INVESTMENT OFFICE / FINANCE SPECIALIST

Background

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN's capital investment agency for the world's least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to development finance and investment capital.  UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital – grants and loans– and technical support to help development finance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples' lives.

The Local Development Finance Initiative (LFI) is an innovative global programme of UNCDF designed to unlock financial sectors in developing countries for financing small and medium-sized infrastructure and agriculture-processing projects that are needed for local economic and private sector development.

The LFI Finance Investment Officer will work under the direct supervision of the LFI Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), based in Dar es Salaam.

Duties and Responsibilities

The key result expected is the successful implementation and attainment of the targets of the LFI-T Programme.

The LFI Investment Officer will pursue the key results of the programme, working under the supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor, focusing on the following result areas:

• Organization and facilitation of key programme activities related to project development and project financing;
• Organization and facilitation of key programme activities related to capacity building and knowledge management; 
• Project management and resource mobilization.

Organization and facilitation of key programme activities related to developing and financing infrastructure projects (60%):

• Provide implementation support for the process of identifying, developing, and financing small scale infrastructure projects in Tanzania;
• Interact with local stakeholders during project identification, development and financing (government officials, private sector banks, project sponsors, development partners, etc.);
• Provide directly and facilitate provision of support services to project sponsors identified. This includes feasibility studies, business plans, financial analysis, market assessment, financial advisory services and project finance transaction structuring;
• Support the establishment of co-financing relationships with local and international financial institutions, nurture relationships and manage activities needed to secure co-financing of LFI projects; 
• Facilitate the required technical studies under guidance of the CTA by engaging the project sponsors, consultants, local authorities and communities as appropriate, including the development of TORs that reflect project finance requirements and support of the procurement processes;
• Identify alternative financing sources and structures for LFI-T Fund, including the preparation of and participation in discussions and negotiations with banks, investors and other stakeholders;
• Participate in activities to promote LFI's activities resulting in a project pipeline and/or strategic partnerships
• Support the implementation of the Tanzania LED Finance Programme Performance and Business-Enabling Environment Metrics;
• Prepare and facilitate technical missions for project and pipeline development;
• Contribute to the setting up of a system for monitoring project revenues, expenses, risk factors on an ongoing basis.

Organization and facilitation of key programme activities, related to capacity building and knowledge management (25%): 

• Provide support for the LFI-T capacity building and training programme, ensuring programme knowledge generation and dissemination, including support to the development of LFI-T tools and toolkits, case studies, briefs, research documents, and client impact evaluations; 
• Support and ensure timely delivery of LFI training programmes;
• Support and ensure the implementation of the LFI-T stakeholder mobilization and communication plan and organise and coordinate outreach activities with a variety of stakeholders;
• Provide specialist input to and ensure application of the processes and tools to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, training, and scaling up of LFI-T nationally, building the capacity of local stakeholders in the public and private sectors;
• Develop and implement tools and programmes for knowledge building, transfer and sharing.

Project Management & Resource Mobilization (15%): 

• Ensure the delivery of the key results on time and to budget as assigned by the CTA;
• Timely planning, budgeting and reporting in accordance with the guidelines of the Implementing Partner, UNCDF and UN Tanzania;
• Exercise financial management of the project, including timely submission of requests for disbursement of funds and other forms;
• Establish and maintain an effective and efficient project monitoring system providing regular feedback on the project performance and to update regularly risk and issue logs;
• Support efforts of UNCDF to mobilize additional resources for LFI-T.

Impact of Results:

• Improved ability and willingness of the relevant stakeholders to use domestic and private finance for LED and to create enabling national and international environments for sustained participation of the domestic financial sector in LED;
• Substantive partnerships strengthened with domestic financial providers, development partners in providing project development and credit enhancement support, and Technical Service Providers;
• Planning, implementation and reporting on project activities are done in an effective and timely manner, in accordance with guidelines of the Implementing Partner (IP) and of UNCDF;
• Administrative functions related to the project, including finance and procurement support, are ensured in accordance with rules and regulations of the IP and UNCDF;
• Planned programme outputs and outcomes are fully achieved in a timely manner, consistent with the expectations of private sector actors, and optimal output quality assured, through sound and efficient internal business, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation and reporting processes;
• Profile of UNCDF and its development partners as leaders in development finance strengthened.
• Substantive partnerships strengthened with leading private sector foundations and development partners.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:
Expert knowledge of development and private sector finance 

• Demonstrated experience with banking, credit and risk assessment, with solid financial modelling and risk assessment skills. Project financing experience in the private sector is a plus;
• Demonstrated experience in preliminary evaluation of project proposals for assessing their feasibility for private sector funding and/or technical support by LFI. This involves the initial screening of project applications, carrying out of desk reviews and evaluation of feasibility studies, preparing evaluation notes for presentation to the Management Team to determine a project's suitability for inclusion in the pipeline, and preparing more detailed project concept notes to obtain clearance for full appraisal or fact-finding field trips;
• Demonstrated experience in planning and execution of project appraisal and site visits. This includes developing terms of reference for site visits; carrying out independent research on the investment climate, project sponsors, management, economic, financial, marketing, technical, environmental and legal aspects of the project. The work also includes assessing the risks of projects and advising sponsors on appropriate mitigating measures; structuring/restructuring of projects to minimize financial risks; participating in negotiations, or conducting preliminary negotiations with sponsors on financing terms and legal conditions for the proposed investment/loan by lenders;
• Demonstrated experience in preparation of project financial analysis and creation/evaluation of advanced and complex Ms Excel spread sheet financial models;
• Understands the importance of mobilizing the private sector for development;
• Experience in working with development partners, private investors and with other institutions involved in private sector development (exchange of information on projects, policies, operational experience etc., identification of co-financing opportunities, organization of joint promotional activities etc.;
• Demonstrates ability to engage across multiple stakeholders, including project sponsors, government partners and financial institutions;
• Applies a broad knowledge of best management practices;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in development finance and seeks to develop him/herself personally;
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Competencies

Functional Competencies

Building Strategic Partnerships:

• Makes effective use of UNCDF's resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships;
• Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations;
• Strong networking capabilities and ability to associate him/herself with a range of actors (including policy makers, regulators, FSPs and donors) with a view to building relations and facilitating links;
• Resource mobilization experience and record of success in reporting to and managing donor grants and reporting mechanisms.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking;
• Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources.

 Client Orientation:

• Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives;
• Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services;
• Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNCDF programmes and operation.

Core Competencies:

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
• Managing complex projects and processes, with strong organizational and communication skills;
• Developing programme activities, planning events, preparing presentations, and conducting training events;
• Building support and political acumen;
• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
• Ability to work and excel in a small team environment;
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
• Fair and transparent decision-making; calculated risk-taking.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• At least a Master's Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Banking or related areas, plus preferably a Bachelor Degree in engineering, finance or economics.

Experience:

• Preferably a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience;
• Ability to build partnerships and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interest of clients within and outside the institution;
• Ability to work independently and be creative and innovative;
• Integrity and ability to travel extensively and work in team;
• Good listener with demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas as well as make effective and timely decisions;
• Computer proficiency, including working knowledge of MS Office products, capacity in web-based management tools.

Language:

•  Excellent command of written and spoken English and Kiswahili;
• French is an additional advantage.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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