Digital and Agri-Finance Specialist
JOB DETAIL
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: inclusive digital economies, connecting individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in the local economy and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; local development finance, that capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and investment finance, that provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization.
By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to Sustainable Development Goal SDG 1 on eradicating poverty and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. In addition, by identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have a transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a broad diversity of SDGs.
UNCDF launched its Inclusive Digital Economy Accelerator (IDE) strategy in 2019, which focuses on creating an inclusive environment for the inception and scale of financial and digital inclusion solutions. UNCDF has been supporting digital financial service providers, banks, and other stakeholders in PNG to develop ecosystems, design and develop innovative solutions, products, and services that support Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE).
UNCDF has been actively engaged in Papua New Guinea, partnering with the government, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to expand access to finance and promote inclusive digital economies. By focusing on the intersection of digital finance and Agri finance, UNCDF aims to enhance financial inclusion for rural communities and smallholder farmers, catalyse economic opportunities, and contribute to poverty reduction.
Through its diverse range of initiatives, UNCDF in Papua New Guinea has been at the forefront of driving financial innovation, building capacity, and creating an enabling environment for inclusive finance. By leveraging technology and digital platforms, UNCDF supports the development of inclusive financial services, such as mobile money, agent banking, and digital wallets, which empower individuals and businesses to access affordable and secure financial services.
UNCDF is part of the EU funded joint UN Support to Rural Enterprise Investment and Trade (EU STREIT) project in Papua New Guinea and is responsible for the access to finance component under the project. The EU STREIT project aims to support – _vanilla, cocoa, and fisheries value chains through a range of inter-related inputs. As part of its inputs to the project UNCDF will continue to engage with private sector, regulators, and the government to scale up digital financial service eco-system in the project areas focused on supporting agri-value chains.
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is seeking a Digital and Agri finance Specialist to support its country digital portfolio, including the EU-funded STREIT Program. The specialist will play a crucial role in advancing digital finance and Agri finance solutions to promote financial inclusion, enhance access to finance in the agricultural sector, and contribute to the sustainable development goals.
The Digital and Agri finance Specialist will provide technical expertise and strategic guidance in the design, implementation, and monitoring of digital finance and Agri finance initiatives within the UNCDF Papua New Guinea digital portfolio. The specialist will work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure the effective integration of digital financial services and Agri finance solutions, fostering financial inclusion and supporting agricultural value chains. S/he will be responsible for working closely with UNCDF partners at provincial and national level to achieve the project results by providing regular technical assistance and facilitating partnerships within the eco-system linked to – policy and regulations, financial innovation and consumer empowerment. The Digital and Agri finance specialist will also be responsible for project management roles including project setup, project monitoring, project reporting and evaluation.
Digital and Agri-finance Specialist will report directly to the UNCDF country lead or his/her designate. The position will be expected to engage with UNCDF Pacific Team, UNDP Pacific team, other UN agencies in the country, donors and our key external stakeholders in Pacific as needed, to ensure smooth delivery of our projects.
The Digital and Agri finance specialist will be responsible for:
Provide technical leadership and guidance in the development and implementation of digital finance and Agri finance strategies, aligned with the objectives of the UNCDF country digital portfolio and the STREIT Program.
The UNCDF team in PNG is engaged in implementing multiple donor-funded projects in digital financial services under its Inclusive Digital Economy (IDE) programme. The Digital and Agri finance specialist will work closely with the country lead and other UNCDF team members to manage a portfolio of these projects including the EU-STREIT programme. This role will include the following responsibilities:
- Lead efforts in the identification, development, & implementation of a diverse mix of strong projects within select agricultural value chains & digital finance in alignment with the objectives of the country programme
Lead the technical inputs, coordination, implementation and reporting on progress of UNCDF’s Digital and Agri finance projects and their linkage to UNCDF’s work at national and global level. - Support the design and rollout of digital financial products and services that cater to the specific needs of smallholder farmers, agribusinesses, and other actors in agricultural value chains.
- Provide inputs for capacity building, for range of stakeholder in private and public sector through dialogue, workshops/ events at provincial and national level on digital inclusion.
- Engage with other relevant state and non-state actors including regulators and government ministries on policy matters to add value to the work within the scope of the UNCDF Country strategy.
- Provide technical assistance and capacity building to UNCDF country teams, government counterparts, and other stakeholders to enhance their understanding and utilization of digital finance and Agri finance tool.
- Stay updated on emerging trends, innovations, and regulatory frameworks in the digital finance and Agri finance sectors and provide guidance on their potential application within the UNCDF country digital portfolio.
- Work closely with the implementation partners to monitor their progress and provide technical support wherever needed.
- Assess and recommend appropriate digital platforms, technologies, and interoperable systems to enhance the efficiency, security, and scalability of digital finance and Agri finance interventions.
Policy advocacy: Work with UNCDF Country Lead in facilitating and disseminating research and information to key stakeholders for advocacy on policy and regulatory matters. (10%)
- Provide technical support to UNCDF PNG team in tracking the development of an inclusive digital economy in PNG and advising the government in creating a more enabling policy environment for the digitization of the economy.
- Assist UNCDF partners (service providers, regulators, funders) through sharing of information and updates on innovation.
- Collaborate with national government agencies and other relevant partners to foster partnerships and create an enabling environment for digital financial services and Agri finance.
- Support UNCDF country lead in building effective and efficient partnerships at the operational level with major donor agencies to work together in the field of financial inclusion, innovation, and consumer protection.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Knowledge management and Learning: Develop knowledge management and learning products based on insights gained from project implementation and research. (10%)
- Contribute to knowledge management and the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned in digital finance and Agri finance across the UNCDF network and relevant platforms.
- Effectively utilize the insights obtained from project implementation, research, and stakeholder interactions to develop knowledge products, including research papers and blogs. Press releases and presentations.
- Monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of digital finance and Agri finance initiatives, utilizing data-driven insights to inform decision-making and improve program performance.
- Conduct knowledge-sharing and learning events like workshops or webinars on innovation in the supply of digital financial products.
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
Digital and innovation
- Digital inclusion: Knowledge of how digital inclusion works, opportunities and challenges for governments and society.
Digital & Innovation
- Alternative finance: Ability to identify potential alternative forms of finance and mobilise them for the purpose of addressing development challenges; Ability to review the skills, capacities, procedures and protocols that are needed to enable new financial mechanisms; Ability to assess the risks, limitations and implications of using new financial mechanisms; Set up the processes and structures to design, testing and implement new financial mechanisms. Managing outreach and stakeholder engagement.
Business Direction & Strategy
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks, and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.
- 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 and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
Business Management
- Partnerships Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNCDF strategy and policies.
- Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Required Skills and Experience:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, social or development studies, business administration, or a related field is required, or
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.
- Minimum 5 years (with Master´s degree) or 7 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of experience working in the digital financial inclusion sector in operations or consulting role, preferably at a senior level.
- At least 3 years of professional experience working in the field of agriculture value chains, value chain digitization, or agriculture finance in low-fidelity, low-resource environments is an asset.
- Demonstrated project management experience, including multi-tasking to lead and execute multiple time-sensitive projects in parallel is an asset.
- Experience in multi-lateral organizations like the UN, WBG, ADB, etc. would be an advantage.
- Experience engaging a diverse set of public and private sector stakeholders, regulators, government departments, and industry associations would be preferable.
- Experience in the Pacific particularly PNG would be an advantage.
- Experience in implementing DFS initiatives in UNCDF focus countries/emerging economies would be an asset.
- Open to working with challenging projects in a challenging environment.
- Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work.
- Strong networking, interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills.
- Strong analytical, reporting, and writing abilities skills.
- Experience in managing clients and partners—from early-stage companies to mature organizations.
- Solution-focused and medium-agnostic, willing to step out of your core skill set or discipline to find the correct solution to a challenge.
- Results-driven, problem-solver with structuring and analytic capabilities.
- Strong ability to plan and act strategically, even in situations of ambiguity, to develop tangible solutions.
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Required Languages:
- English
