Organization: UNDP – United Nations Development Programme
Location: Nairobi
Grade: Senior Executive level – D-1, Director – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Banking and Finance
Cash-Based Interventions
Managerial positions
Impact investing, Social venture capital
Closing Date: 2024-11-05
Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
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.
Job Purpose and Organizational Context
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 finance
Following 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 (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 the Executive Board of United Nations Development Progamme (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.
Duties and Responsibilities
Position Purpose:
The Chief Investment Officer (CIO) plays a crucial role in leading the Investment and Implementation Division of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). Reporting directly to the Executive Secretary, the CIO provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNCDF’s investment strategy and portfolio management, ensuring alignment with the organization’s Strategic Framework.
The CIO is responsible for sourcing, designing, developing, and implementing projects and programs financed through grants, loans, and guarantees as well as technical advisory support, based on contributions to UNCDF from partners. The CIO also leads on the development of strategic partnerships at both corporate and transactional levels, working closely with the UNCDF Executive Office. The CIO oversees the effective and efficient management of UNCDF’s diverse portfolio, aiming to achieve development impacts underpinned by sustainable financial solutions in high-risk underdeveloped market conditions while ensuring compliance with all relevant rules and regulations. As a member of the UNCDF Executive Team, the CIO supports the Executive Secretary in the overall management and strategic growth of UNCDF, contributing to its strengthening within the UN Development System.
The Investment and Implementation Division, under the CIO’s leadership, serves as UNCDF’s “front office” in responding to member state requests for development funding and finance. The Division’s key functions include:
Engagement and Identification: Engaging with member states to identify development finance requirements and conducting due diligence in project sourcing, identification, design, and development.
Partnership Development: Nurturing strategic partnerships with key UN organizations, Multilateral Development Banks, and Development Finance Institutions.
Project Execution Oversight: Supporting the oversight of project execution to ensure the delivery of impactful results from a portfolio of programs and projects.
The CIO will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, leading the global Thematic Leads and Regional Leads within the Investment and Implementation Division. The role requires frequent travel. UNCDF staff may be periodically redeployed to different regional hubs or headquarters as needed, subject to capability, consent, and due process.
UNCDF adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages cross interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & rises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNCDF personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions:
Strategic Leadership
Lead Overall Management
Lead Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
Lead Knowledge Management and Advocacy
Duties and Responsibilities:
1.) Strategic Leadership
Sets the strategic direction for the sourcing, design, development, and provision of implementation support associated with UNCDF’s portfolio of projects and programmes financed through grants, loans, and guarantees in line with UNCDF’s vision and mission statement.
Leads the effective sourcing, design and management of a focused, coherent, cost-effective and high impact UNCDF portfolio of programmes and projects financed by grants, loans, and guarantees.
Overall responsible for ensuring consistency in application of thematic objectives of UNCDF for each of the thematic leads and for each of the regional leads.
Sets the strategic direction of UNCDF’s Thematic and Regional Leads on the execution of operations in the various country investment programmes.
Lead the development of innovative approaches to achieve development targets, including through design and development of different financing mechanisms particularly with a focus on third party capital mobilization including the private sector.
Proactive monitoring to achieve management targets and implementation of the different investments.
Ensure regular review of the progress of the different investments to ensure everything remains on track, and guide/advise on adjustments/interventions as needed (from an impact, financial, and risk perspective).
Work with each of the Thematic and Regional Leads to understand and advise on each of their business plans, including implementation and execution process, key milestones, outreach/business development programs with identified targets and timetables.
Ensure good and regular communications between each of the Thematic and Regional Leads enabling effective coordination.
Implement a detailed and cohesive plan to drive strong coordination and communication between the Thematic Leads and the Regional Leads, including working with each of them to develop business development and execution plans in line with the UNCDF’s overall objectives.
Lead discussions with respect to the overall resource mobilization efforts, including building and deepening partnerships, engaging diverse stakeholders, fostering strategic partnerships with governments, private sector, NGOs, donor community, international financial institutions and other UN entities.
Report regularly to the Executive Secretary on the effectiveness and impact of the Thematic and Regional Leads working together to ensure business development and development impact in line with technical rigour and in line with UNCDF’s investment strategy to support the realization of UNCDF’s vision and mission statement.
2.) Lead Overall Management
Leads the overall management of a team of Thematic and Region-based Investment Leads and technical and policy officers who undertake UNCDF’s “front office” function of sourcing, design, development, and provision of implementation support associated with UNCDF’s portfolio of projects and programmes financed through grants, loans, and guarantees in line with UNCDF’s vision and mission statement and Strategic Framework.
Ensure an efficient and collegiate management of the senior team in UNCDF’s Investment and Implementation Division in line with the objectives of UNCDF’s Strategic Framework and associated four-year business plan.
Accountable for the effective provision of first level oversight of a portfolio of programmes and projects under the management of UNCDF’s Investment and Implementation Division.
Ensure the investment integrity of the organization and full compliance with UNCDF’s investment rules and regulations and UNDP’s rules and regulations as outlined in the POPP.
Ensure UNCDF’s investment and programming approach fully complies with internal program and operational policies and procedures as approved by the UNCDF Executive Secretary.
Lead on the coordination and delivery of an integrated workplan with UNCDF’s two other Divisions – Investment Finance Oversight Division and Investment Operations Divisions – and UNCDF’s Executive Office.
Management of overall risk of investments, ensuring continued monitoring and quality of regular reporting obligations.
Ensure results-based management and constantly demonstrate value for money in all UNCDF programming.
Manage Investment and Implementation Division staff and personnel and encourage an organizational culture that supports innovation and effective risk management.
Ensure the implementation of gender and other workplace policies.
Ensure effective internal communications and a positive, healthy work environment.
3.) Lead Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
Develops strategic partnerships to advance corporate strategic objectives as well as transactions-level needs in line with UNCDF’s vision and mission statement.
Lead on UNCDF’s Resource Mobilization efforts in line with objectives and targets of UNCDF’s Strategic Framework and associated regular 4-year business plans, and working collaboratively with the UNCDF Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer and other senior managers in the UNCDF Executive Office.
Represent UNCDF within the wider UN and in other international fora.
Represent UNCDF in the broader market helping to highlight UNCDF’s capabilities with a wide range of stakeholders, including the private sector, Global and Regional Multilateral Development Banks, Development Finance Institutions, Philanthropy and Foundations as well as International Non-Governmental Organizations.
Promote UNCDF to external audiences, ensuring appropriate positioning and business development.
4.) Lead Knowledge Management and Advocacy
Ensure monitoring and evaluation of UNCDF programmes and the effective capture and codification and use of the knowledge generated in line with UNCDF’s vision and mission statement.
Ensure effective advocacy around UNCDF’s programmatic work and themes, at both the global and country levels.
Competencies
Core Competencies:
Achieve Results: LEVEL 4
Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 4
Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 4
Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 4
Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
Act with Determination: LEVEL 4
Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 4
Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 4
Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion
People Management Competencies
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Business 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.
Business Direction & Strategy: Effective Decision Making
Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.
Business Management: Portfolio Management
Ability to select, prioritize and control the organizations programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment
Business Management: Partnerships management
Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies
Business Management: 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 Direction and Strategy: Strategic Thinking
Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNCDF’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNCDF.
Finance: Development Finance Expertise
Ability to develop and work with innovative financing mechanisms and instruments, e.g. social/development impact bonds, guarantees, climate finance, etc..
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Business Administration other closely 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
Experience:
A minimum of 15 years (with master’s degree) or 17 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience, in international development, development/impact finance, business development involving public and/or private financing, or related fields is required.
Experience in programming, resource mobilization, and raising funding from public and/or private sources for financing for both national and sub-national public, as well as private sector, entities in key thematic areas including (although not limited to) municipal finance, climate (adaptation) finance, energy (clean cooking and energy access) finance, agriculture finance, business development including incubators and accelerators, and/or infrastructure finance is required.
Proven track record in the discharge of fiduciary oversight duties over a large-scale portfolio (with at least 100 projects, valued at over US$0.5 billion, across more than 50 countries) that are aligned with the SDG agenda with rigorous donor reporting requirements and obligations on the discharge of fiduciary responsibilities is required.
Experience in origination, design and structuring of blended finance solutions, combining private capital and public finance is desirable.
Demonstrated ability in technical, managerial, and strategic leadership of large teams of more than at least 20 professionals in a decentralized organization in the private and/or public sector is required.
Leadership experience in mobilizing finance or investment, particularly in impact and green finance and ESG impact, in underdeveloped markets is desirable.
Experience working in the private sector and/or with financing partners across public and private domains, including multiple UN agencies, Development Banks, DFIs, Foundations, global funds, and the private sector is desirable.
Language:
Fluency in English is required.
Working knowledge of a second UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is desirable.
Disclaimer
Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: 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.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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