Access to Finance Specialist (Open to Internal & External Applicants)

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

With the launch of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), UNDP has committed to leveraging its presence in 46 African countries, to play its part in facilitating regional integration and intra-African Trade. Through its Africa Promise, UNDP recognizes that increasing intra-African trade will accelerate opportunities to empower youth and women creating alternative livelihood options for young people in particular, who account for three-quarters of the African population. UNDP will therefore, work with African countries and institutions to turn this demographic dividend into a driving force for economic change, including through entrepreneurship, employment, and economic empowerment.

The Enhancing Capacities of Young Women and Youth-Led Enterprises for Regional Trade (ECoWYERT) project builds on this commitment and is aimed at building resilience and alleviating poverty by enhancing capacities of women and youth-led MSMEs to leverage AfCFTA opportunities. The project seeks to unlock the challenge of income generation and job creation by building the entrepreneurship, innovation, financial, and market-readiness capacities of youth - especially young women - in enterprise. These interventions will be in the form of access to finance, business development support, digital inclusion, and market access, along with enhancement of the policy, regulatory and collaborative environment while amplifying the youth voice.

Interventions seek to increase the productivity of women and youth-led businesses, helping them tap into regional value chains while facilitating provision of youth-friendly financial and ecosystem services particularly targeted at young women. Funded by the Mastercard Foundation and coordinated by UNDP, the project will be co-implemented by UNDP, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), and the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) in six countries – Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe with a Project Implementation Unit (PIU), based in Lusaka, Zambia.

UNDP is therefore seeking the services of an Access to Finance Specialist to establish and manage the Grants and Revolving Fund components of the project with a focus on micro and small enterprises. The duty station is Lusaka, Zambia.

Duties and Responsibilities

The post will be responsible for implementation of the Grants and Revolving Fund components of the project, focused on advancing finance for cross-border traders and MSMEs as a key pathway to dignified and fulfilling work for young people, particularly women. This includes taking the lead in the design, implementation, portfolio monitoring and evaluation, and risk management of related operations and interventions. The post holder will also be responsible for related beneficiary oversight, establishing strategic partnerships and partner management in relation to the Grants and Revolving Fund and broader access to finance for micro and small enterprise project beneficiaries. Responsibilities will be as follows:

1) Lead the establishment of the Grants and Revolving Fund components of the project

• Lead the design and structuring of impact driven, innovative blended finance facilities, specifically, the project Grants and Revolving Fund components;
• Identification, appraisal, due diligence, contracting and onboarding of strategic partners including private sector (BSOs, SACCOs) and public sector partners.

2) Ensure effective disbursement of the project Grants and Revolving Fund to project participants

• Project beneficiary pipeline review and due diligence ensuring quality control and risk management;
• Deliver robust training-of-trainer programs to build the capacity of local partners and grassroot financial institutions for onward training on financial literacy and financial management to MSMEs in line with project objectives;
• Collaborate with internal and external teams including project staff, finance team, legal team and other partner organizations to ensure coordinated, effective and seamless implementation of project deliverables;
• Oversight and management of the Grants and Revolving component of the project and relevant partners, consultants and beneficiaries;
• Plan, implement and facilitate stakeholder convenings in relation to the Grants and Revolving Fund and broader access to finance elements of the project, including workshops, round-tables, webinars, fostering interactive sessions and tangible outcomes and implementation roadmaps;
• Ensure integration of youth, gender mainstreaming and disability inclusion in all areas of responsibility, working closely with UNDP, ITC and partner gender and other inclusion experts to define an implementation strategy that ensures more than 70% benefit for women.

3) Ensure robust monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the performance of the Grants and Revolving Fund

• In collaboration with the project M&E Specialist, develop risk assessment frameworks, disbursement strategies and monitoring frameworks for the Grants and Revolving Fund components of the project, ensuring strict alignment with overall project frameworks;
• Manage and report on activity budgets, prepare detailed technical and financial reports for the Grants and Revolving Fund and conduct associated financial analysis in collaboration with the project Finance and Admin Specialist;
• Conduct impact monitoring and evaluation of the Grants and Revolving Fund components of the project and associated activities;
• Review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed, and recommend corrective actions. Liaise with relevant parties, identify and track follow-up actions;
• Participate in field missions, including provision of substantive strategic support and engagement;
• Identify and mitigate project risks, ensuring adaptive management and timely resolution of implementation challenges.

4) Participate in knowledge-building and knowledge-sharing activities of the Project

• Carry out in-depth research on the Access to Finance aspects of the project, including emerging issues and trends, risks and market gaps, to include collecting, analyzing and presenting statistical data and other information gathered from diverse sources;
• Support the development of research-based business cases for tailored financial products relevant to ECoWYERT target sectors and collaborate with financial actors to support adoption into their portfolio strategies;
• Optimize relevant data, information and analytics to support institutional engagements with ECoWYERT partners and relevant Governments;
• Contribute to the preparation of project knowledge products and project communications;
• Provide orientation to project staff, project participants and partners on the Grant and Revolving Fund aspects of the project;
• Participate in relevant sector and project-related convenings;
• Promote knowledge sharing, documentation of lessons learned, and dissemination of best practices to inform future programming and policy;
• Contribute to the project’s knowledge management and learning agenda.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Project.

Institutional Arrangement

The Access to Finance Specialist works under the dual supervision of the ITC Senior Access to Finance Officer and the ECoWYERT Project Manager, and in close collaboration with the Project Team. Work implies frequent interaction with Project staff, senior officers and technical staff in UNDP and ITC, officials in national governments, financial institutions, community members, community-based organizations, private corporates, international organizations, consultants and other project partners.

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

Business Development: Knowledge Facilitation

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

Business Development: 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. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Development: 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

Business Development: Knowledge Generation

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need

External Relations & Advocacy: Advocacy strategy and implementation

• Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change

External Relations & Advocacy: Brand & quality management

• Ability to position a UNDP brand and uphold it to a high level of quality

Business Direction & Strategy: Systems 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Finance, Business Administration, Actuarial Science, Management, Economics or a related field OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above fields in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in banking, impact finance, development finance or similar with sound knowledge of structuring blended finance.

Required Skills

• 5 -7 years progressively responsible experience in designing, structuring and implementing innovative and blended finance initiatives;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc);
• Strong financial analysis skills/experience;
• Demonstrable experience in building effective relationships and working with partners in the public and private (financial) sector;
• In depth understanding of MSME financing needs and challenges including in the informal trade sector;
• Advanced professional and technical writing and communication skills/experience.

Desired Skills

• Work experience in an international organizations or government institution would be an asset;
• Demonstrable experience working in UN/ UNDP projects or similar development projects is a distinct advantage;
• Experience in working with national counterparts in project implementation is desired;
• Experience in designing, structuring and implementing innovative and blended finance initiatives for grassroot level financing;
• Comprehensive understanding of small-scale trade in Africa, its dynamics and operations, especially concerning youth and women;
• In depth, understanding of financing needs and barriers for nano, micro and small enterprises, especially youth and women led enterprises in regional trade related sectors in Africa;
• Experience in designing, administering and managing grants to small enterprises;
• Proficient in result-oriented project management, especially in projects involving youth, women and sustainable development;
• Prior experience with the UN System, especially in roles related to SME finance would be an advantage;
• Knowledge of the UN system and procedures or experience working with Mastercard Foundation projects would be an asset;
• Working level knowledge of French would be an asset.

Language Requirement

• Proficiency in both written and spoken English is essential.

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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

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