Job Title: Programme Specialist (Local Government Finance & Economic Development)
Organisation: United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About US:
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 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.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Programme implementation including team management (20%)
- Actively contribute to the day-to-day management and monitoring of the programme, including effective and regular use of the ATLAS/Quantum platform and effective programme implementation;
- Contribute to the management of the risk log of the project;
- Document progress towards the achievement of outputs and contribute to the preparation and timely submission of comprehensive technical and financial reports in line with contractual agreements including semi-annual reporting;
- Provide effective technical direction to and empowerment of supervisees, including through coaching and mentoring;
- Role-modelling of UN values and encouraging supervisees to act ethically both in their relationships with each other and in the business decisions and actions they take;
- Ensure effective performance management of supervisees (incl. annual individual performance plans of supervisees completed on time; regular meetings with supervisees organized during the year to monitor progress towards agreed goals, provide feedback and support; annual reviews (mid-term and annual) held on time; facilitating learning and development);
- Support to supervisees in implementing various arrangements in place to ensure their safety and security and in maintaining their health and well-being.
Policy, regulatory and technical advice to government counterparts and key stakeholders (60%)
- Oversee the day-to-day implementation of the programme’s activities with a focus on local government finance and local economic development (rural and urban), and on the effective use of PBCRGs;
- Organize capacity building (“learning by doing”) and preparation of local government development and investment plans and budgets, ensuring climate change is mainstreamed within such processes;
- Ensure target districts are fully acquainted with the LoCAL design elements and comply with minimum conditions and improve performance in target areas, including by undertaking gaps assessments and organizing capacity building workshops;
- Ensure timely organization of the annual performance assessment (APA), in close collaboration with government counterparts, for instance by developing ToRs to engage third-party firms/consultants, workplan, etc.
- Ensure successful implementation of the performance-based country mechanism (LoCAL) that can be up-scaled nationwide and harness international climate finance;
- Ensure the timely and effective implementation of the activities as scheduled;
- Provide policy, regulatory and technical advice to government counterparts at central and subnational levels;
- Lead, together with the Programme Management Specialist, the technical dialogue and provision of policy and technical advisory services to national and local government counterparts in relation to local government finance, performance-based grants and local economic development.
Knowledge management and communication (10%)
- Identify key knowledge constraints and organize learning, knowledge exchange, training, workshops, etc. to build awareness and capacities in relevant themes (i.e. local government finance, performance-based grants and local economic development, both in rural and urban contexts);
- Contribute to the implementation of the Communication and Visibility Plan of the Programme, in collaboration with the Project team, partners and technical consultants;
- Identify, collect and disseminate best practices and lesson learned from the Programme in areas of specialty;
- Manage the process of convening national and regional stakeholders to share lessons learned on selected themes.
Networking and partnership building (10%)
- Builds effective and efficient partnerships at the operational level with national counterparts, including development partners, to coordinate selected in country activities;
- Maintain close working relationships with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Water and Environment, OPM, and other key stakeholders at various levels in order to generate interest in and execution of the PBCRGS and its key results areas to expand the mechanism in Uganda;
- Organize consultative meetings, seminars and workshops to drive analytical and policy work of the Programme;
- Serve as the UNCDF focal point in working groups and steering committees on the issue of local government finance, performance-based grants and local economic development (urban and rural) and provide inputs for conducive policy and regulatory environment;
- Develop strategies to mobilize additional resources based on programme requirements and new opportunities.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Programme Specialist (Local Government Finance & Economic Development) job must hold a Master’s degree in international development, political/social science, economics, public/business administration, or a related field.
- A first-level university degree in the above areas with 7 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- At least five years of experience with Master’s Degree, (6) years’ with specialized license in the relevant area and (7) years’ with Bachelor’s degree in progressively more responsible positions in local government finance and/or local economic development and project management;
- At least three (3) years’ of work experience related to local government finance and decentralization ideally with performance-based grants and/or similar instruments (both for urban and rural settings) like budget support and/or local economic development is desirable;
- At least three (3) years’ experience working on policy, regulatory and technical advisory services with national and local counterparts, preferably in Uganda, is highly desirable;
- Strong networking capabilities and ability to associate him/herself with a range of actors (inter alia central and local governments; policy makers; regulators, and donors, local communities) with a view to building relations and facilitating links;
- Experience with a UN organization/agency is desirable;
- Experience with ATLAS and UNDP Procurement Processes is desired, but not a requirement.
- Proven ability to manage projects and managing for results;
- Excellent analytical skills;
- Strong general IT skills, including ability to work regularly with MS Office Suite;
- Proven cross-cultural communication, able to function effectively in an international, multicultural environment and manage a team consisting of multiple nationalities;
- Fluency in written and spoken English and in other major languages spoken in Uganda. Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
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How to Apply:
All applicants who wish to join the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) should apply online at the link below.
Deadline: 10th September 2022
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