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Impact Investment Specialist

Cairo

  • Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Location: Cairo
  • Grade: Consultancy - SB-4 (SC8/SC9), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Development Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals
    • Banking and Finance
    • Innovations for Sustainable Development
    • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
    • Impact investing, Social venture capital
    • IMPACT INVESTMENT
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

Achieving the SDGs globally – and at a national level – requires the mobilization of domestic and international private financing as a complement to public sector resources. Leveraging alternative sources of finance can catalyze additional capital flows to support achieving the SDGs. UNDP Egypt is committed since 2018 to accelerate development finance, with a focus on impact investment and private sector engagement;

Forbes Magazine, gives number of reasons why impact investment makes business sense. These range from the global challenges that governments alone cannot finance the solutions to, to global challenges being global opportunities that afford solution providers the opportunity of becoming the financial winners of tomorrow, to investments in social, health and environmental causes providing an efficient way to meet the individual or company’s social responsibility goals with a much higher ROI than donations or grants.

The Inclusive Growth and Innovation team at UNDP Egypt has been for several years developing capacities. raising awareness and advocating to stimulate the impact investment ecosystem from the demand and supply side and with business intermediaries, addressing the following challenges:

 

Demand for Impact Investment

1.      Impact Businesses are unaware of the concept of and the opportunities tied to impact investment.

2.      Impact Businesses have limited internal skill capacity, precisely the smaller enterprises. They are mostly unskilled in the area of results-based management, impact measurement and reporting.

3.      The business model of impact businesses requires better communication and development.

4.      Coherent, sector specific, impact management framework and validation mechanisms are lacking.

Supply for Impact Investment

1.      Investors are generally unaware of the concept of and the opportunities tied to impact investment.

2.      There is a general misconception that Impact Businesses operate below market returns resulting in the lack of interest from private investors.

3.      Coherent, market-ready, impact management framework and validation mechanisms are lacking.

Market Infrastructure

1.       Relevant policies, laws, and executive regulations are not conducive or encouraging to impact investment.

2.      Limited access to data and clarity in rules and regulations.

3.      Limited awareness and capacities by financial intermediaries (banks, DFI’s, non-banking financial institutions).

4.      Limited number of service providers in the field of impact management.

Within this context, UNDP is now developing with partners several practical impact investment and impact management mechanisms (impact investment fund, impact measurement tool and green seed grant facility) and seeking to recruit an Impact investment specialist.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Building on achievements in developing impact finance ecosystem, UNDP is seeking an Impact Investment Specialist to manage, strategically advise, and supervise the technical specialists for the Impact Investment project. Under the guidance of the Inclusive Growth and Innovation Team Leader, the incumbent will have the following main areas of work;

  • Managing and overseeing the day-to-day activities related to the management and implementation of the project, including work plans, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and other project management related responsibilities.
  • Participate and represent UNDP in meetings and relevant events.
  • Network, identify, and build partnerships with investors, banks, DFI’s, non-banking financial institutions, with a focus on on-boarding private institutions.
  • Draft terms of references and manage local and foreign consultants.
  • Prepare quarterly and yearly workplans and budgets.
  • Develop detailed concept notes and integrate them into the overall project framework.
  • Resource mobilization: developing business areas and researching funding opportunities.
  • Advocate for UNDP Country Office (CO) and partners the concepts of impact investing and management and help incorporate impact investment/management approaches in CO portfolio projects design.

Key Deliverables:

With the aim of fostering the impact investment ecosystem in Egypt, the candidate is responsible for;

  • Adapting and improving the strategy for UNDP Egypt to support developing and catalyzing the impact Investment ecosystem in egypt.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of UNDP Egypt action plan for impact investment.
  • Contribute to development of proposals, prospects and presentation materials on impact investing.
  • Identifying potential partners for setting up an impact fund (IFIs, existing VCs, etc.)
  • Lead the development of workshops for Private Sector Engagement.
  • Supporting development of impact management tools including digital tools.
  • Conduct roundtables and awareness sessions for all stakeholder groups, specifically supply side (investors) and demand side (MSMSEs).
  • Support the integration of impact management framework in MSME’s.
  • Research and select global alternative financing tools and methodologies to be explored, implemented and scaled through the Innovation Lab.
  • Prepare progress reports and evaluations for the activities related to this project.
  • Ensure projects’ deliverables are completed on time and within scope and budget.

 

Competencies

Core

Innovation
Ability to make new and useful ideas work
Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully
Leadership
Ability to persuade others to follow
Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others
People Management
Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
Level 4: Models independent thinking and action 
Communication
Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Level 4: Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis
Delivery
Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement
Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services.
 

Technical/ Functional

Development Effectiveness

Knowledge of development effectiveness concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, covering the economic, social and environmental dimenstions. 

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Representation

Ability to productively share UNDP knowledge and activities (at UN and other venues)

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Resource Mobilization

Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Partnerships

Ability to engage with other agencies and forge productive working relationships.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Project Management

Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Knowledge Management and Communications

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Advocacy

Ability to advocate a point of view and influence others.

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

- Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Social sciences or relevant field is required.

- Master’s Degree (MA) in Business administration, Economics, Finance, or International development, is an asset.

Experience:

  • Minimum 5 years working in the area of Financing for development, sustainable finance, investment, banking, venture capital or startups and SMEs financing or other relevant area.
  • Track record in results-based management and familiarity with ESG metrics and/or SDGs impact measurement.
  • Experience with investors, investment funds or a DFIs is an asset.
  • Practical experience supporting startups and MSMEs.
  • Proven experience in mobilizing partners and funding and collaborations with multi-stakeholder groups.
  • Experience in event coordination and knowledge product production.

Language:

Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and oral.

Other:

  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling web-based management systems.
  • Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.
  • Non-Smoking environment.

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

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.

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This vacancy is now closed.
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