Municipal Finance Specialist

Rabat

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Rabat
Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Banking and Finance
- Civil Society and Local governance
Closing Date: Closed

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Organizational context

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries. 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. UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; and by showing how localized investments—through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance—can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development. 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 and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to several different SDGs.

Achieving the SDGs requires localized approaches and transforming towns and cities into inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth centres. UNCDF combines investment with sector expertise across all aspects of subnational public and private finance to design and support financing mechanisms and funds that advance urban, green, and productive transitions.

In this context, UNCDF is supporting the Municipality of Chefchaouen regarding its public lighting modernisation project through technical assistance and financing. UNCDF has been engaging with the Municipality of Chefchaouen for the project appraisal and to date, the project has gone through UNCDF investment committees and secured approvals for a grant and a reimbursable financing covering part of the initial project’s required funding. The launch of public bids, promotor selection and works monitoring in progress, under the leadership of the Municipality of Chefchaouen and the Moroccan Ministry of Interior.

This mechanism is quite innovative as the municipality of Chefchaouen will be able to reimburse the grant thanks to the energy savings realized by the new equipment, less energy consuming.

The next steps are to use this pilot project in Chefchaouen to create a regional financial mechanism, able to pool a higher amount of funding and prioritize additional investments for public lighting renovation and other energy efficiency measures in Moroccan and other West African cities. Last, such scaling up should be used to trigger south- south cooperation and peer-effects in other African countries.

Project context

UNCDF worked on Financing of public lighting in Chefchaouen in Morocco. The aim of this project is to accelerate and complete the modernization of Chefchaouen’s public lighting system by the investments to bring electrical cabinets, lampposts, cables, etc. up to standard. By switching from sodium to low-energy LED, the investment is expected to approximately divide by two public lighting energy consumption in Chefchaouen. Such municipal investment could be replicated but requires donors to lower their minimal ticket size and allow municipal lending, which is not often the case.

Meanwhile, in Morocco, the regions play an important role in drawing up and monitoring sustainable development programs. This is why the Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region and UNCDF decided to team up to scale up the Chefchaouen experience at the regional level and help other towns in the region to benefit from similar energy efficiency investments. This model illustrates the possibility for local authorities to access repayable financing thanks to future energy savings. Such a model thus generates new opportunities for financing their development actions, while contributing to the achievement of energy efficiency objectives.

UNCDF and The Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima Region therefore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they identified the following activities to cooperate on, each institution acting in accordance with their own mandates, regulations, political rules and procedures:(i) Identifying new potential for energy optimization in street lighting in the region's towns and cities, (ii)Defining the energy efficiency targets to be achieved in this sector throughout the region, (iii) Evaluating the investments and maintenance improvements required to reach these targets, (iv) Defining standards for social and economic impacts, and (v) Designing a financial vehicle for regional use to finance these investments matching donors’ requirements.

Following the same dynamic, other Moroccan regions might join the initiative.

UNCDF is looking for a Municipal Finance Specialist to monitor and support the rigorous implementation of Chefchaouen’s public lighting renovation, to support in the implementation of the partnership with the municipality of The Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima Region, in the implementation of the regional financial mechanism dedicated to the public lighting project, to liaise with additional interested regions and countries, and to secure donors contributions to the regional financing mechanism.

Scope of Work

Under the direct responsibility of the UNCDF Senior Technical Advisor for West Africa and guidance from regional investment officers, the Municipal Finance Specialist will be responsible for the following results and major tasks:

-   Facilitating negotiations and exchanges with relevant Moroccan stakeholders at Government level (Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance, ONEE, etc.), local government network, FEC (Fonds d’Equipement Communal), etc.
-   Assisting the Municipality of Chefchaouen to complete the publication of the public tender for the civil works, to select the best offers, to monitor the works and reach the targeted energy savings. Following up on the necessary authorizations and approvals at the level of the Municipality of Chefchaouen and the Government for the implementation of the project.
-   Leading UNCDF’s ground efforts in the replication of the initiative to Moroccan regions and cities, along with supporting similar opportunities in other and African regions and cities, with a priority focus on Northern Africa, Western Africa and Central Africa.
-   Implementing the MoU between the Region of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima and UNCDF, to concretize a scaling up of a regional public lighting financial mechanism. As such, this will include supporting the Region of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima in realizing a project roadmap, classifying potential other cities that could benefit from the initiative, gathering or producing the necessary technical diagnosis and feasibility studies, Supporting the creation of the regional financial mechanism.
-   Facilitating with stakeholders, including but not limited to Municipality of Chefchaouen, the Ministry and the local governments associations are properly conducted and successful. Implementing by including the finalization of a regional financial mechanism agreed by Moroccan authorities (central, regional and local) and supporting donors to validate the MoU between UNCDF and the Region of Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima.
-   Implementing the tenders and works on schedule and doing an evaluation on the energy gains indeed allowed by the investment.
-   Mobilizing resources on behalf of UNCDF for the scaling up and replication of the initiative. Contributing to access additional resources to implement new activities in Morocco and more globally in West Africa, with a primary focus on energy efficiency programs but not limited to it.

Institutional Arrangement

The Municipal Finance Specialist will be directly supervised by the UNCDF Senior Technical Advisor for West Africa, with guidance from regional investment officers.

The consultant will be required to interact directly with the following stakeholders in the performance of his duties, although other contacts will also be favoured at the discretion of the consultant to increase the mission’ success:

The Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region
Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, and in particular the General Directorate of Territorial Collectivities (DGCL)
Moroccan Ministry of Finance
Other interested Moroccan regions and municipalities
Moroccan FEC
Moroccan and Morocco-based Local Government Networks and Associations (ARM, CGLU-A)
Donors (Multi-lateral banks, Development agencies, Philanthropies) interested in financing energy efficiency measures in Morocco.

The Municipal Finance Specialist will have at his disposal the following documents concerning the project:

Introduction Sheet about Chefchaouen transaction
Impact documents about Chefchaouen transaction
Chefchaouen Financial model
A technical study carried out by a firm of experts on Chefchaouen energy savings potential.
Concept Note on the potential for a regional financial mechanism on public lighting in Morocco.
MoU between UNCDF and the Region of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima

Core Competencies

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 & Strategy	Strategic Thinking	-Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP‘s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions -Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP
Business Direction & Strategy	Effective Decision Making	-Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one‘s authority, area of expertise and resources
Business Development	Knowledge Generation	-Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
Business Management	Portfolio Management	-Ability to select, prioritise and control the organisation‘s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity -Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising return on investment
Finance	Financial planning and budgeting	-Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP's long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analysing and reporting
Finance	Financial reporting and analysis	-Understands changes in regulatory, legal and ethical frameworks and standards for financial reporting in the public sector. Ability to extract, evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful and coherent manner to facilitate effective decision making and performance monitoring. Understands the benefits of integrated reporting, including non- financial resources such as human, social and intellectual capital, and environmental and governance performance
Finance	Financial risk management	-Ensures financial resilience through proactive assessment of risk, implementation of controls and taking mitigating action. Understands risk and reward in relation to collaborative and commercial projects. Ensures a culture of positive risk management"

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA

Min. Academic Education	-A master’s degree in economics, ideally with a major in public policy, economics of local planning and development, urban development, geography economics, sustainable economics or fiscal studies, OR -A Bachelor’s degree in the related fields with additional 2 years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree.
Min. years of relevant Work experience	A minimum of 5 years with Master’s degree or seven (7) years with Bachelor’s degree of relevant professional experience required in the sector of local government management and local development financing, more specifically in: Administration or Regulation of local authorities in Morocco. Legal, technical and financial advisory to local authorities in Morocco.
Required skills and competencies	Proficient knowledge in public works management, municipal infrastructure, and equipment.
Desired additional skills and competencies	The candidate will be required to demonstrate an ability to: Profound understanding of the regulatory framework, mechanisms, and key stakeholders involved in Municipal finance and fiscal transfers in Morocco. Additionally, demonstrated expertise in the political economy of local development in Morocco is required. Engage with multiple stakeholders, including communal actors, project sponsors, multilateral organizations and government partners as can be shown by previous or current experience. Implement complex project with a high degree of autonomy, showing high level of professionalism, can-do attitude, and integrity. Proficient in networking methods, establishing partnerships with local public and private stakeholders in each area, coupled with strong negotiation skills. Capability to enhance territorial cohesion, transparency, and attractiveness by fostering the active participation and commitment of all local stakeholders. Strong knowledge about different financial mechanisms. Proficient experience in Northern Africa. Additional expertise in Western and Central Africa would be advantageous. Demonstrated proficiency in computers and standard Office software, coupled with strong analytical and writing skills.
Required Language(s) (at working level)	Fluency in French and Arabic is required (Drafting, interpretating and presenting to senior audience technical, financial, or legal documents). Additional ease in English would be an advantage.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: 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.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

This vacancy is now closed.
However, we have found similar vacancies for you: