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Devepment Finance Specialist

Windhoek

  • Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Location: Windhoek
  • Grade: Mid level - SB-5 (SC10/SC11), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Banking and Finance
    • DEVELOPMENT FINANCE
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

Following the call made by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) of 2015 and the 2017 report of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development, Namibia has undertaken the Development Finance Assessment (DFA), as the first milestone towards the establishment of holistic and forward-looking financing framework, say an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF).

According to the key findings of the DFA, internally, Namibia’s resources from the public sector to development projects and overall, the national development priorities are limited. Therefore, more effort and innovative initiatives are required to diversify the sources of development financing including tapping into domestic and international public and private finance sources to support the realization of the SDGs.

In order to address the challenges identified by the DFA, by expanding diversity of development resources to meet the national development priorities, particularly through active engagement with the private sector, supported by UNDP and other UN agencies, Namibia is now in the process of implementing the INFF via the SDG Joint Programme (JP), and other aligned SDG financing interventions, including the Sustainable Development Goals Impact Investment Fund (SDGIIF). The SDGIIF exemplifies the necessity for the public and private sector to partner for the achievement of inclusive and sustainable growth through necessary support to MSMEs to enable ripple effects on employment creation, poverty and inequality reduction in Namibia. It has been used to provide mentorship grants and debt financing to women and youths in business, social enterprises and MSMEs to alleviate the challenges of unemployment.

Against this background, the UNDP Namibia Country Office seeks the services of a Development Finance Specialist to support the operationalisation of the DFA Roadmap and the establishment of an INFF in Namibia through the four building blocks of the INFF process (diagnostics and assessment, SDG Financing Strategy, monitoring and review, and governance and coordination). The primary objective is to effectively and efficiently link planning with financing and development to support efficiency in public spending; diversify the revenue base of the economy and increase the fiscal space; control for illicit financial flows, corruption, tax evasion and avoidance; support and attract private sector financing in key sectors of the economy; promote public-private sector financing of development projects; and promote effective debt management and debt sustainability. The Development Finance Specialist will report directly to the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

In this role, the Development Finance Specialist will undertake the following responsibilities:

  • Build partnerships with the private sector and key development actors for resource mobilisation and SDG financing;
  • Manage the SDG financing related projects including monitoring, reporting and evaluation interventions;
  • Promote knowledge management and sharing focusing on partnerships with the private sector. 

Functions: Build partnerships with the private sector and key development actors for resource mobilisation and SDG financing.

  • Provide technical and programmatic support to strategically position the SDG financing agenda related projects and initiatives, including the ongoing INFF, the SDG Impact Investment Fund, the SDG Investor Mapping initiative and other future SDG financing related interventions being supported by UNDP, into the private sector’s view.
  • Strategically and technically engage with the private sector to build consensus on financing and achievement of the SDGs.
  • Actively engage in strategic dialogue with national partners, private sector and other development partners for resource mobilization and development financing.
  • Foster and enhance collaboration with relevant Government sector ministries, offices and agencies and facilitate the public-private sectors cooperation towards the financing and realisation of the SDGs.
  • Develop the Country Office’s overall strategy and action plan for forging strategic partnerships with the private sector and other development partners.

       2.  Functions: Manage the SDG financing related projects including monitoring,                  reporting and evaluation interventions.

  • Manage the SDG financing related projects, including the ongoing INFF component of the SDG Fund Joint Programme, the SDG Impact Investment Fund, and other future SDG financing related interventions being supported by UNDP.
  • Coordinate the development of short and long-term strategic plans of the projects, including but not limited to, timely quarterly work plans, whilst taking into account emerging issues.
  • Promote the broad participation of the private sector and other development partners such as bilateral and multilateral partners in the implementation of the SDG financing related projects
  • Identify, reduce and monitor the risks to the efficient and effective implementation of the projects.  
  • Coordinate between the SDG financing related projects, to ensure all the projects do engage with the private sector consistently and systematically. 
  • Supervise consultancy work, review and assess products/services provided by consultants and experts, notify/advise the head of the UNDP Country Office on quality, and recommend appropriate actions required for improvement of results.
  • Facilitate the effective management of the projects budgets and ensure timely and accurate reporting.
  • Lead the preparation of periodic financing portfolio reports and submissions to contributors and other relevant stakeholders, with a special view to capturing lessons learned and best practices for improving the performance of the fund portfolio.
  • Identify opportunities to initiate new SDG financing related projects.
  • Lead and perform oversight and quality assurance for monitoring, reporting, missions, audits, evaluations of all SDGs financing related projects in collaboration with the relevant national and other key stakeholders.

    3.    Functions: Promote knowledge management and sharing focusing on                            partnerships with the private sector.

  • Conduct knowledge management, and ensure knowledge sharing between projects.
  • Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned on private sector partnerships and public-private sector partnership and other development partners.
  • Prepare briefing notes, talking points and speeches on relevant thematic areas.Produce knowledge products such policy briefs, papers, articles and others to give more visibility to all project related interventions.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Management and Leadership 

  • Good managerial and leading skills;   
  • Demonstrates strong coordination and organizational skills; 
  • Ability to work as part of a team, sharing information and coordinating efforts within the team; 
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive and constructive attitude;
  • Excellent analytical and writing skills.

Communication 

  • Good communications skills both in writing and oral including networking and interpersonal skills;
  • Proven ability to persuade and influence others to cooperate.

Client Orientation

  • Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
  • Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
  • Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients;  
  • Proven ability to build strong relations with partners, clients for positive feedback;
  • Ability to undertake and apply gender analysis to ensure gender equitable solutions.

Partnership

  • Build, coordinate and advise on strategic and programmatic partnership;
  • Facilitate the engagement of major stakeholders or groups in environment and sustainable development decision making, their access to and sharing of information for effective compliance.

Professionalism

  • Demonstrate professional competence and mastery of the subject matter;
  • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
  • Speaks and writes clearly and effectively and demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
  • Willing to undertake other assignments as provided by the programme head.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A minimum master’s degree, in fields related to financial, sustainable development, economics, and/or business management

Experience:

  • Five (5) years of extensive working experience in development work, project/programme coordination and management, policy analysis and development, is required;
  • Proven experience on developing systems, procedures, guidelines, manuals and templates for reporting and verification practices;
  • Proven experience and knowledge in development effectiveness and cooperation, gender equality and its related issues is an asset;
  • Previous exposure and experience with UNDP work on integrated development, impact investment and private sector engagements will serve as an advantage;
  • Experience in working with government institutions;
  • Experience in the usage of computer and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. The ability to communicate in any other local language is an asset.

 

 

 

 

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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