Job ID: 36214

Practice Area - Job Family: Management

Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 02/04/2021

Duty Station: Brussels, Belgium

Education & Work Experience: C-HS Graduate or Equivalent - 6 year(s) experience

Languages: English, French

Grade: G6

Vacancy Type: FTA Local

Posting Type: External

Bureau: UNCDF

Contract Duration: 2 Year with possibility for extension

Background

Organizational Context

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries (LDCs). 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. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies, which connects 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; (2) local development finance, which capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and (3) investment finance, which 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 SDG 1 on eradicating poverty with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

Since 2008, UNCDF has been supporting digital finance with significant success, with digital finance currently the largest part of its inclusive finance portfolio. This includes digital innovations linked to on an 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 in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.

With 60 professionals with strong digital finance experience across the globe and with several hundred projects in digital on-going, UNCDF is one of the leading development agencies in digital finance with a mission and expertise to reach very low-income customers in some of the world’s most difficult markets. UNCDF’s digital team and resources are currently spread across several programmes and UNCDF is in the process of consolidating its financial and technical resources to create a comprehensive team of experts in various domains to drive its newly-launched Digital Finance strategy “Leaving no one behind in the digital era”

Based on this experience UNCDF started in 2017 to expand the scope of its programmatic agenda to go beyond digital finance. Through the “Leaving none behind in the digital era” strategy, UNCDF is supporting, through its digital finance interventions, the emergence of inclusive digital economies. The strategy recognizes that reaching the full potential of digital financial inclusion in support of the SDGs aligns with the vision of promoting digital economies for the following reasons: The value of DFS is not obvious, especially to poor and vulnerable populations, as it is not closely linked to their ability to respond to their specific constraints and needs around agriculture, education, health, energy and other key aspects of their daily lives.

New innovative services should be developed to address these unmet needs. Innovation will not come from traditional providers but mainly from a range of new players (entrepreneurs, start-ups in various sectors, and platforms like Facebook, Grab, WeChat, etc.).

UNCDF's “Leaving no one behind in the digital era” strategy intends to move its focus only digital finance (DF) to digital economies builds upon and constitutes a logical integration of UNCDF interventions 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.

UNCDF Inclusive Digital Economies (IDE) Team has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on an “Africa Policy Accelerator” project to provide better digital financial services to millions of people. The project leverages UNCDF's presence in Africa and its regulatory technical assistance capacity.

The potential impact of implementing DFS regulatory reforms in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is considerable. The last Global Findex in 2017 found that 61.4% of adults in SSA do not have a formal financial account. At least 416M adults in Sub Saharan Africa are either unbanked or underbanked. The large-scale use of digital financial services in Africa has shown the potential to provide better services to millions of people who need them. Governments play an important role in facilitating better access, namely through smart policy and regulatory reforms.

Key regulatory constraints include lack of licensing for non-banks to offer payments and deposit accounts, restrictive agent regulations, which prevent the expansion of distribution networks, and account opening requirements which make it difficult for poor people to access DFS.

The UNCDF Policy Accelerator is uniquely positioned to work with governments to address these constraints and unlock the benefits of DFS.

Under the overall guidance of the Global Policy Specialist, the Programme Administrative Associate will ensure effective delivery of the Africa Policy Accelerator programme by supporting the programme implementation in accordance with UNCDF/UNDP Programme Policies and Operations rules and regulations.

The Programme Administrative Associate will play a critical role in supporting the workflow of the team.

He/She will support the effective management of key functions such as procurement, human resources, budget revisions and reporting, as well all clerical and administrative support for the programme.

The Progamme Administrative Associate will work in close collaboration with the operations and programme staff in the UNDP Brussels Office as well as in the UNCDF headquarters and will manage complex contracting, vendor management and budget-related issues.

This is a local GS recruitment, as per UNDP Recruitment and Selection framework, based in Brussels, Belgium.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Provides effective support to the programme team on procurement, budget and finance issues, in coordination with UNCDF Office of Finance & Management Services (OFMS)

Procurement and Contracting

  • Act as liaison with UNDP BRU procurement, HR and finance units and with UNCDF Financial and Management Services support, HR and finance units. Manage programme procurements with technical input from team, determine procurement strategy and requirements and implement procurement according to UNDP policies.
  • For local procurement - develop request for quotes (RFQs) for local vendors and local consultants, obtaining quotes, evaluating and propose vendors for selection. Monitor procurement with UNCDF FMS to ensure timely advertising and collection of quotes. Verify vendors’ eligibility and ensure they are in the UNCDF ATLAS system. Verify quality and receipt of goods.
  • For international procurement - propose strategies for international procurement with team input. Monitor international procurement with UNCDF FMS to ensure Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are adequately advertised and responses collected. Assist in the evaluation and finalization of the selection reports.
  • With input from team, prepare submissions to the UNDP Contracts, Assets and Procurement Committee, representing the team at meetings as needed.
  • With input from the team and UNCDF FMS, draft contracts and agreements, securing signature. Manage relationship with all programme vendors and consultants. Soliciting necessary forms and information, requesting evidence of completed tasks. Monitor contracts for timeliness and quality. Ensure that evaluation forms are solicited upon completion of work and results analyzed.

Budgets

  • Support Programme Manager in the creation of a project in Atlas and preparation of required budget revisions.
  • Making budget check for requisitions, POs and vouchers to confirm they are adequately labeled.
  • Develop annual budget for office expenditures.

Finance

  • Creation of requisitions in Atlas.
  • Responsible for requesting payments (against Purchase Order (PO) /contract/agreement, and non-PO payment vouchers), dispatching the same.
  • Requesting certificates of payment from consultants and preparing payment requests.
  • Assist the Project Manager to resolve questions related to budgets, payments, procurement and resources.
  • Maintenance of records on assets management, preparation of reports.
  • Maintenance of files and records relevant to office maintenance.
  • Provides effective administrative, office management and logistical support

Administration and Office Management

  • Custodian for management of office stationery supplies including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery as required by staff and keeping a log of distribution.
  • Maintenance of the filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials.
  • Provision of support to maintenance of common premises and common services.
  • Organization of shipments, customs clearance arrangements, preparation of documents for shipments and mail (received/sent).
  • Translation of simple correspondences, when needed.

Logistics and Travel

  • Arrangements of travel and hotel reservations, preparation of travel authorizations, processing requests for visas, identity cards and other documents.
  • Daily supplemental allowance (DSA) calculations for team and travel claims for team.
  • Administrative support to conferences, workshops, retreats.
  • Collection of information for DSA, travel agencies and other administrative surveys, support to organization of common services.
  • Coordinate and support all reporting requirements for funding partners with inputs from the Programme team.
  • Supports reporting requirements
  • Analysis of information on donors, preparation of donor’s profile.
  • Track and reporting on mobilized resources.
  • Liaise with UNCDF partnerships unit to finalize agreements with funding partners.
  • Review of contributions agreement, managing contributions in Atlas.
  • Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Contact Management

  • Contacts with visitors and staff, arrangement of appointments and meetings, acting as an interpreter when required and/or taking minutes.
  • Compilation and preparation of briefing and presentation materials, speeches, background information and documentation for meetings and missions.

Learning

  • Enroll and completion of online learning courses – including mandatory UNDP courses related to Atlas, internal processes, etc.
  • Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in programme.
  • Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on programme.

Competencies

Core competencies

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Level 3: Adapts deliverables to meet client needs

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 3: Proactively seeks and recognizes contributions of others

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Level 3: Appropriately involves team in different stages of work and decision-making

Communication & Relationship Management

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Level 3: Expresses information and views with adaptive reasoning and appreciation for complexity and variation

Delivery

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Level 3: Takes responsibility for addressing critical situations and delivering core value

Technical/Functional

Competencies

Client Orientation: Maintains effective client relationships

Level 2: Execute & Learn Performs defined tasks efficiently and deepens knowledge of area of work

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise: Fundamental knowledge of processes, methods and procedures

Level 3: Implement & Manage: Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work

Results-Based Programme Development and Management: Contributing to results through provision of information

Level 3: Implement & Manage: Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Basic research and analysis

Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things

Level 2: Execute & Learn Performs defined tasks efficiently and deepens knowledge of area of work

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Secondary Education, preferably with specialized certification in Management, Accounting or Finance.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences and Social Sciences would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

  • Six (6) years of progressively responsible administrative or programme experience or 3 years with a Bachelors’ degree is required at the national or international level.
  • Specialized training in office management and administration is highly desirable.
  • Experience with a UN organization/agency is desirable.
  • Experience with ATLAS and UNDP Procurement Processes is desired, but not a requirement.
  • Experience in managing reports.
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.
  • Some experience with written and verbal translation (English-French).

Language Requirements:

Fluency in both English and French is required. Excellent writing, verbal communication skills.

Disclaimer

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