Business Development & Resource Management Specialist

Background

UNDP in Sri Lanka is reorganizing internally and moving to an integrated collaborative business model. Internally, an energetic and innovative team will converge around the planning, design, implementation and quality assurance of an integrated programme in a fast-paced environment. Fostering strategic partnership and alliances with different stakeholders will require a team which consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude and has a strong client orientation. Strong UN partnerships are valued for Delivering Together in a true spirit of collaboration and teamwork.

Post Context:The Business Development and Resource Management Specialist is an integral part of this new structural approach intended to fulfill the evolving role of integrated resource management in UNDP Sri Lanka.  The incumbent endeavors to provide a technical emphasis on CO financial sustainability and strategic emphasis on leading UNDP and in taking a more externally-focused posture in support of Sri Lanka’s development challenges.

The BDRMS is therefore entrusted with the following

•  Leadership of the engagement and partnerships effort of the CO, with a focus on strategic business development while articulating UNDP’s value proposition and varied service offer in operational and partnership engagement terms
• Technical leadership in supporting contract negotiations, business development pitches, and proposals for UNDP’s value added in leveraging domestic resources for development (incl. direct support with Government Cost Sharing as well as innovative financing solutions)
• Leveraging in-house as well as external resource people in the area of communications and development results analytics to ensure UNDP’s offers are well packaged, tailored, and visible by the right audiences
• Management of CO resource management practices, including establishing thresholds / targets, solution-guidance for new funding instruments. Defining and ensuring update of DPC methodology.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Country Director, the Business Development and Resource Management Specialist fulfills the evolving role of integrated resource management in the Country Office (CO) from internal financial transaction control and oversight to externally focused strategic resource management. The incumbent focuses on CO financial sustainability and leads the UNDP CO to a more externally-focused posture while managing UNDP’s emerging risk profiles.

The incumbent promotes client-oriented approach while having strong networking savvy and political acumen performing her/his functions in collaboration with Programme team leaders and CO and Regional senior management to continuously reflect on how UNDP engages with its partners and stakeholders in order to truly fulfill UNDP’s strategic position and value proposition.  In doing so the incumbent develops the relationships, systems and tools to integrate business development income streams with strategic resource management leading to a greater financial sustainability for UNDP Sri Lanka.

 ONLY STAFF AFFECTED BY THE UNDP SRI LANKA CHANGE MANAGEMNT PROCESS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS POSITION. ALL OTHER APPLICANTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

Duties and Responsibilities

1) Strategy and Ideas:

• Manage country office financial resource management practices• Design and implement, with senior management, RBAP and the GSSC, the transition to strategic resource management ensuring accountability and process integrity.• Define and ensure update of Direct Project Costing methodology• Lead consolidation of pipeline projections on behalf of senior management and in close collaboration programme and project teams.• Lead the external engagement effort with non-traditional development actors. 2)    Partnership engagement:

• Leadership of the engagement and partnerships effort of the CO, with a focus on strategic business development• Articulating UNDP’s value proposition and varied service offer in operational and partnership engagement terms• Technical leadership in supporting contract negotiations, business development pitches, and proposals for UNDP’s value added in leveraging domestic resources for development (incl. direct support with Government Cost Sharing as well as innovative financing solutions)• Leveraging in-house as well as external resource people in the area of communications and development results analytics to ensure UNDP’s offers are well packaged, tailored, and visible by the right audiences• Design terms of negotiations and UNDP costing requirements accessible and attractive to prospective clients.• Establish highly professional and attractive terms of negotiation, presentation of UNDP’s cost structure and resource requirements• Lead the communication of partnership modalities that create an amplification effect for UNDP and development partners  • Articulate UNDPs value proposition and varied service offer in operational and partnership engagement terms• Provide technical leadership in contract negotiations.• Develop business development campaigns and tailored client outreach efforts including direct support with government cost sharing and innovative financial solutions• Leverage UNDPs network of communications and partnership development expertise as well as innovative external approaches to develop the analytics and messaging appropriate to, and visible by, the desired client. 

3) Team Collaboration• Collaborating with programme teams and senior management, ensuring strategic planning, work planning and delivery remains relevant to emerging trends and needs of new business partners.       • Guide finance team colleagues through the transition from transaction replication to new forms of data collection and analysis in support of strategic resource management. • Guide programme and project teams in use of new partnership engagement approaches and resource awareness in their client engagements. • Manage the finance team to provide resource practices and solution guidance, especially for new funding instruments.

4)  Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:• Support trainings for the CO staff on programme and shares knowledge on business development strategies• Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals.• Conduct needs assessment on budget execution initiatives in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Competencies

Core InnovationAbility to make new and useful ideas work 

LeadershipAbility to persuade others to follow 

People ManagementAbility to improve performance and satisfaction 

CommunicationAbility to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

DeliveryAbility to get things done while exercising good judgement

Technical/Functional Strategic PartnershipsBroker substantive alliances with external stakeholders to advance mutual goals in support of sustainable development 

Global Development FinanceKnowledge of global development financial trends, global financial institutions and processes, and ability to apply in strategic and/or practical situations 

Strategic Thinking / VisioningAbility to analyse the organization’s value proposition and shape visionary/long term plans.  Use insight to identify target audiences and partners and to inform communication objectives, messages and solutions

Financial Planning and AnalysisAbility to evaluate financial data, derive relevant findings and present them in a meaningful manner

Financial Strategy and BudgetingAbility to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP's long and short-term financial goals

Service Delivery CoordinationAbility to coordinate and deliver services in line with service level agreements and standards of excellence in UNDP 

Mentoring and Capacity BuildingAbility to coach/mentor technical staff to enhance sustain capacity development

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•  Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in public policy, politics, economics, development studies, business administration, public administration or a related area.

Experience:

•  Masters with 5 years or Bachelor’s with 7 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing financial management services, resource mobilization, development cooperation and partnerships
• Experience in donor and UN partnerships/public relations.
• Experience with non-traditional development actors is a distinct advantage.
• Experience of IPSAS and/or IFRS is considered as an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages,
• Experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP financials, preferably PeopleSoft (Atlas).

Language Requirements:

•  Fluency in English and in the national language of the duty station. Knowledge of other UN official language is desirable