Background

UNCDF (UN Capital Development Fund) is the United Nations Capital Development for local development finance, inclusive finance and the promotion of Women and Youth empowerment in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) whose main objective is to facilitate access to public and private capital for the most underserved people. Its expertise enables it to develop «last mile» financial models in areas where infrastructures, access to basic services, financial and non-financial services are lacking to unlock public and private resources at the national level. The expected impact is to reduce poverty and encourage economic local development. UNCDF’s work is based on two approaches:

• Financial inclusion – New technologies and saving-based approach allowing individuals, households and small businesses to better participate in the local economic development by providing the tools and financial services they need to escape poverty and manage their financial situations;
• Localized Investments – Thanks to fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal financing and structural financing of projects –, which contribute to promote public and private financing to boost local economic growth and sustainable development.

Duties and Responsibilities

Context:

The intern will support the UNCDF Local Transformative Finance Practice in DRC and Burundi to implement the portfolio of projects to achieve goals in compliance with the UNCDF Strategic Framework. These projects aim at supporting the Public Finance Management, Tax administration, Local Development Fund and innovative SMEs finance in relevant value chains including agricultural value chain. The projects also lead to strength capacities of local governments and municipalities in rural areas.

The intern will contribute to achieve key LTF objectives including capacity building of local governments in tax administration, development of innovative financial mechanisms for investments public and private projects with high impact in local economic development.

More specifically, the intern will support UNCDF teams in the implementation and development of their programs by:

• Providing analytical support for conducting research on financing local development in the countries of operation.
• Drafting of concept notes, contributing to the development of project documents, technical reports, performance reviews and project annual workplans and reports.
• Participating/organizing Donor Working Group meetings and writing and sharing meeting minutes.
• Supporting Country resource mobilization efforts.
• Drafting Communication support.

Work Arrangements :

• The intern will be based in Kinshasa.
• The intern will work under the supervision of the UNCDF Regional Technical Advisor and the DRC team in Kinshasa.
• The position is open to candidates from all nationalities.
• Please note that internships are paid about USD 100 per month. UNCDF’s internal rules do not allow the organization to provide compensation for travel and living expenses.
• Please note that interns are not employees of UNCDF.
• The internship conditions are spelt out the internship terms and condition below.

Competencies

• Demonstrated interest in rural/local development issues in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Excellent writing, analytical and research skills;
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and the use of social media and other online tools in French and English;
• Ability to take initiatives and work independently and in teams;
• Excellent computer skills (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualification:

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 Management, Economics, Politics or another related field;
• 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 programme.

Language:

• Excellent knowledge of French and English (written and oral).

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.