Tiered Approach
In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:
- Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
- Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
- Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
- Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.
Background
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, UNOs, 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.
UNCDF's regional hubs are based in Dakar, Nairobi, and Bangkok, with sub-regional presence in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. The Arab States regional team supports countries in raising finance for climate action, infrastructure, MSME development, and women's economic empowerment.
UNCDF is therefore seeking an expert in the financial sector to further enhance its engagement and establishment of financing mechanisms within the targeted regions. The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of finance and business enabling environments, with a proven track record of navigating complex financial landscapes. In addition to providing technical assistance for UNCDF project development, the expert will play a pivotal role in fostering strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the financial sector. This includes collaborating with government entities, financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders to design and implement innovative financing solutions that address the unique needs of underserved populations. Moreover, the candidate will be tasked with identifying and leveraging emerging trends and technologies in the financial sector to drive inclusive growth and sustainable development. Overall, the successful candidate will be instrumental in advancing UNCDF's mission to promote financial inclusion and economic empowerment in the Arab States Region, as needed.
The Regional Investment Specialist will support the Arab States regional manager in mobilizing investment capital, managing development projects, and ensuring effective project implementation in alignment with UNCDF’s strategic objectives. The position will report to the Regional Investment Focal Point for Arab States and collaborate with colleagues from the front and middle office in addition to other UNCDF divisions.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Specialist reports directly to UNCDF’s Regional Team Lead for ESA and Arab States.
1. Portfolio Development & Investment Advisory
• Design and review investment structures aligned to development finance best practices, including minimum concessionality, additionality, mobilization of public and private finance, financial sustainability, and limited market distortion.
• Lead the sourcing, design, and implementation of blended finance solutions across the Arab States region, serving as UNCDF's front-office investment function for structuring grants, loans, guarantees, and credit enhancements.
• Provide strategic investment advisory to clients and partners, covering instrument selection, investment readiness, risk assessment, and negotiation of financing terms and term sheets.
• Drive resource mobilization by securing grant resources and co-financing from donors, foundations, impact investors, and development finance institutions, including coordination of lender and investor due diligence.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with governments, private sector actors, UN system entities, and financial institutions to advance UNCDF's blended finance mandate.
• Ensure technical rigor across all concepts, proposals, and project documents; lead UNCDF's knowledge-sharing and community of practice on financial sector assistance in the region.
2. Conduct Sectoral and Market Systems Analyses
• Lead market systems analyses and financial sector diagnostics to identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities for blended finance and inclusive finance interventions across the Arab States region.
• Assess regulatory, macroeconomic, and competitive landscape factors that affect investment viability, structuring assumptions, and instrument design for UNCDF's portfolio.
• Cultivate strategic relationships with senior government officials, financial regulators, and ecosystem stakeholders to generate buy-in for UNCDF's financial inclusion and investment facilitation initiatives.
• Synthesize and disseminate key insights from market analyses and field experience through reports, briefs, and stakeholder engagement, reinforcing UNCDF's thought leadership in the region.
• Monitor sectoral trends, capital flows, and development finance innovations to continuously refine UNCDF's investment thesis and positioning in target markets.
• Translate market intelligence into actionable investment pipeline opportunities, informing project design, partner engagement strategies, and resource mobilization priorities.
3. Provide Technical Advisory to Selected UNCDF Grantees and Partners
• Facilitate structured ideation and co-design sessions with grantees and partners to refine project activities, target markets, product offerings, and implementation modalities.
• Conduct comprehensive assessments of financial, operational, and institutional risk among grantees, establishing benchmarks and providing tailored advisory to mitigate risks and strengthen capacity.
• Offer expert guidance on product development, solution design, and business model refinement, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and UNCDF's strategic objectives.
• Support the drafting and review of policy documents, operational manuals, and technical specifications related to innovative and inclusive finance instruments.
• Document and analyze the innovation journey and client/customer impact resulting from partnership initiatives, collaborating with the results and insights team to capture learnings and evidence.
• Identify systemic technical issues across the grantee portfolio and escalate findings to UNCDF's broader community of practice to drive continuous improvement and knowledge exchange.
4. Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and management.
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to goals.
• Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Competencies
Core 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 Direction & 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.
Business Development
- Knowledge Generation: Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.
Business Management
- Communication: Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels.
- 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
Finance
- Development finance expertise: Ability to develop and work with innovative financing mechanisms and instruments, e.g. social/development impact bonds, guarantees, climate finance, etc.
- Due diligence management: Ability to conduct a comprehensive appraisal of an organization or opportunity to be undertaken by a prospective investor or partner, especially to establish its assets and liabilities, as well as evaluate the potential opportunity and its related risks; knowledge of respective methodology and tools.
Partnerships management
- Private Sector engagement: Ability to identify, conduct outreach, and manage relationships with the private sector.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Economics, Business Administration, Finance, International Development, or related development finance field is required OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
• Minimum seven (7) years (with master´s degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor´s degree) of experience in developing and implementing projects/programs in development finance and innovative finance.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in digital payments, financial inclusion, investments, or related fields.
• Experience in a development finance institution, International Financial Institution (IFI), multilateral bank, or UN investment function
• Demonstrated experience in designing risk-sharing instruments, or blended finance structures.
• Experience in developing finance principles, including concessional finance, additionality, crowding-in private capital, and financial sustainability.
• Experience in design, structure, and implementation of investment and financing mechanisms involving grants, loans, guarantees, and equity.
• Experience engaging with financial institutions, DFIs, governments, and private sector stakeholders to mobilize capital development.
• Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, or crisis contexts.
• Experience with digital finance, financial inclusion, or innovative financial technologies.
• Experience working across public and private sector stakeholders, including ministries, central banks, commercial banks, MFIs, and fintech firms.
Required Language(s):
Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
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.
Use of AI by candidates
Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection
Scam alert
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