Loan Guarantee Scheme and Credit Risk Management Specialist (National Consultant)
Location : Dili, Timor Leste
Application Deadline : 02-Apr-21
(Midnight New York, USA)
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : National Consultant
Languages Required : English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)
16-Apr-2021
Duration of Initial Contract : 9 months
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the Timor-Leste economy where poverty is 30%, multidimensional poverty is 46%, 20.3% of youth are not in employment, education nor training, and the economy is projected to be contracting by 6.8% because of the pandemic. COVID-19-related factors have negatively impacted small farmers, people living in remote areas, urban settlements with limited infrastructure, and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and amplified the challenges caused by climate change, inadequate social safety net, and poor governance.
In such a context, UNDP Supporting Entrepreneurship and Employment for Women and Youth Project (SEEWAY) is a response to this current situation and support for recovery in terms of access to finance to MSMEs and enhancement of employability and readiness for the labour market of young men and women in Timor-Leste. This project will focus on the following: (i) better preparedness and recovery of MSMEs from COVID-19 impacts; (ii) provide additional income and employment opportunities to vulnerable groups, including women, people with disability, poor, and unemployed youth; (iii) follow up COVID-19 Socio-economic Impact Assessment conducted, and findings shared.
Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Timor-Leste are in need of financial assistance in the form of loans, grants, or direct inputs (e.g. agricultural inputs) for recovery from the COVID crisis. Through this initiative, UNDP Consultant will support both the demand and supply side of ensuring access to finance.
UNDP has already been supporting the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, and Industry (MTCI) and National Commercial Bank of Timor-Leste (BNCTL) to establish a loan guarantee facility (LGF) based on a comprehensive assessment of the demand and supply aspects of access to finance. This facility was launched in September 2020 with the aim of de-risking loans (guarantees for collaterals) and lowering the interest rate down to 3% (from the weighted average lending rate of 12%) for start-up and social enterprises that otherwise would not qualify for bank loans. However, it needs to be improved before becoming fully established as its procedures, SOPs, committees, application forms, and other mechanisms are not yet fully operational. UNDP Consultant will continue to provide technical support and policy advice, in collaboration with UNCDF whenever possible, to MTCI and BNCTL to develop options for various loan products, eligibility criteria for applicants, application procedures, evaluation criteria and mechanisms, and SOPs to turn this first-ever scheme in the country as a viable solution to solve the problem of access to finance for MSMEs. UNDP will also build data analysis capacity (of risks, loans, results) and quality reporting.
On the demand side of this problem, UNDP Consultant will work with the MSMEs to build their capacity to access the loans. It will provide technical support to the MSMEs to enhance their readiness to recover their business and expand, meet the eligibility criteria to access the loan from BNCTL, and support them in putting together their application. This would entail providing support to develop viable business plans for recovery and scale-up, developing organizational aspects that are needed to meet the criteria for eligibility, and ensuring that the MSMEs develop the capacity to conduct sound cost-benefit analysis and projections. The consultant will work closely with the Institute to Assist Entrepreneurship Development (IADE) to coordinate trainings, counselling, and business support services for MSME.
Duties and Responsibilities
The national consultant is expected to share national and international best practices and provide inputs to the measurement, underwriting, collection, and collateral resolution processes, including proposed financial terms, of the proposed Facility. The consultant will work closely with the MTCI team, BNCTL, and relevant stakeholders (government, Loan Guarantee Committee, MSMEs, etc.) and provide guidance to MTCI and BNCTL teams as well as loan applicants.
The scope of work for this assignment will be largely around the following key functions:
Task 1: Development of underwriting procedures for Loan Guarantee Committee
The consultant will assist the MTCI team on LGF procedures and ensure those procedures are harmonized with BNCTL underwriting procedures. Together with MTCI teams, the consultant will develop a list of all key stakeholders for consultations and prepare, organize and conduct a workshop/ roundtable to discuss the measurement, underwriting, collection, and collateral resolution processes. Upon which the LGF procedure will be set forth.
Task 2: Technical assistance to Loan Guarantee Committee and involved personnel of MTCI and BNCTL to manage Loan Guarantee Account
The consultant will be engaged together with the Social business coordinator of MTCI in developing, managing, and controlling the guarantee bank account created for the LGF as well as coordinate and conduct project Steering Committee meetings, to review the LGF activities and results, and take key decisions:
Task 3: Support to MSMEs to ensure eligibility and preparedness for the soft loans from BNCTL
The Consultant will work with the loan applicants/MSMEs to build their capacity to access the loans:
Task 4: Trainings for MTCI and BNCTL personnel
Trainings should be delivered to MTCI and BNCTL staff engaged in a loan guarantee scheme. The consultant will develop effective workshop and training materials incorporating case studies, related latest best and innovative trends, and practical examples in the materials, including the following:
Competencies
Language requirements:
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Experience:
Interested applicants are mandatory to apply online through https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=97750. Supporting documents/filled templates to be submitted along with the applications are following, and those templates can be download from https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=76518.
Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to [email protected]
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This vacancy is archived.