The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in 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’s financing models work through two channels:

• Financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives;
• And by showing how localized investments — through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance — can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development.

By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to SDG 1 on eradicating poverty and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs. Since 2008, UNCDF has supported digital finance with significant success, with digital finance currently the largest part of its inclusive finance portfolio. This includes digital innovations linked to off-grid energy, agriculture, employment, health and transport. UNCDF is also host to the Secretariat of the Better than Cash Alliance, a partnership of governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.

With many professionals with strong digital finance experience across the globe and several hundreds of projects on digital finance ongoing, UNCDF is one of the leading development agencies in digital finance with a mission and expertise to reach low-income customers in some of the world’s most difficult markets. Based on this experience UNCDF started in 2017 to expand the scope of its programmatic agenda to go beyond digital finance using its newly launched strategy “Leaving no one behind in the digital era”. Through this strategy it intends to move its focus from digital finance (DF) to digital economies which constitutes a logical integration of UNCDF experience in financial inclusion and digital, developed over many years. The legacy of UNCDF intervention programmes was built through a range of country/regional programmes and global thematic initiatives, which has established a very strong reputation for UNCDF vis-à-vis donors and peers.

The Programme Associate will be responsible for supporting the Country Lead – Kiribati in coordinating UNCDF’s work in Kiribati.  Last year UNCDF started to tailor its new strategy to the Pacific context with two complementary programme initiatives that are part of a more extensive portfolio approach to implement UNCDF’s strategy “Leaving no one behind in the digital era” in the Pacific region. These two programs are; The Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP) and the DFS for Resilience programme (DFS4Resilience). Furthermore, as a UN agency with a unique investment mandate, UNCDF is expanding its interventions that incorporate blended finance (grants, loans, guarantees and technical assistance) in various thematics ranging from the digital economy, climate change, and green/blue economy.

The Programme Associate will be responsible for activities, outputs, and outcomes under the above-mentioned programmes and the blended finance portfolio in Kiribati, under the supervision of the Country Lead. This involves working closely with UNCDF partners from the government, such as the central bank and ministries, the private sector, including but not limited to commercial banks, mobile network operators, fintechs, insurance companies, remittance service providers etc, as well as development partners, such as other UN Agencies, donor organizations and NGO’s.

• Assist the Country Coordinator for Kiribati in the management, coordination, and implementation of PDEP’s programming activities detailed in the work plan.
• Assist the Country Coordinator for Kiribati in developing a pipeline of inclusive and innovative projects and initiatives using UNCDF’s Technical Assistance facilities and blended finance instruments (e.g. grants, loans and guarantees).
• Assist the Country Coordinator for Kiribati in developing RFAs, project documents and monitoring the progress of projects and initiatives to ensure that their scope, budgets, and timelines are managed, risks are identified, and remedial steps are taken.
• Participate in project meetings (e.g. steering committees) and maintain regular contact with partners (e.g. field visits) to monitor the progress and quality of the implementation of projects and initiatives supported by the Programme,
• Represent UNCDF in workshops, conferences and other events and meetings in the absence of the Country Coordinator for Kiribati and assist in organizing events and meetings with stakeholders
• Assist and provide input into preparing project documents as applicable TORs, talking points briefing notes and presentations in areas including but not limited to the digital economy.
• Develop external knowledge products and presentations relating to inclusive digital economies and other related topics.

Results/Expected Outputs

• Robust relationships with PDEP Grantees, Government departments, financial services stakeholders, donors, and other development partners;
• A portfolio and pipeline of high-quality and innovative projects and other initiatives to support the development of the duty station country’s digital finance, digital economy, and SDG financing;
• Increased visibility and recognition by UNCDF’s stakeholders in the country for its expertise and capacity to deliver development outcomes for an inclusive digital economy.
• The strengthening of capacity through coaching, mentoring, and formal on-the-job training when working with national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (Ips).

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Management

• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
• 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 UNDP strategy and policies.
• Customer Satisfaction/Client Management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
• Digital Awareness and literacy: Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.
• 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
• Knowledge generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Digital & Innovation

• Digital Inclusion: Knowledge of how digital inclusion works opportunities and challenges for governments and society.