UNDP recrute 01 Policy Analyst (BTCA)

Job Description

Agency: UNCDF

Title: Policy Analyst (BTCA)

Job ID: 18733

Practice Area – Job Family: Poverty ReductionCapacity Development

Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 09/10/2018

Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal

Education & Work Experience: I-Master’s Level Degree – 2 year(s) experience

Languages Required: English, French

                       Desired:

Grade: P2

Vacancy Type: FTA International

Posting Type: External

Bureau: UNCDF

Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs). With its capital mandate and instruments, 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. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: savings-led financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; and by showing how localized investments — through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance — can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development. UNCDF financing models are applied in thematic areas where addressing barriers to finance at the local level can have a transformational effect for poor and excluded people and communities.

By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to SDG 1 on eradicating poverty with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

Hosted by UNCDF, the Better Than Cash Alliance is a partnership of over 60 governments, companies and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.

Billions of dollars in cash payments and transfers are made daily in emerging and developing economies, including payment of salaries, social welfare and relief, payments to suppliers, remittances. The problems with these cash payments include a lack of transparency, accountability and security, as well as inefficiency. Furthermore, the individuals who receive the cash payments are often part of the 2 billion excluded from the formal financial sector.  This means they are excluded from access to a range of appropriate and affordable financial services to help them save safely, take advantage of economic opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to risk.

Shifting these payments from cash to digital has the potential to improve the lives of low-income people, particularly women, while giving governments, the development community and the private sector a more transparent, time and cost efficient, and often safer means of disbursing payments.

The Better Than Cash Alliance partners with governments, companies, and international organizations that are the key drivers behind the transition to make digital payments widely available by:

    -Advocating for the transition from cash to digital payments in a way that advances financial inclusion and promotes responsible digital finance.

    -Conducting research and sharing the experiences of our members.

    -Catalyzing the development of inclusive digital payments ecosystems in member countries to reduce costs, increase transparency, advance financial inclusion -particularly for women- and drive inclusive growth.

The Better Than Cash Alliance Team’s Core Values are the following:

    -Achieving together

    -Striving for excellence

    -Service oriented

    -Results oriented

For more information about the Better Than Cash Alliance, please visit the website: www.betterthancash.org

Duties and Responsibilities

The Policy Analyst, Digital Government Officer will be responsible for the following key functions:

1.Member Relationship Management: Develop and maintain relationships with government members and non-government members (corporate, international organizations) included in the West African French-speaking region as well as in other French speaking countries in Africa. Serve as the primary focal point for communications to and from members. Understand the value of different regional and national players related to digitizing payments and create a supportive network for catalyzing an inclusive digital payments ecosystem.

2.Operations: Contribute to the design and delivery of services to support regional member efforts to digitize payments, ensuring that they are efficiently implemented, managed, monitored and evaluated, meeting or exceeding all targets.

3.Research and Knowledge Management: In collaboration with the Head of Research and Innovation, identify opportunities to capture, share and disseminate case studies around the digitization of payments in the Region and beyond.

4.Advocacy and Representation: In collaboration with the Head of Government Relations, contribute to advocacy and representation efforts for the Better Than Cash Alliance in West and Francophone African including speaking at conferences, leading workshops and attend high-level meetings.

1) Member Relationship Management:

    -Develop and maintain relationships with Government members in West Africa and other French speaking countries including Senegal, Ivory Coast and Benin. Serve as the primary focal point for all communications to and from African French-speaking governments and other members. Understand the value of different regional and national players related to digitizing payments in order create a supportive network for catalyzing an inclusive digital payments ecosystem.

    -Identify the current challenges for regional member governments and seek opportunities to support each member’s progress appropriately and in a timely manner within the scope of the services and support offered by the Alliance.

    -In partnership with the MM4P Programme, identify opportunities for private companies in French Speaking countries to digitize payments in their value chain with employees, workers, small businesses or smallholder farmers across business sectors;

    -Develop a regional strategy on digital payments: scope the knowledge, skills and activities of the regional and national players digitizing payments – and seek to make connections and create a hub of regional support for governments in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UMOEA);

    -Engage in regular communication and identify opportunities for cooperation with other members in the region including UN agencies, international organizations and corporates.

    -Develop pipeline of potential countries and corporate members to benefit from member services. Actively seek opportunities to ensure cross-regional lessons are being identified and addressed, working closely with the Africa, Asia and LAC teams.

    -Ensure successful implementation and attainment of targets of the Better Than Cash Alliance Member Services, including coordination with/reporting to all stakeholders.

2) Operations Management:

    -As part of the in-country work team, contribute to the design and delivery of services to support regional member efforts to digitize payments, ensuring that they are efficiently implemented, managed, monitored and evaluated, meeting or exceeding all targets.

    -Work in close collaboration with other members of the team and digital financial specialists in- country to ensure all members receive the same high-quality services. Services may include: carrying out digital payments ecosystem convening events in member countries; conducting training workshops for key government officials or business executives with strategic responsibility for payments; organizing peer learning events and or leading regional teams on exchange trips to other regions; assess the needs for digital financial services expertise in particular value chains and/or facilitating working groups including members and other stakeholders such as digital financial payments experts;

    -Prepare and present recommendations to appropriate Member Services Subcommittee for award of grants and/or technical assistance to successful applicants;

    -Develop and implement processes for managing delivery of all in-country work and ensuring members are applying learning and assessing member satisfaction;

    -Prepare quarterly portfolio reporting. Prepare midyear and annual progress reports, narrative as well as financial, and results achieved for the ExCom.     Report achievements, delivery and other areas of accountability to UNCDF Financial Inclusion Practice Area (FIPA).

3) Research and Knowledge:

    -Integrate knowledge sharing into all aspects of Member Services in collaboration with the Research and Knowledge Specialist and Communications Specialist.

    -In collaboration with the Research and Innovation team, design and implement a peer learning agenda and a dissemination strategy among West African and French Speaking Alliance members and develop knowledge products to support the capacity building of the Alliance and the wider digital payments sector, including for companies and business payment streams.

    -Work closely with the M&E lead in collecting yearly quantitative and qualitative data requirements for members, keeping other team members abreast of their status, achievements, challenges and opportunities;

    -Ensure that BTCA is able to report against programmatic results indicators;

4) Advocacy and Representation:

    -In collaboration with the Head of Government Relations and Public Policy and Communications Specialist contribute to advocacy and representation efforts for the Better Than Cash Alliance to build support from a range of stakeholders including policy makers and funders.

    -Manage relationships with government members and with technical partners both diplomatically and effectively;

    -Undertake speaking and representation engagements for the Better Than Cash Alliance and UNCDF as directed;

    -Develop strategies and build partnerships as part of the team to mobilize additional resources at country level to fully implement the in-country and annual work plans.

    -Work closely with the Private Sector Digital Innovation lead to ensure a cohesive strategy and implementation of the work with corporate members in the region

Impact of Results

    -The key result expected is the successful implementation and attainment of targets of the Better Than Cash Alliance Member Services, including coordination with/reporting to all stakeholders, the Financial Inclusion Practice Area (FIPA) in UNCDF and the funders of the program.

The Policy Analyst for West Africa will pursue the following key results of the program:

    -Delivery of a range of member services to governments, private companies and development organizations that increases their capacity to deliver end user-focused digital payment technologies replacing cash;

    -BTCA members make a significant improvement globally in the number of low income and poor people served by innovative payment technologies, including those that were previously unbanked.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work (Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully)

Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow (Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others)

People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction (Level 4: Models independent thinking and action)

Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform (Level 4: Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis)

Delivery: Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement (Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services)

Technical/Functional Competencies:

    -Apply & Adapt (Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise)

    -Client Orientation (Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise)

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

    -Master’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, finance, public/business administration, social sciences, or a related field.

Experience:

    -Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in progressively responsible positions in digital government, digital payments, financial services, Fintech, financial inclusion or a related field; essential

    -Experience working with senior government officials at the highest level in Alliance countries in the region. i.e. Senegal, Benin or Cote d’Ivoire is essential;

    -Experience working with Regional Organizations such as BCEAU or AFDB and UN agencies operating in West Africa is essential;

    -Experience organizing high level events, facilitating working groups and organizing/leading training sessions/workshops and public-private convenings, essential;

    -Knowledge of innovative payment methods (e.g., digital financial services, prepaid cards, fintech solutions, e-commerce, contactless, card alternatives, e-money, digital currencies), essential;

    -Professional experience working with the private sector and corporates operating in the West African region advantage;

    -Experience in managing projects and corresponding budgets highly desirable;

    -Working knowledge of international donor organizations, highly desirable;

Language Requirements:

    -Impeccable verbal and written fluency in French is required.

    -Verbal and written fluence in English is required.

Other:

    -Politically savvy and impeccable diplomatic skills, both in speaking and writing, particularly in the West African political contexts.

    -Ensures the full implementation of a project and the financial resources to obtain results.

    -Ability to work under pressure in a highly decentralized structure and in a collaborative manner

    -Promotes in-country work as a learning/knowledge sharing program.

    -Advanced understanding of key issues and international good practice relating to digital government, financial inclusion and digital payments.

Disclaimer

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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.

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