Background

UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub (ASFH) supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular its financing challenges and seeks to foster interventions that will transform the financing systems to overcome the current economic, social, and environmental threats across Sub-Saharan Africa. The mandate of ASFH is to identify and harness sustainable development finance solutions for countries, governments, and the private sector to realise Africa’s development objectives.

As part of the global UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH), ASFH was established in 2019 and has been operating to support Sub-Saharan African countries through the implementation of various strategic interventions that seek solutions to assist governments and partners in addressing development financing gaps, and counter challenges threatening the achievement of sustainable development. In doing so, ASFH aims to strengthen the SDG financing ecosystems at regional and country levels to help unlock public and private capital to accelerate achievement of SDG targets and the AU Agenda 2063 across the African region. Accordingly, the ASFH engages different actors in the financing for sustainable development landscape and promotes an array of financial resources as guided by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), including innovative financing instruments such as carbon markets, to increase financing available to support the Africa region to recover from COVID-19 and build back better over the long-term.

Building on UNDP’s Strategic Plan and translating the global SFH Services to the region, ASFH focuses on addressing four main drivers of development change in Sub-Saharan Africa, within the development context and some of the opportunities described above. As captured in its current project document “Strengthening SDG financing ecosystem to unlock public and private capital to accelerate achievement of SDGs across African Region”, this includes 1) the implementation of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) that provide a framework for governments to formulate roadmaps and financing strategies and put in place related coordination and governance mechanisms to more effectively leverage public and private investments for financing national sustainable development priorities; 2) promoting the unlocking and alignment of investments, including portfolio investments that address private capital flows with SDG and climate priorities and helping organizations measure and manage their impact on people and planet; 3) creating the enabling environment and providing effective support through private sector development, engagement and financing  to strengthen business models and enhance access to finance for informal enterprises, SMEs, startups, green business and associated value chain development to boost their productivity, growth, resilience and transition to formalization and to contribute to the SDGs; and 4) enhancing carbon market access and energy financing, to address carbon emissions, as well as attract climate finance, including carbon finance. Furthermore, through the Inclusive Growth Programme, ASFH promotes sustainable finance policies and strategies that will promote growth that is inclusive and sustainable in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Regional Specialist, SDG Investment is a key resource to deliver market intelligence on SDG investment opportunities and work with regional and country teams to achieve deal flow and measure and manage the impact of organisations.

As part of a Africa Sustainable Fianance Hub (ASFH) and its INFF Team, the Regional Specialist focuses on regional and country opportunities across UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) with extended support to SFH’s private finance work across UNDP”s Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) that focus on climate, energy and environment.

Based on the SDG Investor Maps, which deliver investable solutions to pressing SDG needs and identify policy and regulatory barriers obstructing private sector participation in critical SDG opportunities, the Regional Specialist is responsible to 1) deliver market intelligence on SDG investment opportunities, 2) provide SDG advisory support to investors and funds, and 3) implement SDG Pipeline Builder initiatives across acountries and the region.

Deliver market intelligence on SDG investment opportunities:

• Situated within the INFF and other national priorities, support the strategic implementation guidance to country teams developing SDG Investor Maps, including UNDP Country Offices (COs) and key national counterparts, in line with the global methodology established by SFH.
• Assist in providing capacity building support to UNDP and external stakeholders on market intelligence development and SDG investment opportunities.
• Technically execute global quality assurance of SDG Investor Map data sets in support of country teams and as per the requirements of the global methodology.
• Guide and provide first-level quality control for SDG Investor Map complementary outputs in addition to IOAs, especially White Spaces, and guide on their utilization in national contexts.
• Support UNDP COs in the development of SDG Investor Map narrative reports as well as the preparation and delivery of launches and other communication efforts as well as partnership building initiatives.
• Lead on the tailoring and oversight of the SDG Investor Map methodology and its application in various UNDP priority contexts, including conflict and fragile areas such as Gaza.

Provide SDG advisory support to investors and funds:

• Support country level and regional operationalization activities of investor and fund engagements, such as Resilience Impact Fund for the Horn of Africa (RIFHA)
• Lead on the technical development of market assessments for investors and funds and ensure engagement with selected Country Offices.
• Manage team support and provide analytical oversight on sectoral analysis.
• Provide quality assurance on market assessments, collate and integrate feedback from CO’s fund manager and hubs.
• Capture lessons learned from SDG advisory support to investors and funds and identify cost recovery opportunities 

Facilitate SDG Pipeline Builders initiatives to facilitate SDG investment deals: 

• Support set up of new SDG Pipeline Builder activities and coordinate applications, especially for SDG Pipeline Builder for SMEs in Climate Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Lead on the day-to-day management of operationalizing the SDG Pipeline Builder across six countries by providing facilitation support to CO focal points.
• Provide back stopping and quality assurance on all outputs delivered by the investment intermediary firm.
• Maintain strong links and integration of SDG Investor Map outputs in selection of high-impact projects to achieve financial and impact outcomes.
• Support logistics, event management and ad hoc requests from ASFH and PISTA teams.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relevant to theassigned thematic areas

.• Identify capacity building needs and opportunities. Ensure appropriate training, projectworkshops and other relevant activities are organized and implemented in a consultativemanner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government,private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia.

• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities ofpractice on development and project related issues. Support establishment of knowledgeplatforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledgefrom the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with projectpartners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary forthe efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

 Institutional Arrangement

The Regional Specialist, SDG Investment will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Specialist, Private Finance / IRFF Regional Lead, Africa and under the overall guidance of the SDG Finance Policy Advisor, situated within the ASFH INFF team in Pretoria, South Africa.

S/he will collaborate closely with other ASFH and SFH colleagues, the regional and country teams of RBA and RBAS, as well as the UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD).

Cost of duty travel, as deemed necessary by UNDP while performing the outlined functions, shall be at UNDP’s expense and in accordance with the applicable UNDP travel policy.

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

Functional Competencies 

Business Direction and Strategy:- Negotiation and Influence-Reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations

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 Management:-Project Management-Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

2030 Agenda:- Partnerships SDG Finance                – SDG Investment Project Pipelines

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.

2030 Agenda:- Partnerships                 SDG Finance -SDG Impact Management and Finance Tracking

Business Development:-Knowledge Facilitation-Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Min. Education requirement 

• Advanced university degree (Master´s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Development Economics, Public Administration, or related field is required.; OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields of study, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience Details here

Min. years of relevant work experience 

• A minimum of five (5) years (with a master”s degree) or seven (7) years (with a bachelor”s degree) of of relevant international-level experience in development finance, impact investing, private sector partnerships, or related field is required.

Required skills 

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis and/or research experience related to development, policy, SDGs and/or finance is required.
• Experience in providing SDG finance and private sector development technical support and capacity building to staff and partners is required, especially for the development and utilisation of market intelligence.

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

• Experience in project management and stakeholder engagement is required.
• Experience working on SDG finance matters in the RBA and RBAS regions and / or similar contexts and familiarity with the local investment ecosystems is preferred.
• Experience implementing SDG Investor Maps and similar tools is preferred.
• Private sector/impact investing experience is an asset.
• Experience working with SDG financing projects and familiarity with UNDP’s SDG financing approach is an asset.

Required Language(s) 

• Fluency in written and oral English is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

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 similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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