Partnership and Outreach Coordinator, IPSA 10 – UNCDF – NAT – Kigali, Rwanda
JOB DETAIL
UNCDF, a hybrid development and financial organization, is uniquely positioned in the UN system to collaborate across private and public sectors to build strategic partnerships, co-management frameworks, and deploy various instruments (concessional loans, bonds, guarantees, etc.) as well as technical assistance to incubate solutions and attract private investment. UNCDF recognizes the critical need to catalyze private investment in inclusive and innovative solutions that deliver cross-cutting impacts for sustainable development with a focus on peace, climate adaptation and resilience, food security and nature conservation.
UNCDF launched a new Strategic Framework for 2022-2025 that offers an ambitious roadmap aimed at unlocking the potential of finance to accelerate SDG-positive achievements for the benefit of the most vulnerable nations. In particular, the new UNCDF Framework highlights biodiversity finance as a severely underfunded climate mitigation solution and propose to apply UNCDF multidimensional capital mandate to mobilize further public and private, international and domestic finance in LDCs through concessional capital deployment, financial advisory and support for the establishment of financing mechanisms and systems that promotes the valuation of the LDC unique natural assets potential.
UNCDF intent is to support LDCs to create an enabling environment for nature-positive pipeline building, investments and market opportunities that create equitable and diversified economic growth. The essence of this transformation is a strategic shift from viewing nature as a resource to treating nature as an asset. This represents a very different view to natural resource investing wherein nature is commoditized for short run gain and its long run economic and nature-based value is not taken into consideration. In order to support this strategic shift, UNCDF is consolidating its growing nature-based portfolio into a Nature Assets Team (UNCDF NAT). UNCDF’s Nature Assets Team’s objective is to identify solutions, drive investment, and transform markets to promote the protection and enhanced valuation of nature assets. Through UNCDF’s tailored financial vehicles and tools, the Nature Assets Team focuses on scaling-up investment in solutions that place nature at the heart of economic transition to enable long-term resilience and restoration.
The Partnership and Outreach Coordinator offers critical support to the organization’s endeavours, particularly to the Nature Assets Team (NAT). He/She will be tasked with identifying partnership opportunities aligned with NAT’s mandate. This role actively contributes to the development and implementation of investment plans across diverse portfolios. The primary focus lies in ensuring compliance with partner requirements, aiding in proposal development, and managing co-financing tools for sustainable finance. Additionally, this role involves comprehensive coordination, liaison with UN agencies and partners, and support to the formulation of robust strategies aimed at reinforcing the organization’s impactful outcomes and sustainability initiatives.
Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Director of the Nature Assets Team, the Coordinator will conduct the following tasks:
a) Strategic Partnerships:
- Identify partnership opportunities within the framework of NAT’s mandate through comprehensive horizon scans and analysis of the competitive landscape.
- Support the development and implementation of investment plans across diverse portfolios in alignment with partner needs.
- Contribute to the formulation of donors reporting, ensuring compliance with partner requirements and standards.
- Coordinate consultations with both existing and potential partners, fostering relationships and collaboration.
b) Due Diligence:
- Support the assessment process of prospective investees and prepare the required documentation.
- Draft investment notes, meeting minutes and memorandums ensuring a through documentation during the various stages of the investment process.
- Develop approaches to ensure that the lessons learned from the transactional work are captured and disseminated.
c) Knowledge Management and Communication:
Support the development and implementation of effective communication strategies to ensure clear and timely dissemination of information to relevant stakeholders, including UN agencies, partners, and internal teams.
Establish a robust system for knowledge capture, documentation, and sharing of lessons learned, facilitating continuous improvement and informed decision-making.
Collaborate across teams to enhance organizational learning, ensuring that insights and experiences are harnessed and integrated into future strategies and initiatives.
d) The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization
Institutional Arrangement
He/she will join the UNCDF NAT in the UNCDF’s Kigali Office in Rwanda, and will be working under the direct guidance and supervision of the Deputy Director of the NAT.
UNCDF will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only in the event that the function will be undertaken physically in the duty station and exclude working-from-home arrangements.
If any unforeseen travel is requested by UNCDF and not required by the Terms of References (ToR), such travel shall be negotiated to be covered by UNCDF in line with applicable rules and regulations and upon prior written agreement. In such cases, the individual shall receive living allowances not exceeding the United Nations (UN) Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rate for such other location(s).
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 and Technical Competencies:
Thematic Area Name Definition
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 Development – Knowledge Generation
- Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need.
Business Development – UNCDF Representation
- Ability to represent UNCDF and productively share UNCDF knowledge and activities; advocate for UNCDF, its values, mission and work with various constituencies.
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.
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.
Business Management – Monitoring
- Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
Partnership Management – Relationship management
- Ability to engage with emerging partners, develop and manage a strategy and develop approaches to developing and managing these new strategic partnerships.
Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA
Min. Education requirements
- Advanced university degree (Master´s degree or equivalent) in Public Administration, International Relations and/or other relevant field is required, or
- First level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) with additional two years of experience is considered in lieu of Advanced University Degree
Min. years of relevant work experience
- Minimum five (5) years ( with Master’s degree)or seven (7) years (with Bachelor) of progressively responsible work experience in partnership development, coordination, project management preferably in international development field is required.
Required skills
- Gained experience or extended understanding of sustainable finance and climate financing tools.
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
- Prior experience in cultivating and managing partnerships, ideally in a relevant sector.
- Experience in identifying challenges or obstacles in partnership negotiations and develop creative solutions to overcome them.
- Experience in working effectively as part of a team, collaborating with colleagues from other teams to support partnership initiatives.
- Strong ability/experience to communicate and function effectively in an international and multicultural environment.
- Experience working with partners or organisations in Africa is preferable.
Required Language(s)
- Proficiency of spoken and written English.
- Fluency in French would be a strong asset.
