work

Strategic Initiatives to scale UNCDF’s Contribution to SDGs through its Trust Funds Portfolio
•     Develop strategic vision to unlock private capital and scale UNCDF Trust Funds operations by exploring new partnerships, models and tools.
•     Provide Program management and analytical support for cross-cutting strategy Program and initiatives to supercharge and scale UNCDF’s Trust Funds contribution to SDGs through financial instruments, mechanisms, and advisory.
•     Identify opportunities and efficient models to support market development enabled by access to finance in high-risk environments for impactful investments, with a focus on UNCDF Trust Fund perimeter.
•     Lead the development of materials to drive Program execution (analyses, project plans, meeting materials, strategic narratives, theories of change/action, decision roadmaps, results frameworks, etc.).
•     Facilitate discussions with internal teams, external experts, and global development partners to design and architect development strategies, including complex multi-partite Trust Funds.
•     Develop and apply methodologies related to project finance, financial modeling, policy environment, and private-public partnership arrangements.
Innovative Financing for UNCDF Trust Funds portfolio
•     Identify innovative investment opportunities with sustainable development impacts and design projects to leverage private capital for sustainable development.
•     Lead resource mobilization efforts with donors on thematic focused proposals / for specific projects, in coordination with UNCDF Trust Funds team.
•     Design and structure flagship partnerships and Trust Funds leveraging innovative and blended finance mechanisms and UNCDF unique capabilities and instruments
•     Work with Development partners and Development Finance Institutions to align investment pipelines and build synergies on a shared understanding of impact.
•     Source, negotiate, and secure private sector partners using innovative financing mechanisms and technologies.
•     Act as officer in charge of the UNITLIFE multi-partner Trust Fund, ensuring synergies with UNCDF capabilities.
Collaboration with LDC Governments on Innovative Financing offer of UNCDF Trust Funds Portfolio (CAFI, NIF, Unitlife)
•     Collaborate with LDC Governments, primarily in central Africa, in liaison with UNCDF regional / country offices, to deliver adapted and scalable blended finance solutions to pave way for commercial finance in the framework of UNCDF CAFI and Nature Investment Facility portfolio.
•     Design and build capacity in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and in articulation with innovative digital financing instruments/services to unlock private finance (financial markets, carbon markets…) and scale domestic resource mobilization.
•     Provide strategic and operational advice to government institutions on public finance policies and practices, including on Debt management and restructuring scenario.
•     Assist in project financing structures, financial analysis, and projection models to meet LDC Governments clients’ needs with speed and agility.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
4. Institutional Arrangement
The Innovative Finance Specialist will report to the Director of UNCDF Nature Assets Team supervising a portfolio of UNCDF Trust Funds based in Geneva.
The incumbent might be required to travel on official business for more than 1/3.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility:  LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination:  LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:  LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:  LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Thematic Area    Name    Definition

Business Direction and 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

Business Development    Knowledge Facilitation

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.

Business Management – Customer Satisfaction/Client Management

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and /or solutions to fulfill and understand the real customers’ needs Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests Ability to anticipate clients’ upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Management – Risk Management  

• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.

Business Management – Communication 

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
  Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

UN System Affairs: Intergovernmental affairs

•  Knowledge of intergovernmental bodies, including respective mandates, ways of working, and negotiation processes.

Partnership management – Relationship management

• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

Minimum Education requirements

• Advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Business Management or related field is required, or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Minimum years of relevant work experience

• Minimum seven years (with Master´s degree) or nine years (with Bachelor´s degree) of experience in providing strategic advice to support effective decision making in strategy & business consulting is required.

Required skills   

• Experience providing policy and/or program advice as well as interagency coordination support in the international organizations is required.

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

• Experience working on innovative and blended finance mechanism is desired
• Experience working on UN Trust Fund is desired.
• Professional experience engaging with multiple stakeholders and various UN workstreams/entities in UN Programs is desired.
• Professional experience within governmental domains of development coordination enhancing coherence and supporting successful program implementation, particularly for sustainable development outcomes.

Required Language(s) 

• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Knowledge of another UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) is desirable.

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.