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. 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 broad diversity of SDGs.

Position Context:

The Results & Strategic Planning Specialist is responsible for organization-wide results measurement, strategic planning coordination and leadership on results and reporting requirements for the entire organization, working closely with Senior Management, Practices’ Managers and Partnerships and Policy Colleagues.

The Results & Strategic Planning Specialist will work with all practice teams, as the Organizational Results Measurement Focal Point to ensure adequate coordination and consistent application of all Results Management and strategic planning issues, under the guidance and supervision of UNCDF Senior management. Further, he/she will work with respective practices/teams’ Results Measurement teams/focal points to ensure consistent understanding and application of standard impact measurement and monitoring frameworks and methods throughout the organization.

The Results & Strategic Planning Specialist’s substantive work-result will to be contributing to the improvements in system wide results measurement & reporting, through all the phases of the programming cycle; enhancing aid effectiveness by providing strategic and operational guidance to implement  UNCDF results-based management strategy and contributing to supporting the results-oriented focus of UN Reform through the design and management of an adequate system to measure system-wide reform process results and development results.

The Results & Strategic Planning Specialist is also responsible to coordinate and liaise proactively with various UNDP Units as well as other UN agencies. DFIs etc., to ensure an integrated approach to results-based management and lead the development of an effective organizational results monitoring and impact measurement framework/system of all UNCDF programme activities.

This P-4 managerial role is an integral part of PMSU team and will report directly to the Deputy Executive Secretary UNCDF and supervise the Programme Finance Specialist (P3) and Business Intelligence Analyst (P2).  The incumbent is expected to work in close collaboration with the Practice Team Leaders/Managers, Unit Heads of Evaluation, Partnerships and Policy units and Office of Finance & Management Services (FMS).

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

The Results & Strategic Planning Specialist will perform the following functions:

• Lead the development of the organization’s results measurement Framework and the Results & Impact Measurement of UNCDF programme processes and development results
• Coordinate the Strategic Planning & Reporting processes, across the organization
• Ensure the application of Results-Based Management in the Delivering as One Initiative
• Develop knowledge networking and partnership building for RBM and other organizational/strategic initiatives

1.  Lead the development of the organization’s Results Measurement (RM) Framework and the Results and Impact Measurement of UNCDF programme processes and development results.

• Design and set-up a comprehensive RM framework (including systems, tools, reports and indicators)
• Work with all practices, programme and units to ensure adequate coordination and consistent application of Results Management and Impact measurement frameworks;
• Lead development and implementation of the results measurement framework through collaboration;
• Work with Practices’ Results Measurement teams to ensure consistent understanding and application of standard impact measurement and monitoring frameworks and methods throughout the programming and strategic framework lifecycle;
• Lead/contribute to the aggregation and analysis of results data, and support donor reporting on development results;
• When needed (particularly for projects with performance incentives), support the operational staff in conducting additional data quality checks and verifications;
• Support the development and implementation of all strategic discussions around results measurement issues with Senior management in UCNDF, UNDP and with the Executive Board;
• Plan, organize and deliver updated guidance material and training on Results Measurement related issues to all relevant programming and operational staff;
• Ensure data quality assurance and reporting of results in line with corporate guidelines and standard impact measurement and monitoring frameworks, ensuring the inclusion of indicators related to the different customer segments and sectors, gender issues and gender and age disaggregated data;
• Disseminate the M&E standards, design and criteria to UNCDF programmes and partners by providing guidance, trainings and M&E system development support at the regional and country level in order to improve overall programme effectiveness and enhance accuracy of reporting;
• Contribute to measurement of perceptions of partners, stakeholders and staff well-being through surveys as needed.

2.     Coordinate the Strategic Planning & reporting processes, across the organization

• Manage the preparation and dissemination of other results-oriented reports, as well as briefing documents and other publications relating to the UNCDF programme implementation and delivery in LDC countries;
• Support the implementation and monitoring of UNCDF activities as per the Results and Resources Framework (RRF);
• Manage the strategic results /impact measurement components of the UNCDF Strategic Framework 2022-2025;
• Work with senior management on harmonized Corporate results dashboard development and management;
• Ensure that UNCDF RBM database is kept up to date;
• Provide guidance and advice on the design and conduct of evaluations of UNCDF projects and programmes, with focus on impact and results measurement;
• Support the organization-wide preparatory process of Annual Reviews, Executive Board Presentations and results delivery/presentation to a variety of internal and external audiences;
• Provide guidance in consolidating UNCDF Annual Reports, with focus on showcasing strategic results and impact.

3.     Ensure the application of Results-Based Management (RBM) in the Delivering as One Initiative

• Advise on enhancing RBM for evidence-based decision-making in planning, programming, budgeting and resource allocation within UNCDF;
• Provide guidance and technical assistance to the Practice Area Team Leaders in the area of annual planning, performance monitoring, reviews and reporting;
• Provide guidance and develop initiatives to enhance RBM knowledge and skills of UNCDF staff;
• Support the development and operationalization of joint programming with other UN agencies as well as the financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of projects, identification of operational and financial problems, and the development of solutions;
• Support in the participation of audits and follow up on audit recommendations;
• Prepare aggregate reports on activities, outputs and outcomes as well as donor reports;
• Provide support in the planning process towards capacity building of staff on RBM/Impact measurement issues;

4.     Knowledge networking and partnership building for RBM

• Develop plans to enhance knowledge networking, sharing best practices and technical expertise within the UNCDF with a view to fostering an integrated approach of the three practice areas;
• Lead as Facilitator and RBM focal point for UNCDF;
• Coordinate the RBM/WG in providing technical guidance and assistance in M&E, fostering dialogue amongst the UNCDF staff and developing concrete suggestions to further the objectives of the fund;
• Work with Partnerships and Communications Teams on Corporate / Executive Board results updates / briefings / presentations.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

• Programme Finance Specialist, P3
• Business Intelligence Analyst, P2

Expected Demonstration of Competencies

Core

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

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Effectiveness    

• Global monitoring of SDG 17 indicators
• IRRF design, implementation and monitoring
• Performance analysis on programming
• Performance and data analysis and sharing lessons
• Programmatic Risk Management and Analysis
• Quality assurance of corporate data
• RBM standards and practices for programming
• Stakeholder Response Mechanism
• Systems and tools for managing risk
• System-wide approaches to strategic planning and results
• Thematic evaluation management responses

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – SDG Integration  

•  SDG Acceleration and Bottleneck Assessment
• SDG Monitoring and Reporting
• Southern development solutions network and exchange platform

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Strategic Policy Engagement

• Identifying SDG accelerators
• Meso and macro-level impact and needs assessments
• Strategic policy advice in the context of Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (FfD)
• Strategic policy advice in the context of the G20
• Strategic policy advice in the context of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)

Business Management: Relationship Management  

• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
• Business Management: Multistakeholder engagement and funding
• Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multistakeholder funding platforms

Business Management: Results Based Management key concepts and techniques

• Ability to apply key RBM concepts and other techniques to assess programme / project design, implementation, and monitoring
• Ability to apply the concept of Theory of Change from actions to outputs and from outputs to outcomes

Keywords:

• SDG
• Results-based management
• Strategic Planning