Advisor, Municipal Finance/ Municipal Finance Programme Manager

New York City

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: New York City
Grade: Senior level - P-5, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Development Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals
- Administrative support
- Banking and Finance
- Poverty Reduction
- Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction
- Project and Programme Management
Closing Date: Closed

Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs). 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. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: savings-led 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. UNCDF financing models are applied in thematic areas where addressing barriers to finance at the local level can have a transformational effect for poor and excluded people and communities.

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 with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

Over half of the population in the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs) live on less than $1.25 per day and billions of people still do not have the services and employment necessary for the enjoyment of a decent quality of life. Yet many LDCs have made significant progress in economic development as measured by national statistics and indicators. The Local Development Finance team at UNCDF addresses three problems that prevent the benefits of growth from reaching all sections of the population and all parts of the territory:

Fiscal resources and domestic capital markets are not investing in local governments and local economies in a way that promotes sustainable and equitable growth, which is holding back structural transformation and economic resilience;
Local governments and local economies are not able to attract development finance and therefore the benefits of growth are bypassing many populations;
Finance is not available for local catalytic infrastructure projects with high impact in critical themes such as women’s economic empowerment, climate change, clean energy and food security.

UNCDF’s Local Development Finance Practice is a centre of excellence and innovative fund for local government finance and local economic development finance in the world’s 47 LDCs. As part of UNCDF’s development goals, the Local Development Finance Practice promotes and supports transformative investment through local governments and domestic banks in LDCs by piloting and scaling up innovative financing mechanisms and policies in the public and private sectors. The vision is a world in which LDCs will have robust policy environment, strong institutional capacity and effective financing vehicles that contribute to diverse, inclusive and resilient local economies and societies by 2030. Graduation from LDC status to middle income country status will benefit all sections of the population.

Local Development Finance at UNCDF adopts a transformative impact financing approach to promote service delivery, infrastructure investment and local economic development that retains value within the local territory. This builds local fiscal space and local fixed capital formation. Working with local governments, domestic banks and local businesses, we design, pilot and test out financing mechanisms and business models in both public and private sectors that support locally designed public investments and revenue generating capital investment projects. The investment financing toolboxes include Fiscal Decentralization, Local Development Funds for public capital investment programming, Structured Project Finance, Municipal Finance, SME Finance, and Public-Private Partnerships.

During the past two decades, this work has delivered measurable impact in areas such as job creation, women’s economic empowerment, clean energy, resilience to climate change and strengthened food security, which contributes to local economic growth, peacebuilding and more importantly, improvement in people’s quality of life at the grassroots level. For example, it brings Green Climate Fund resources to LDC local governments; it supports private investment that reduces land degradation and boosts food security; and it supports peacebuilding by strengthening the relationship between the citizens and the state at the local level through responsive local government investments.

The partners of UNCDF’s work in Local Development Finance include: Local governments and national governments; Financing agencies (the World Bank, domestic commercial banks and investment institutions); International partners (UCLG, ICLEI, CLGF, FMDV, Cities Alliance, The Hague Academy for Local Governance, IIED, KEI, WRI, DeLoG, OECD; UN partners (UNDP, UNDESA, UN-Habitat, FAO); Development partners : Sida, BTC, EU, SDC, DfID, Luxembourg, Liechenstein and others.

Post context

The Municipal Finance Programme Manager ( MFPM) Advisor will be responsible for the development and management of the global Municipal Investment Finance (MIF) programme, which , has the objective of supporting towns, cities and urban areas in least developed countries in order to secure the capital and recurrent financing required for their growing infrastructure and service needs.

The aim of the Municipal Investment Financing (MIF) Programme is to increase the ability of local governments and other sub-sovereign entities to address key urbanization challenges through access to sustainable sources of capital financing. The Programme will improve resilience and quality of life in LDC cities in Africa and Asia, especially for the poor. Specific objectives of MIF include (i) improving access to capital for investment in critical urban infrastructure and services in LDC cities targeted by the program, (ii) creating or strengthening financial markets and market intermediaries so that they can facilitate capital access for cities, and (iii) establishing policies, standards, and practices that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the capital financing process in beneficiary countries. The Technical Advisor will be accountable for three main project outputs: 1. LGs and other sub-sovereign entities have capital investment plans, demonstrated debt-carrying capacity, and enabling conditions for financing; 2. Local fiscal space increased with debt financing transactions closed and repayments initiated. 3. The project effectively, efficiently and transparently implemented in line with UNCDF project management regulations.

The Programme Manager coordinates the provision of technical assistance to local governments (urban and rural) and local banks as partners of choice and builds on the platform and reputation of UNCDF’s support to fiscal decentralization in LDCs over a 20-year period. This includes piloting and testing improved mechanisms, instruments and tools for: Fiscal transfers from central to local government institutions; Improvements in local taxation and fees; Debt instruments (borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance; and project / SME finance for infrastructure largely in the productive sectors.

The incumbent is accountable for the identification and implementation of global as well as country-level opportunities within UNCDF corporate strategy while ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF. In doing so, she/he must translate corporate strategy into country programming and regional positioning, ensuring the development of synergies of technical/programme support and relationships with LDCs through a sound collaboration with UNDP and the UNCT at the regional and country levels.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide management, technical project oversight, quality control and supervision for the municipal finance programme – contributing to the achievement of corporate and project objectives. This is about accountability for the performance, results and impact of UNCDF Local Development Finance activities in the countries and region assigned.

Manage the MIF programme that engages local governments (urban and rural) as partners of choice and builds on the platform and reputation of UNCDF’s support to fiscal decentralization in LDCs over a 20-year period. This includes piloting and testing improved mechanisms, instruments and tools for: fiscal transfers from central to local government institutions; improvements in local taxation and fees; and debt instruments (borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance;
Work with the Project Manager for the Local Finance Initiative global project, design and support initiatives in Local Development Finance that engage with local banks and other providers of capital resources for local infrastructure and building local productive capacity in LDCs; This includes piloting and testing improved mechanisms, instruments and tools for: investments by the domestic banking sector in local infrastructure and SMEs (largely in productive sectors); debt instruments (borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance;
Rollout of the MIF in each LDC on a demand basis in liaison with the UNCDF country team and respective Regional Technical Advisor;
Exercise oversight and accountability for the contributions to, and measurement of, LDFP business plan output and outcome indicators for the MIF;
Exercise oversight and accountability for smooth running of project management, evaluations and reviews, procurement and HR, budgets, financial approvals, fiduciary controls and other programmatic and operational aspects of the project as appropriate;
Apply UNCDF’s Results Based Management approach to the MIF

2. Provide technical leadership and policy advice in the area of municipal finance, local public finance and local private finance – in particular in relation to infrastructure & service provision, local economic development and the strengthening of municipal capacity in the relevant countries: Maintain close working relationships and high levels of trust and support with government stakeholders in LDCs based on UNCDF’s mandate and a client-based approach – led by country demand. On this basis develop and implement strategies for the rollout of the MIF programme in accordance with the project document. These strategies to be based on an adaptation of the LDFP approach to country level development challenges, to be aligned to National Development Plans, the Istanbul Plan of Action for LDCs and other relevant national and international policies;

Develop and maintain close working relationships with the LDFP Regional Technical Advisors and country teams and ensure a client-based approach in which the MIF is introduced on demand and in accordance with local priorities;
Support to the development of national policies in the areas of municipal finance, drawing on the latest research and ideas, lessons of policy pilots and substantive dialogue with key practitioners and major international institutions;
Apply UNCDF’s local development finance diagnostic tools, instruments and approaches to constructively inform and contribute to these strategies and policies, in a way that leverages UNCDF support to promote the interventions and finance of others;
Contribute to high-level debates and consultation processes at global, regional and country level related to UNCDF’s work in local development finance and municipal finance;
Advise UNDP and other agencieson issues of municipal finance as appropriate;
Provide management and guidance to UNCDF country teams on engagement with government, with UNDP and the UN Country Team, and with other stakeholders.

3. Provides leadership in applying business development strategies, tools and intelligence, to build and maintain technical partnerships, capitalize on business opportunities and enhance resource mobilization for the MIF programme;

Develop and negotiate funding proposals for MIF both at global level and for the countries implementing the project. Build partnerships to ensure replication, scaling up and to achieve greater impact;
Increase cost-sharing opportunities for UNCDF programmes/projects;
Maintain effective technical relationships with strategic partners, including LDC and selected non-LDC governments at local and national levels, the Bretton Woods Institutions, research and academic institutions, civil society and the private sector;
Dialogue and outreach to key internal and external constituencies and partners, to increase visibility and awareness of UNCDF’s comparative advantages and strategic niches in municipal finance within specific LDCs and selected non-LDCs.

4. Provide overall guidance and coordination for the transition of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) to UNCDF and its reorganization and strategic role within the LDFP mandate.

Provide strategic and managerial guidance to WACAP as an enabling tool of UNCDF in the field of municipal finance and South-South / triangular cooperation. This includes piloting and testing experience exchange mechanisms, instruments and tools for: fiscal transfers from central to local government institutions; improvements in local taxation and fees; debt instruments; as well as climate resilient financial instruments;
Coordinate the regular communication among the WACAP memebrs including the issuance of a newletter and the organization of conferences and workshops;
Rollout WACAP in each LDC on a demand basis in liaison with the UNCDF country programs, team and respective Regional Technical Advisor;
Exercise oversight and accountability for the contributions to, and measurement of, LDFP business plan output and outcome indicators for WACAP;
Exercise oversight and accountability for smooth running of project management, evaluations and reviews, procurement and HR, budgets, financial approvals, fiduciary controls and other programmatic and operational activities related to WACAP.

5.Provides technical leadership in policy development and knowledge management in the areas of local development, municipal finance and associated thematic areas including in Financing For Development, the implementation of the SDGs and the development strategies of Least Developed Countries at the regional and global level. This is about contributing to the global debate on Local Development Finance and sharing knowledge from UNCDF activities in this regard.

Monitor and actively contribute to regional and global debates in the field of urban finance, localization of SDGs in urban areas, implementations of the New Urban Agenda and of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda
Actively contribute to enhancing closer dialogue and cooperation within the UN system in the field of Municipal Finance
Provide technical leadership in identifying, documenting and incorporating lessons learned from UNCDF and domestic experience with the objective of contributing to scaling up, policy influence and mainstreaming of the models developed;
Provide inputs publications, seminars, and conferences to highlight UNCDF support to local development;
Production and contribution to papers and other documentation of evidence and results of UNCDF interventions;
Collaboration with key partners and local development practitioners, including UNDP practices, within the region for research and development of innovative strategies and approaches to build the reputation of UNCDF as a Centre of Excellence and sharpen delivery of local development projects in order to better achieve UNCDF Business Plan objectives and LDC’s SDG goals;
Development and contribution to knowledge-sharing networks on local development initiatives within the region and globally.

6. Provide technical support and advice to the LDFP on UNCDF corporate initiatives and activities. This includes leadership in the active acquisition and sharing of business-sensitive knowledge in local development and local public finance. This is about supporting the leadership of the Local Development Finance Practice and UNCDF senior management with technical and other contributions.

Technical support from the perspective of municipal finance to the development of substantive inputs into the LDFP Business Plan and its implementation;
Active participation in retreats, LDFP Practice meetings and teleconferences;
Advice to the LDFP Director and MIF team and other colleagues, including inputs into corporate presentations and reports;
Exploration of synergies with the Inclusive Finance Practice;
Advice to UNCDF Senior Management on technical issues and business development opportunities, including inputs into corporate presentations and reports;
Preparation of substantive inputs into the LDFP Business Plan and to the Results-Oriented Annual Report;
Support to the development of the annual LDFP Work Plan.

Competencies

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

Influencing the public policy agenda

Build consensus concerning UNCDF’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives;
Dialogue with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management

Achieving results through programme design and innovative resourcing strategies

Identify country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach;
Make use of a variety of resources within UNCDF to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches;
Ensure the full implementation of country programme and financial resources to obtain results.

Building Strategic Partnerships

Building strategic alliances

Make effective use of UNCDF’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships;
Create networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

Fostering innovation in others

Create an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking;
Conceptualize more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources;
Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations).

Developing resource mobilization strategies at country level

Contribute to the development of resource mobilization strategies at CO level;
Actively develop partnerships with potential donors and government counterparts in all sectors at country level;
Strengthen the capacity of the country office to mobilize resources.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Participating in the development of policies and innovative approaches and promoting their application throughout the organization

Promote UNCDF as a learning/knowledge sharing organization.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

Expert knowledge of own discipline

Possess expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures;
Apply a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch;
Keep abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally;
Excellent organizational, inter-personal, communication and administrative skills;
Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Demonstrate expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNCDF’s Goals

Influencing global and national initiatives

Advocate for increased priority given to human development issues internationally and in national planning frameworks;
Advocate for increased resources at international and national level.

Client Orientation

Meeting long-term client needs

Anticipate constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives;
Proactively identify, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services;
Advise and develop strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNCDF programmes and operations.

Core Competencies:

Promote ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
Build support and political acumen;
Build staff competence,creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
Build and promoting effective teams;
Create and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
Create an emotionally intelligent organization;
Leverage conflict in the interests of UNCDF & setting standards;
Share knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking;

Ability to address gender equality and empowerment of women considerations in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, public/business administration, social sciences, or related discipline.

Experience:

Minimum of 10 years relevant, practical working experience in the field of international development working on local development finance, preferably in developing countries and LDCs
Proven experience in the Municipal Finance field and experience in infrastructure financing projects;
Deep technical knowledge of local development planning and capital investment programming in urban areas;
Experience in developing project documents and start-up of new projects;
Experience with new product development, testing, roll-out;
Proven resource mobilization experience and record of success in building partnerships, negotiating financing, reporting to and managing grants from development partners;
Strong programme and project management experience including budget and financial management, staff supervision, teambuilding;
Results based management experience including monitoring, evaluation and incorporating lessons learned;
Strong financial analysis and business project appraisal skills;
Familiarity with UNCDF/UNDP rules and procedures is an advantage.

Languages:

Full working knowledge of English, including excellent writing skills.
Fluency in French is highly desirable.

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