Project Manager- Islamic Finance- IPSA 9 (Home Based)

Within the context of SDG Financing, UNDP has launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, which is a finance and innovation platform that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy. As part of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, development finance has a central role to play in delivering support to the UN member-countries, in leveraging new sources of capital, offsetting high debt burdens, and in innovating for long term solutions to challenges around climate change, disaster resilience, and fragile ecosystems. 

The Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD) is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Policy Center mandated to leverage the role of the private sector in development. The ICPSD was established in Istanbul, Türkiye on the basis of the Partnership Framework Agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the United Nations Development Programme in March 2011. The Center is one of the four global thematic centers of UNDP, advocating and facilitating the contribution of the private sector to human development and inclusive growth through the following thematic priority areas: 

• Private sector engagement through South-South cooperation for the SDGs
• Digital transformation and private sector engagement in skills development
• SDG Financing and Private Sector Development
• Resilience and crisis response

Furthermore, the Center supports the UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) by leading UNDP’s strategic offer to partner and work with the private sector. 

Under its impact investment thematic area, ICPSD and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) established the Global Islamic Finance and Impact Investing Platform (GIFIIP) in 2016 to position Islamic finance and impact investing as leading enablers of SDG implementation around the world. Bringing together the private sector, governments and key stakeholders operating in the Islamic finance and impact investing markets, the platform aims to promote market-based solutions to sustainable development challenges. It focuses on enabling the private sector, using Islamic finance in tandem with impact investing to achieve SDGs on a global scale.

 As part of GIFIIP and the broader Islamic finance portfolio, the Center designs and implements activities to support the Country Offices, partners and stakeholders from both public and private sector. The activities include, but not limited to, developing Islamic finance backed innovative financing mechanisms such as microfinancing, credit guarantee funds, Green Sukuk products, fintech as well as designing capacity building activities such as training programmes and awareness raising activities.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Center’s Deputy Director, the Project Manager will coordinate and support the activities and projects ongoing and planned under the Islamic finance portfolio of the Center including overall management and coordination of GIFIIP’s workplan and activities. The Project Manager will also provide substantive and administrative support in the design and implementation of knowledge management activities of ICPSD in the Islamic finance area, which includes research, toolkit and training development for initiatives of the center, cooperation, technical advisory and implementation assistance offered to other UNDP units, including Country Offices and Regional Bureaus. The Project Manager will promote the organization’s capacity as a reliable partner with national as well as international counterparts, ensure coordination of sectoral activities with broader country/regional/global programmes and advocate on behalf of organization’s goals.

For more information on ICPSD and GIFIIP activities, please visit https://www.iicpsd.undp.org/content/istanbul/en/home.html and http://www.gifiip.org/.

Under the guidance of and reporting directly to the UNDP ICPSD Deputy Director, the Project Manager will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following key functions:

1) Effective implementation and coordination of the GIFIIP workplan as well as Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) platform:

• Coordinate and follow up on the whole process of GIFIIP work plan (Green Sukuk Initiative, Digital Solutions for Financial Inclusion, Capacity Building on Islamic Finance and Impact Investing, GIFIIP Communication Strategy) and GIFIIP’s Three-Pillar Strategy (Conceptualization & Capacity Building, Advocacy & Inter-industry Collaboration, Deal Sourcing & Matchmaking).
• Coordinate strategic consultations and discussions with partners.
• Coordinate consultancy works and review and assess products/services provided by consultants and expert counterparts and notify/advise the Deputy Director on quality and recommend appropriate actions for results improvement.
• Draft terms of reference (TOR) for local short-term and long-term consultants and support the related recruitment and procurement processes as may be required.
• Coordinate the development of the content for second phase of MOOC including curriculums, presentations, multiple-choice exam questions and storylines for recording per module.
• Ensure maintenance and continuous development of the course content.

2) Coordinate formulation, management, and evaluation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing activities of ICPSD in the Islamic finance field:

• Conduct thorough analysis and research of the role of private sector in Islamic finance focusing on good practices and lessons learned that enhance inclusive growth.
• Coordinate preparation of high-quality policy and programme guidance materials for fields such as innovative Islamic financing mechanisms (green financing, climate financing, and social financing) and the Islamic finance ecosystem.
• Update ICPSD and GIFIIP websites and social media accounts on a regular basis with relevant material, highlighting key events and achievements.
• Analyze and synthesize proposals for support and interventions in area of Islamic finance.
• Conduct the necessary internal procedures related to editing, design, and clearance of documents and advocacy materials.
• Coordinate the preparation of annual, ad-hoc project reports, submission, presentation to contributors, and other relevant stakeholders, with a special view to capturing lessons learned and best practices for improving the performance of the Islamic finance portfolio.
• Coordinate the preparation of research products and provide technical assistance related to Green and other thematic Sukuk (i.e. Assessment Study for Green Sukuk, Green Sukuk Framework, Second Party Opinion (SPO) Report) 
• Coordinate the preparation of research products related to Islamic microfinance and financial inclusion (i.e. Assessment of the Microfinance Sector, Strategy / Product Development, Engaging Islamic Finance Modalities in Respective Credit Guarantee Fund) 
• Conduct and supervise capacity development activities and related training programmes (i.e. Green Sukuk Training, Islamic Finance and Impact Investing Training, Islamic Microfinance Training)
• Provide strategic guidance, technical inputs and quality assurance for the implementation of portfolio activities, including in the areas of , impact investing, Green Sukuk, Islamic microfinance and Islamic social finance led by Awqaf.

3) Support strategic partnerships and implementation of the outreach and resource mobilization strategy:

• Develop communication materials including press releases, speeches, briefs, and blogposts.
• Organize local / regional / global events to promote GIFIIP and its services.
• Organize and coordinate roundtable discussions, press conferences, briefing sessions, conferences, workshops, retreats, national and international events.
• Support design and formulation of ICPSD activities within the area of responsibility, translating ICPSD’s priorities into local and international interventions and partnerships.
• Apply conceptual models in support of partnership and intervention design.
• Analyze and research information on donors, draft substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identify opportunities for initiation of new projects.
•  Support and maintain partnerships with development partners, government institutions, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders to contribute to the achievement of the ICPSD’s objectives.
• Identify related ongoing activities within other institutions and encourage collaboration and synergies.
• Draft and follow-on project proposals as per the needs identified by UNDP/donor.
• Coordinate communication, advocacy, and outreach activities for smooth implementation in line with the respective guidelines of UNDP.
• Participate in relevant national/regional/global seminars, meetings of work groups and panels, and meetings in this thematic area.
• Establish and nurture partnerships with relevant institutions and organizations working in the areas of Islamic social finance, impact investing, Green Sukuk and Islamic microfinance. 

4) Support the provision of top-quality advisory services to the relevant stakeholders and facilitation of knowledge building and management:

• Provide inputs to preparation of the team results-oriented workplans.
• Manage the archive of briefings, meeting minutes and PPT presentations, update them regularly and guide team members as may be needed.
• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Serve as ICPSD focal point on Islamic Finance for UNDP Country Offices and relevant stakeholders.

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

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the ICPSD Deputy Director and in close collaboration with the other ICPSD and SFH team members. 

The Project Manager will directly supervise personnel working in ICPSD’s Islamic Finance Portfolio, and these personnel will report to the Project Manager.