Background and Organizational Context
General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.
UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.
As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, UNOs, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders. UNCDF’s work is focused on six priority areas, including:
Sub-national and local infrastructure financing Women owned enterprise financing Nature and climate financing Energy and decarbonization finance Sustainable food systems financing Inclusive digital financeFollowing a recent restructuring, UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by the Executive Board of United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and performs the function of the Executive Board of UNCDF.
In Uganda, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has embarked on a strategic initiative to bridge the financing, capacity and technology gaps for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The initiative focuses on unlocking financing for four (4) key last mile segments:
Aspiring Entrepreneurs: These are entrepreneurs that are having trouble starting a new business and need development support and financing to launch operations. UNCDF tackles this by connecting them with graduation programs. These programs equip these entrepreneurs with the financial literacy and business management skills necessary to operate more formally and prepare them for accessing financial services offered by local institutions. High-Growth Technology Start-ups: The burgeoning tech startup scene in Uganda presents exciting possibilities for innovation and job creation. However, these young businesses require a different set of resources. UNCDF supports service providers who help refine their ideas, develop business plans, and attract angel investors. Additionally, UNCDF works to crowd in international capital and expertise to more mature start-ups looking for support to accelerate their scale. Low-Growth Microenterprises: These are generally informal businesses, often run by individuals with limited business experience, and may lack the formalization required for traditional loans. UNCDF collaborates with innovative fintech companies to develop data-driven credit assessment models that can evaluate the creditworthiness of even the smallest businesses, traditionally overlooked by traditional lenders. Low-Growth Small Businesses: These more established businesses often face difficulties accessing credit due to perceived high risk or cumbersome loan processes. UNCDF bridges the gap by collaborating with commercial banks. This collaboration aims to streamline loan application processes and develop financial products specifically tailored to the needs and growth potential of small businesses.The FinWise Uganda project is structured around four components as detailed below.
Component 1 Derisking Financing Facility – providing FSPs and other ecosystem actors with blended, derisking finance to better finance micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs. Component 2: Investment readiness support: Building Ecosystem actors’ capacity and deploying digital tools to support the investment readiness of micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs. Component 3: Financial Sector Development Support Building capacity of financial service providers and local fund manager, establishing partnerships and business rationale for financing micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs. Component 4: Knowledge & Advocacy for Responsible Financing: Increasing Policy makers’ capacity and access to information - to develop, implement and monitor policies and strategies that foster capital flows and financial health of micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneursThe Project aims to achieve the following outcomes:
Public and private capital flows to micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs are catalysed (sector outcome) Micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs have the capacity, tools and capital to improve economic performance and resilience, with a specific focus on women-owned and women-led businesses (client outcome) Financial Service Providers and other ecosystem actors scale gender-sensitive models to support and finance micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs (stakeholder outcome)Policies and strategies that enable capital flows and financial health of micro- and small businesses, technology start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs are adopted and implemented (stakeholder outcome).
Duties and Responsibilities
The FinWise Uganda Project Coordinator will oversee the implementation and delivery of the FinWise Projectin Uganda. This role involves leading both technical and operational teams, managing the programme's workplan and budget, and ensuring effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of results and impact. The coordinator will engage key stakeholders, foster thought leadership around the FinWise Strategy, and promote UNCDF’s investment mandate. Additionally, the Project Coordinator will serve as the primary liaison with donors and play an active role in resource mobilization efforts.
1.) Lead project team at country level, coordinate all internal functions needed to deliver on the FinWise Project in Uganda
Supervise team members and consultants as needed to deliver on project activities. Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to project team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment. Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide constructive feedback to team members to support their professional development. Foster a culture of learning and continuous improvement within the project team, encouraging knowledge sharing and skills development. Ensure alignment and effective communication between internal functions, such as operations, finance, and technical teams, to meet project objectives. Ensure alignment and effective communication with the regional and corporate structure and instructions2.) Manage FinWise project implementation in Uganda, including prepare annual work planning, budgeting, procurement, operational and financial management and stakeholder engagement.
Provides strategic oversight of planning, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring of the FinWise Project in Uganda tracking use of financial resources in accordance with UNCDF/ UNDP rules and regulations. Ensure that various FinWise project documents (multi-year, annual, quarterly, operational work plans, procurement plans, budgets and reports) required for the proper functioning of the project are developed monitored and completed on time according to the required quality standards and updated. Coordinate project activities with relevant government activities and initiatives, UNCDF strategy, country programme document and UNSDCF; Ensure the grants and loans with responsible parties are well managed and produce the results as per the respective agreements. Conduct timely projects, budget and grant reviews, revisions and monitoring, and complete related reporting obligations, in accordance with UNDP /UNCDF policies, UN rules and regulations as well as applicable donors’ requirements Monitor project risks, develop mitigation strategies, and ensure that project activities of the FInWise initiative in Uganda remain on track. Set up a robust systems to monitor the progress of activities, compare actual performance with planned objectives, and identify any deviations. Manage FinWise project budgets, monitoring the financial situation of the Projects to ensure adherence to delivery rates and utilization of resources to meet agreed upon targets and results, and revise financial reports.3.) Manage project results measurement - monitoring, measuring and reporting programme results and impact. This includes preparation of documentation to report to key stakeholders: donors, UNRCO (UNSCDF), project board, various technical working groups, government partners
Maintain the quality assurance and the validation of the relevant data (indicators, targets, results) in the established information management system for measuring the qualitative and quantitative impact, and report on the progress; Revise and supervise the preparation of Project and Donor annual/ biannual / Quarterly reports and donor reports, focusing on results, output and outcomes. Contribute to UNCDF reports.4.) Manage project knowledge management, partnerships and relationship management
Lead communication initiatives towards building UNCDF and FinWise awareness, raise the visibility and promote results from the FinWise Project, and build thought leadership around UNCDF’s mandate and the FinWise strategy. Maintain close working relationships with all relevant stakeholders and partners to ensure adequate information flow and cooperation among the project’s participating institutions, in particular, with the Project board, government and industry stakeholders and the donor community Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice Lead the Identification and formulation lessons learned and recommendations to improve FinWise Project delivery and build on the thought leadership needs of the Project; Explore strategic partnerships (joint advocacy, social mobilization, etc.) around goals and objectives central to UNCDF’s mandate and the FinWise strategy5.) Contribute to resource mobilization and donor engagement
Maintain smooth, strong and strategic working relations with donors, regional and national actors at Governmental and non-governmental level, as well as with the international community and partners at large; Explore and identify new initiatives and partnerships for further UNCDF Engagement in Uganda with a view to expand the portfolio of UNCDF in MSME financing and to ensure sustainability and growth of the FinWise Project; Engage proactively and closely with the UN Country Team with a view to designing and implement joint programmes where relevant and participate in joint resource mobilization activities relating to MSMe financing ; Establishes close working relationships and creates programmatic linkages with relevant government agencies; UN Agencies, IFI’s, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector and civil society; Suggests programmatic areas of co-operation based on UNCDF´s strategic goals, country needs and donor priorities; Identifies funding opportunities for FinWise Project in Uganda Identifies and supports development of national partnerships for service provision to projects in areas such as monitoring, training, and others; Actively engange at external meetings within his/her area of programming; Review and submit high quality donor’s reports. Collaborate with the regional office team on positioning and advocating for goals and objectives central to UNCDF’s mandate, With support from the regional team, originate and pitch new concept notes and proposals to potential donors.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangement
The FinWise Uganda Project Coordinator will report to the Technical Advisor Inclusive Finance and FinTech-- East and Southern Afric (IPSA 13). S/he will supervise a team of six people.
This is an office-based position in Kampala, Uganda.
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.
People Management
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found at the dedicated site site
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area Name Definition
Business Management -Results Based Management
Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.Business Management - Portfolio Management
Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.Business Management - Partnership Management
Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civilsociety and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
Business Management – Communication
Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written andverbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, socialmedia and other appropriate channels.
Business Management - Monitoring& Evaluation
Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.Engagement & Effectiveness – Effectiveness
Project Quality AssuranceBusiness Direction and Strategy - System 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.Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA
Minimum Education requirements
Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Renewable Energy Development, Technology or a related discipline or related field is required, or A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.Minimum years of relevant work experience
A minimum of seven (7) years (with master’s degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in financial services and/or digital financial services in East and Southern Africa countries is required.Required skills
At least five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in project management, including project design, project coordination, monitoring and evaluation sector in inclusive finance for MSMEs and Fintechs is required. Demonstrated expertise in engaging and collaborating with multilateral and bilateral organizations, donors, private foundations as well as government bodies, to build partnerships and manage external relations is required.Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
Proven expertise in managing and supervising multi-million-dollar projects around the topics of digital, access to finance and innovation is highly desired. Expert knowledge and delivery experience of key challenges and opportunities in financing the last mile (MSMEs and technology startups), with a strong understanding of key underserved segments: women, youth, refugees, people living with a disability) is highly desired Proven experience in managing and supervising a diverse team of professionals is highly desired Track record of engagement with United Nations /UNDP /UNCDF and/or other development actors and donors is highly desired Proven track record of knowledge of UNCDF / UNDP's corporate policies and programmes is highly desired.Required Language(s)
Fluency in written and spoken English is required.The following documents shall be required from the applicants:
a) Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
b) A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
c) Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.
Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
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