Background:
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 microfinance and investment capital. UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia and the Pacific, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help microfinance 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.
Established by the General Assembly in 1966 and with headquarters in New York, UNCDF is an autonomous UN organization affiliated with UNDP.
Despite the rapid growth of the microfinance industry in the past ten years, it is estimated that between two and three billion people still lack access to a broad range of financial products and services on a sustainable basis. The situation is particularly dire in the LDCs, where often more than 90 per cent of the population is denied access to financial services from the formal financial system. UNCDF focuses its strategy on Financial inclusion, which is universal access, at a reasonable cost, to a wide range of financial services, provided by a variety of sound and sustainable institutions. The range of financial services includes savings, short and long-term credit, leasing and factoring, mortgages, insurance, pensions, payments, local money transfers and international remittances.
In the past ten years, mobile phones have been introduced as part of the delivery mechanism for financial services. There services range from basic money transfer to a variety of banking and insurance products that can be partially delivered via mobile phone. The most notable successes have occurred in the larger, more developed emerging markets such as Kenya, South Africa and India. We know from M-Pesa in Kenya and a few other examples that mobile money has the potential to reach millions of users in the time it has taken traditional MFIs to reach thousands of clients. In most LDCs, the number of mobile phone subscribers is rapidly outstripping the current access to finance and offers a potential to reach millions with a safer, more secure way to send and store money. Sharp growth is there for the taking, should mobile network operators succeed in addressing concerns of the unbanked customer; CGAP and GSMA project that 364 million low-income, unbanked people could use mobile financial services in 2012. Since 2008, UNCDF in cooperation with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has worked to introduce mobile financial services in five countries in the Pacific region reaching over 300,000 subscribers in less than two years.
This is a Development Project funded position.
Competencies
Technical:
- Experience in working with the implementation of branchless and mobile financial services projects;
- Strong knowledge on the technology of mobile and branchless financial services.
- Knowledge of payment systems and technology.
- Familiarity with the concepts in to financial inclusion, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of
relevant organizational policies and procedures;
- Adequate understanding of legal and regulatory issues related to branchless and mobile financial services, such as know your customer
and bank agency rules;
- Exposure to telecommunications platforms, including mobile money platforms;
- Experience working with the mass market, including rural or low income communities, preferably related to financial services;
- Experience managing or conducting research, particularly related to product development or client demand;
- Working knowledge of current developments in microfinance, including mobile financial services and one or more of the following:
savings, microinsurance, remittances, financial literacy.
- Working knowledge of international donor organizations and preferably experience in preparing proposals for funding.
Professional:
Strong client orientation, recognizing the importance of providing appropriate, user-friendly and affordable services;
Familiarity with low income households in developing countries, comfortable working in very low income areas;
Understands how to build strategic partnerships and alliances;
Takes on innovation and new approaches and fosters innovative thinking;
Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities, and resolve problems
Comfortable advocating and advancing an agenda, including with high level counterparts and other stakeholders;
Experience in developing and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs);
Experience managing small teams or consultants, including recruiting, hiring and evaluating;
Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude and responds positively to feedback
Comfortable forming, leading or being part of teams, working with other stakeholders to achieve common goals.
Functional:
- Excellent speaking and proficient writing skills in French are necessary;
- Excellent speaking and writing in English necessary;
- Excellent analytical skills;
- Proven ability to manage projects.
- Strong general IT skills, including ability to work regularly with MS Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
- Proven cross-cultural communication, able to function effectively in an international, multicultural environment and manage a team
consisting of multiple nationalities.
Core competencies:
- Demonstrates ethics and integrity;
- Demonstrates political acumen and calculated risk-taking;
- Builds confidence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
- Builds and promotes teams and partnerships;
- Creates and promotes open communication;
- Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
- Conducts fair and transparent decision making;
- Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability
- Treats all persons fairly without favoritism
- Shows strong corporate commitment
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
A Master’s degree in technology, economics, public/business administration, social sciences, or related discipline or the equivalent experience
Experience:
- A minimum of seven (7) years’ experience in progressively more responsible positions in the financial services and/or telecommunications
field;
- A minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with mobile financial services;
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English and proficiency French
Deadline: 22 May 2012
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