Investment Specialist, IPSA-10, Amman, Jordan, UNCDF [Open to internal and 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

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.

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, 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, United Nations Organizations, 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 three priority areas, including:

• SME Finance

• Sub-National Finance

• Digital Finance

UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) 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 an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States.

The Investment Specialist support UNCDF in designing, deploying, and managing recovery-focused financing instruments under the FRRP, while contributing to regional investment coordination across Arab States.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Investment Specialist reports to the Regional Investment Specialist and Regional Team Lead – Arab States.

A. Portfolio Development & Investment Structuring (Primary Focus – Palestine)
• Design and operationalize recovery and resilience financing instruments, including portfolio credit guarantees, risk-sharing facilities, and concessional financing mechanisms, in line with UNCDF’s development of finance principles.
• Conduct financial, institutional, and portfolio assessments of partner banks, MFIs, and financial intermediaries.
• Support the negotiation of participation agreements, term sheets, and risk-sharing parameters with financial institutions.
• Ensure instruments maintain minimum concessionally, additionality, financial sustainability, and limited market distortion.

B. Portfolio Management, Oversight & Risk Monitoring
• Monitor utilization, financial performance, exposure, and claims risk of FRRP-supported instruments.
• Coordinate with UNCDF’s Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD) and Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) to ensure compliance with risk, fiduciary, safeguards, and reporting requirements.
• Prepare inputs for internal investment reviews, management updates, and donor reporting.
• Support adaptive portfolio management in response to evolving market, liquidity, or political conditions.

C. Financial Sector & Market Systems Analysis
• Analyze liquidity conditions, cost of funds, credit constraints, currency risk, and regulatory developments affecting the Palestinian financial sector.
• Translate market intelligence into practical adjustments to instrument design and deployment.
• Provide technical inputs to UNCDF and UNDP on financial-sector implications for recovery and resilience of programming.

D. Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships
• Engage with local financial institutions, regulators, DFIs, donors, and UN partners to support implementation and co-financing of FRRP instruments.
• Support coordination with parallel donor-funded or DFI-led facilities to ensure complementarity.
• Represent UNCDF in technical discussions related to recovery finance and financial sector stabilization.

E. Technical Advisory & Capacity Support
• Provide technical advisory support to participating financial institutions on portfolio management, risk sharing, and recovery-oriented lending approaches.
• Support the design and delivery of investment-linked technical assistance.
• Contribute to drafting or review of operational manuals, guidelines, and procedures related to FRRP instruments.

F. Regional Coordination & Knowledge Sharing (Secondary Role)
• Contribute Palestine-based lessons learned to UNCDF’s Arab States investment community of practice.
• Support regional knowledge products on recovery finance, guarantees, and fragile context investment.
• Provide limited surge or advisory support to regional initiatives, as requested by the Regional Investment Lead.

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

Competencies

Core competencies:

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 Direction & Strategy

• Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.

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

Business Development

• Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Business Management

• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Communication: 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

Partnership 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

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

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

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with Master’s) or 7 years (with Bachelor’s) of progressively responsible experience in development finance, investment, banking, or financial-sector advisory is required.
• Demonstrated experience with credit guarantees, risk-sharing instruments, SME finance, or blended finance.
• Experience working in fragile or conflict-affected contexts is strongly desirable.
• Experience with a development finance Institutions (DFI), International Finance Institutions (IFI), or UN investment function is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work in fast-paced environments and matrix-based organizations is desired.
• Experience in issuing and managing guarantees within the development space to mobilize additional capital and enhance financial inclusion is desired.
• Proven ability to think strategically and with innovation, including working across multidisciplinary groups, is desired.
• Experience in broad-based convening, dialogue processes, and partnership building is desired.
• Experience in working with and/or managing multi-cultural teams across geographies is desired.

Required Language(s):

• Full fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken) is required.
• Fluency in French is an advantage.

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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