UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 47 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 is jointly working with UNDP on a number of initiatives and regional financing instruments in the Arab region. Through a Funding to Financing strategy, UNCDF and UNDP aim to support member countries in socio-economic response including through increasing financing flows by empowering national institutions, mobilizing private sector capital, and fostering sustainable development. This approach aims to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while ensuring fiscal sustainability and resilience in partner countries.

As an example, in the State of Palestine, UNDP and UNCDF are collaborating to respond to the severe economic challenges by identifying solutions to assist the financial sector’s resilience, address immediate challenges faced by the financial institutions, with the ultimate goal of supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and marginalized segments. At the same time, priority interventions aim to ensure that investment pathways are embedded in any upcoming recovery and restructuring efforts in Gaza with an involvement of robust financial sector. UNDP and UNCDF adopt a balanced approach of addressing the financial sector needs and empowering communities and private sector to access finance and create jobs, in collaboration with national and local government and other relevant partners, contributing to a resilient ecosystem that copes with crisis and advances socio-economic prospects  across various levels.

Likewise in Jordan, UNCDF and UNDP are formulating a comprehensive initiative with the Government “The Jordan Valley Green Economic Corridor” which sets out a bold vision for sustainable development in the Jordan Valley region. Through strategic investments, innovative financing solutions, and multi-stakeholder partnerships, the corridor aims to unlock the region’s green economic potential while safeguarding its natural resources for future generations.

Similarly, UNCDF and UNDP are working to design and establish a regional guarantee facility to bolster domestic banks and financing institutions, enabling them to channel vital capital towards private sector development and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). By bridging financial gaps and mitigating risk, this pilot initiative will play a pivotal role in fostering economic growth and enhancing strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the financial and public sectors for the acheivment of the SDGs.

UNCDF is therefore seeking an expert in the financial sector with a strong emphasis on MSMEs, microfinance and payment service providers,and investment funds 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 selected countries, as needed.

• Develop comprehensive project development strategies that effectively engage partners and beneficiaries, ensuring alignment with UNCDF’s goals and priorities.
• Spearhead the identification of critical technical issues within UNCDF’s Community of Practice focused on financial sector assistance, driving knowledge sharing and collaboration.
• Facilitate training sessions and knowledge-sharing platforms at national, regional, and global levels for government partners, empowering them with the necessary skills and insights to foster financial sector resilience.
• Contribute high-quality inputs and support the creation of UNCDF’s blogs, white papers, and reports, showcasing thought leadership and evidence-based insights.

Provide Technical Expertise to UNCDF’s Work on Open Ecosystems:

• Conceptualize, design, and pilot projects and scalable recommendations centered around open APIs and open data systems, driving innovation and inclusivity within financial ecosystems.
• Offer technical inputs to documents and presentations for private and public sector convenings, advocating for open innovation and the expansion of open payments ecosystems.
• Lead the drafting of materials for UNCDF at various working groups focused on financial inclusion, leveraging insights from market analyses and field experiences to inform discussions and decision-making processes.

Conduct Sectoral and Market Systems Analysis:

• Conduct rigorous market system research and surveys to assess the impact of UNCDF’s interventions, providing valuable insights to shape future strategies and interventions.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with senior officials to garner support and buy-in for UNCDF’s financial inclusion initiatives, fostering collaborative relationships that drive sustainable impact.
• Engage with diverse ecosystem stakeholders to disseminate key insights from market analyses and field experiences, enhancing UNCDF’s visibility and thought leadership in the inclusive digital innovation space.
• Develop knowledge and learning documents that distill insights and lessons learned, amplifying UNCDF’s influence and impact within the sector.

Provide Technical Advisory to Selected UNCDF Grantees:

• Facilitate ideation sessions with partners to refine project activities, target markets, and product options, leveraging market research to inform decision-making.
• Contribute to comprehensive assessments of risk and capacity issues among grantees, establishing benchmarks and providing tailored advisory services to mitigate risks and enhance capacity.
• Offer expert guidance to partner institutions on product development and solution design, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and UNCDF’s objectives.
• Contribute to the drafting and review of policy documents, manuals, and specifications related to innovative finance, fostering an enabling environment for sustainable growth.
• Document and analyze the innovation journey and customer impact resulting from partnership initiatives, collaborating closely with the results and insights team to capture key learnings and outcomes.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

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: Strategic Thinking

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNCDFs 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 & respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments & possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Business Direction & Strategy: Systems 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 Management: Results-based Management    

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance & demonstrable results

Digital & Innovation: Policy/regulations for digital and emerging technology    

•     Ability to design or advise on regulations and policy for digital and emerging technology.

Business Management: Communication    

• Ability to 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

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 Management: Portfolio Management    

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment

Required  skills:

• Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and web-based management systems, and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.

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

• At least 5 years of experience  in current payment technologies (e.g., mobile financial services, pre-paid/reloadable cards), including familiarity with policy, legal, and regulatory aspects of inclusive payment technologies
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in one or more specialized areas: digital finance, API integration, mobile and digital payments, digitization of various payment types, digital identity, regulation of digital financial services, data protection, e-KYC and/or financial literacy.
• Proven experience in Policy/regulations for digital and emerging technology
• Track record in identifying potential alternative forms of finance and mobilizing them to address development challenges

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is desired.