Senior Portfolio Manager at UNCDF – United Nations Capital Development Fund: (Deadline 9 May 2023)
I. Background and Organizational Context
UNDP / UNCDF 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.
UNDP / UNCDF 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.
The UN Capital Development Fund makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries (LDCs). UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
To support the sustainable and inclusive economic growth envisioned by the LDC Doha programme of action and the SDG Agenda, UNCDF launched a new Strategic Framework for 2022-2025 that offers an ambitious roadmap aimed at unlocking the potential of finance to accelerate SDG-positive achievements for the benefit of the most vulnerable nations. This new vision calls for the development of a pathway to growth that identify fundraising opportunities, deploy a sequencing approach based on demonstration of needs, and promote comprehensive programming through a renewed partnership with UNDP and the UN systems.
In particular, the new UNCDF Framework highlights biodiversity finance as a severely underfunded climate mitigation solution and propose to apply UNCDF multidimensional capital mandate to mobilize further public and private, international and domestic finance in LDCs through concessional capital deployment, financial advisory and support for the establishment of financing mechanisms and systems that promotes the valuation of the LDC unique natural assets potential.
UNCDF intent to supports LDCs to create an enabling environment for nature-positive pipeline building, investments and market opportunities that create equitable and diversified economic growth. Market participants particularly need to be made more aware about the tremendous risk affiliated with biodiversity loss and be offered better sustainable investment alternatives to participate in this transformation.
The essence of this transformation is a strategic shift from viewing nature as a resource to treating nature as an asset. This represents a very different view to natural resource investing wherein nature is commoditized for short run gain and its long run economic and nature-based value is not taken into consideration.
In order to support this strategic shift and in line with its new framework, UNCDF is consolidating its growing nature-based portfolio by establishing a new UNCDF Nature Asset Team (UNCDF NAT) – to identify, promote investment, and build markets for nature assets using tailored financial vehicles and UNCDF implementation tools. By designing incentivized and de-risked investment structures, the new UNCDF NAT will serve to mobilize the nature-positive public and private finance needed for green & blue economic transformation.
The Senior Portfolio Manager will support the development of UNCDF growth strategy through the design of new nature based innovative financial solutions. This will be a newly established fixed-term position, is co-financed by a mix of project funding sources including the Central Africa Forest Initiative – CAFI, the Peace Building Fund and bilateral contribution.
II. Position Purpose
The Senior Portfolio Manager will work under the supervision of the UNCDF Head of the Nature Assets team. The incumbent co-leads resources mobilization, development of innovative financial models, programme implementation, and liaison with the UNCDF Investment Platform for land-based -nature solutions.
Summary of key functions:
1. Resources mobilization
2. Innovative Financial models
3. Programme management
4. Coordination with the Investment Platform
1) Resources mobilization.
- Co-manages resource mobilization strategic direction of the NAT for land-based nature solutions.
- Leads engagement and fosters relationship with strategic, financial, and institutional partners, and ensures partnerships align with NAT objectives, including identifying strategic areas for co-implementation and co-financing.
- Leads relationships with specific donor as assigned.
- Engages with UN agencies to build partnerships that foster NAT’s objectives.
- Identifies and builds relationships with key public and private investors to leverage NAT programme pipeline with diverse sources of catalytic capital.
- Represents when requested NAT at global, regional and/or national events and meetings, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), other relevant international meetings and conferences.
2) Innovative Financial Models.
- Leads and guides process for the development and implementation of NAT innovative financial solutions such as Nature Impact Funds (equity and debt), Green & Nature Impact Bonds, Guarantees, Ecosystem Services and development of others innovative Blended finance tools.
- Leads public/private partnerships, reaching into the private and philanthropic and technology spheres to develop new ways of working and mobilize funding for development.
- Provides regular overview of international experiences and approaches to engage private sector in nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation financial models, including lessons learnt and deriving recommendations.
- Conducts research based on existing relevant national pilots in LDCs related to incentive market mechanisms, including green financial products and gender focused options to involve private sector in nature-based solutions and climate stability.
- Studies various relevant guidelines and safeguards developed by other relevant partners on issues pertaining to innovative finance cases related to nature-based solutions.
3) Programme portfolio development and management.
- Co-supervises with NAT Head programme portfolio development and implementation oversight.
- Co-leads implementing partners selection in accordance with UNCDF rules and regulations.
- Delivers results and impacts through high quality strategic oversight and implementation support including technical support, monitoring, troubleshooting, evaluation, reporting, and dissemination of results and impacts.
- Co-leads engagement strategy with programme recipient Governments.
- Develops and monitors NAT programme budgets, including reviewing budget allocations and financial reports.
- Advises and supports NAT’s Head in managing relationship with the different Project Boards and UNCDF Management Committee.
- Provides managerial direction, guidance and leadership to staff and provides related coaching.
- Manages and evaluates the performance of staff under supervision.
4) Financial assessment and structuring in coordination with UNCDF Investment Platform.
- Leads the co-design of innovative financial models and transaction structuring in close coordination with the Investment Platform including investment assessment memos and blended finance proposed structures.
- Seeks feedback on feasibility, compliance with loan and guarantee policy and risk mitigation strategies with the Investment Platform team.
- Participates in financial assessment, fiduciary due diligence and provide programmatic support for legal documentation when needed.
- Participates in the preparation of investment and credit package for submission and presentation to UNCDF Investment Committee to reflect NAT programmatic objectives, risk mitigation and monitoring systems.
- Seeks potential co-financing with UNCDF investment flagship the Build Fund, the UNCDF-EU Guarantee Facility and any other relevant UNCDF investment mechanisms.
Expected Demonstration of 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
People Management Competencies:
Motivate and Direct
- Create and communicate a compelling vision and purpose
- Align people and resources with organizational vision, strategy, objectives
- Understand and proactively builds the team/organization culture
Build an Enabling Workplace
- Create a working environment where people are engaged and want to do their best; empower and enables team members to perform and have a positive workplace experience
- Promote honestly, openness, trust and psychological safety and create opportunities to innovate and learn
- Recruit and promotes individuals based upon objective measures and meritocracy; acknowledge and utilise the talent of others Encourage collective action and integration
Build Capability
- Identify and develop talent in individuals, providing positive support to enable them to achieve their potential
- Foster learning or development of others by giving feedback, guidance, and support; support career development of others
- Have willingness and ability to delegate to help people learn, including from failure
Manage Performance and Ensure Accountability
- Ensure regular conversations with people about work
- Provide positive and constructive feedback
- Discuss poor performance in a timely manner
- Provide praise and recognition, as well
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Direction and Strategy – Negotiation & influence Interpersonal skill
- Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates in-in situations.
Entrepreneurial Thinking
- Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDPs organizational priorities and mandate
Business Development – Collective Intelligence Design
- Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to design services or solutions.
Business Management – Partnership Management
- Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts & others in line with UNCDF strategy & policies.
- Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy in of high-level vision and objectives
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
- Knowledge Generation – Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need.
- UNCDF Representation – Ability to represent UNCDF and productively share UNCDF knowledge and activities; advocate for UNCDF, its values, mission and work with various constituencies.
V. Keywords
- Portfolio management
- Resource mobilization
- Investment
VI. Required Skills and Experience
Education
- Master’s degree in finance, economics, international relations or development, environment and climate finance, or closely related field in management or policy is required.
Experience, Knowledge, and Skills
Experience:
- A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of impact financing, financial assessment, and transaction structuring, including at least 7 years working with LDCs related investments.
- Proven track record on relationship management and resource mobilization experience from bilateral and multilateral donors, and philanthropies.
- Experience on establishing and managing strategic partnerships at the global or regional level with UN organizations, governments, secretariats of multilateral agreements, other international organizations and/or NGOs in the field of Climate and Environment is highly desirable.
- Strong negotiation and influencing skills with diverse actors to reach consensus and foster productive working relationships, including coordination and technical advisory experience.
- Experience in UN Trust funds and/or other large scale multi-stake partnership set-up, management and operations is required.
- Experience on strategic planning development and implementation is required.
- Demonstrated skills and experience in operational budget management, and planning and prioritizing work activities to meet organizational goals and efficiently achieve quality results is required.
- At least seven (7) years of experience managing and supervising a diverse team.
- Excellent communication and analytical skills (written, verbal, interpersonal and intercultural), and proven experience representing institutions at international events and engaging with media.
- Experience working within the context of blended finance approaches for forest conservation is highly desirable.
- Experience from previous UN assignments and/or multilateral and bi-lateral aid organizations is highly desirable.
Language Requirement:
- Fluency in English is required and working knowledge of French is an asset.
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