General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.  

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.  

As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, United Nations Organizations, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector.  By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders.  UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including:  

•                    SME Finance  

•                    Sub-National Finance  

•                    Digital Finance  

UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States. 

 Objective 

Digital Finance (DF) is a transformative enabler of structural change, expanding opportunity and inclusion in early-stage, high risk markets, particularly for women and youth. The increasing use of digital traceable data to assess risks connects people and enterprises to formal systems, creating the liquidity and trust essential for inclusive, investable digital economies. This ecosystem expansion drives structural transformation, raising MSME productivity, generating jobs, and enhancing household wellbeing. 

Under its new Strategic Framework (2026-2029), UNCDF incorporates DF as a core Capability and a foundational enabler for resilience and growth. The DF Capability executes its mandate through the Capital Pathways Model, which links systemic diagnostics with conditional financial deployment. This model is the engine of Investment Conditionality, ensuring that risk-absorbing capital (Grants, Loans, Guarantees) is used to drive systemic change, de-risking opportunities until they achieve commercial scale, with the institutional goal of achieving a 4x leverage ratio in follow-on finance. 

UNCDF seeks a Specialist to operationalize and scale this strategy by translating the strategic blueprint into measurable investment transactions. The role requires a hybrid executive with a proven ability to bridge the gap between private sector investment logic (Fintechs, VCs) and UNCDF’s mandate of impact and risk absorption. The Specialist is the designated Focal Point for operationalizing the Investment Conditionality principle across the portfolio, ensuring all interventions adhere to the UNCDF Strategic Framework, the Digital Finance Strategy, and the Supplementary Guidelines underpinning UNCDF’s investment portfolio. 

Scope of Work 

The Specialist will lead the execution of the UNCDF Digital Finance Strategy, focusing on two integrated Action Lines: a) Strengthening the Enabling Environment (System Change Advisory) and b) Deploying Catalytic Capital (Strategic Investment) by working on the following areas: 

1. Diagnostics, Investment Conditionality and Strategic Quality Assurance 

• Oversee the application of the Diagnostic Filter—focusing on Access, Efficiency, and Trust—as an agile, desk-based tool to identify systemic failure points.  

• Provide tactical guidance to region-based teams to ensure the depth of analysis is proportionally tailored to market maturity, maintaining operational speed while avoiding the duplication of existing ecosystem diagnostics. 

• Act as the Senior Expert responsible for certifying that global, regional and country-led pipeline proposals adhere to the Constraint-Based Readiness Tiers.  

• Guide regional and local investment teams in translating diagnostic findings into actionable Investment Conditionality to ensure capital allocation effectively addresses verified systemic barriers and de-risks the portfolio. 

      2.  Digital Public Infrastructure Strategy and Advisory Support and Oversight   

• Define the strategic parameters for advisory services provided to national and sub-national governments regarding the design of open, interoperable, and secure Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).  

• Identify strategic entry points where UNCDF capital instruments (specifically Grants and Guarantees) can most effectively catalyze the adoption of foundational components like e-KYC and interoperable payment rails, bridging global policy with local investment needs.  

• Coordinate advisory support to Sub-national entities on adopting existing Digital Public Goods (DPG) and strengthening digital public financial management.  

• Ensure consistency across UNCDF portfolios to improve the creditworthiness and fiscal transparency of local governments, facilitating their access to capital markets. 

• Ensure all regulatory and governance advisory is purpose-aligned with DPI operational needs and the financial health of local economies, maintaining a flexible, non-sequential approach that avoids "one-size-fits-all" requirements, and prioritizes interventions that drive purposeful and responsible usage among underserved groups, particularly women and youth. 

      3. Market Intelligence and Knowledge Integration  

• Synthesize global market intelligence from the Fintech, AI, and Venture Capital (VC) ecosystems to ensure UNCDF’s investment structuring remains cutting-edge and commercially relevant.  

• Integrate commercial perspectives into policy advisory frameworks to drive financial sector deepening in high-risk, early-stage markets, leveraging your background in digital innovation and private sector engagement. 

• Develop and deliver targeted capacity‑building initiatives for regional and country teams to enhance their capabilities in applying market intelligence, diagnostic insights, and investment conditionality.  

• Develop an integrated knowledge management framework that captures market insights, diagnostic findings, transaction lessons learned, and investment structuring tools.  

• Facilitate cross regional learning and produce strategic knowledge products to ensure consistent integration of global intelligence into local investment decision making. 

      4. Capital Pathways Strategy and Governance, Investment Structuring and Risk Mitigation  

• Lead the strategic alignment of capital deployment across the organization, ensuring that both global programs and country-led initiatives adhere to the Capital Pathways Model.  

• Act as the technical bridge to ensure UNCDF’s risk-tolerant capital is utilized to drive systemic, rather than merely transactional, change. 

• Establish global standards and provide advisory support to region-based teams in structuring Performance-Based Grants (PBGs) for Demand Catalyzers (Fintech MSMEs) related to investments in digital finance, quality assuring that grants effectively validate inclusive business models and achieve the investment readiness required for commercial capital. 

• Provide expert financial-technical advisory to the UNCDF Front Office on structuring concessional loans and portfolio guarantees directed at Local Financial Intermediaries (LFIs) as it relates to digital finance related investments.  

• Ensure consistency in the terms and conditions of loans and guarantees transactions negotiated on a country-by-country basis, optimizing the use of subordinated positions to mobilize follow-on finance. 

• Define risk mitigation mechanisms for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) assets (e.g., fiber networks, instant payments). Advise local teams on the critical distinction between CAPEX and OPEX risks to make these projects bankable for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). 

      5. Capital Mobilization (4x Target), Cross-Sectoral DF Integration and Regional Market Development Support  

• Guide and support the design and negotiation of complex blended finance structures, such as First-Loss Guarantees, for large-scale global and regional projects.  

• Serve as the focal point for attracting Venture Capital and Impact Investors to achieve UNCDF’s 4x leverage target. 

• Ensure that Digital Finance components within projects of other capabilities (MSMEF or SNF) meet Investment Conditionality standards.  

• Coordinate the creation of digital traceable data to strengthen the creditworthiness of local governments and the financial health of MSMEs, ensuring DF acts as a systemic enabler across all project configurations. 

• Provide strategic and technical support to regional investment leads, and especially for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, to identify and develop a robust pipeline of Digital Finance interventions.  

• Ensure all regional proposals undergo rigorous financial modeling and risk assessment to align local opportunities with global Digital Finance standards and institutional mobilization targets. 

         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 Specialist will report to the Chief Investment Officer, UNCDF, coordinating closely with advisors in the Investment and Implementation Division, Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD) including region-based and field based UNCDF personnel. The incumbent will be required to travel. The specialist will also support the Regional Investment Leader (West Africa and Latin America) in developing the overall UNCDF investment portfolio within the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region.  

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:

Business Development and Strategy: Strategic Thinking    

• Ability to synthesize the Global Digital Finance Strategy with financial market realities to create actionable, bankable plans. 

Business Direction and Strategy: Entrepreneurial Thinking     

• Ability to create clarity around UNDP/UNCDF value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP/UNCDF’s organizational priorities and mandate 

Business Direction and Strategy: Partnership Management    

• Proven ability to build, sustain, and strengthen hybrid working relations and trust with both multilateral organizations and commercial private sector finance partners (VCs, Fintechs). 

Partnership Management: Relationship Management

• Proven ability to manage transactional relationships with investees, negotiate term sheets, and cultivate trust with impact and commercial investors to successfully close complex blended finance deals.

Business Development: Collective Intelligence Design

• Ability to identify, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work. Knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations

Business Management:  Working with evidence and data  

• Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform, and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. 

Business Direction and Strategy:  System Thinking 

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system 

Experience and Qualifications

Minimum Education Requirement:

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Finance, Economics, Commercial Engineering, Development Finance, or a related field is required, OR 
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above fields  in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Minimum Years of Relevant Work Experience:

• Minimum  7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in investment management, digital finance, capital mobilization and development is required  

Required skills:

• Demonstrated experience in fund management, investment structuring, and portfolio risk management (proven track record in managing multi-country financial portfolios in emerging markets is a key differentiator). 
• Direct experience in the Fintech sector, digital innovation, or in structuring investments for digital financial services, AI, or Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). 
• Proven track record in mobilizing private, multilateral, or concessional capital for financial inclusion or development initiatives. 
• Direct experience in the development and/or implementation of an organizational-level strategy for digital finance. 
• Expert knowledge of Blended Finance and financial instruments used to de-risk private capital. 
• Advanced financial modeling skills for investment de risking and determining investment-readiness for both private sector and infrastructure (DPI) projects. 
• Deep understanding of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem, specifically regarding the financing architecture and risk mitigation strategies required for CAPEX and OPEX assets. 
• Proven ability to conduct financial due diligence and structure complex transactions. 
• Demonstrated understanding of the Microfinance and/or Fintech sector dynamics in emerging markets 
   

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Experience with USD 20M+ multi-country funds is a significant asset.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Microfinance and/or Fintech sector dynamics in emerging markets in Africa and Latin America preferred. 
• Experience within UNCDF is a significant asset. 
• Experience in leading organizational change and strategy implementation is desired.
• Fluency and/or previous work experience in emerging markets (Africa and/or Latin America) is desired. 

Required Language(s):

• Fluency in English is required.
• Professional proficiency in Spanish is a distinct asset

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

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