UN START Facility Manager Employment Opportunity – United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
Job Title: START Facility Manager
Organization: United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Reports to: National Programme Manager
Post Level: NOC
About US:
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 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.
About START:
The START funding facility is designed to support the implementation of DINU food security and nutrition component, in particular Activity 1.2.2, which aims at providing seed capital to incubation projects along agricultural value chain as part of its overall objective to increase local production of diversified food. The Facility is intended to offer access to affordable medium-term finance for agricultural value adding projects in Northern Uganda through provision of Business Development Services and seed capital in the form of loans, grants and reimbursable grants. The medium to long-term development objective will be to stimulate pro-poor economic growth in northern Uganda, better retain the economic benefits of agriculture in the North, and improve local food systems and food security. The secondary medium-term objective will be to transform the Facility into a sustainable and adequately capitalized loan/grant facility providing technical assistance and seed capital to small and medium-sized value adding agribusinesses in Northern Uganda with the further intention to scale up its operation and coverage nationally.
START is structured as a blended facility providing a customized mix of Business Development Services, project development and structuring services, and financial products. Accordingly, the START has three lines of business managed by the three participating institutions respectively, the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda (PSFU), UNCDF and the Uganda Development Bank Limited (UDBL). In addition to managing the line of business that provides project preparation and development services, UNCDF will be responsible for the overall administration of the Facility. To perform this function, UNCDF is looking for a dynamic, experienced and forward-looking manager for the START Facility.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Ensures the strategic management of the Facility focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Ensure continued alignment of the Facility operation in terms of the policies and approach with the national objectives, relevant policies and strategies as well as with the DINU programmatic objectives and relevant interventions across all three areas;
- Ensure that project objectives and activities are well coordinated with, and complement, the activities and operations of other agencies, facilities and funds that support agricultural development and finance in Northern Uganda;
- Ensure coherence between the Facility partners (PSFU and UDB) and delivery towards the stated common objectives.
- Provide technical advice on strategies, policies and plans affecting Facility operations, delivery, knowledge and learning services;
- Establish collaborative arrangements with other potential partners and appropriate operational partnership arrangements;
- Constant monitoring and analysis of the operating environment, quick readjustment of the operations, advice on legal considerations and risk assessment;
- In charge of monitoring and analysis of key developments in the country that are likely to impact on the Facility operations.
Ensures effective and accurate overall management of the Facility focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Prepare and submit for approval the Facility’s annual plans and budgets.
- Manage the overall Facility governance and implementation mechanisms including organizing the review and approval meetings, field visits, and other specific activities of the Management Board, Project Preparation Facility, Grant Approval Committee, Credit Approval Committee and other entities formally established by the Facility;
- Serves as the Secretary to the START Management Board, organizes regular Board meetings and keeps the records of the Board’s procedures.
- Prepare and issue in a timely manner the memoranda of understanding, letters of agreement with the partners and other legal instruments to enable their engagement and implementation of the activities for which they are responsible;
- Ensure timely financial transfers to the Facility’s lines of business;
- Prepare and issue, in consultation with the other partners, calls for proposals and the criteria applied for project selection;
- Ensure timely publication and public access to all relevant information pertaining to the Facility operation, including information on selected beneficiaries and annual progress reports;
- Prepare inputs concerning START operations to the DINU quarterly and annual reports in accordance with the EU and other donor requirements as well as standalone narrative and financial reports on START operations to the START Management Board, European Union as well as other possible partners/donors;
- Participate in communication and media activities; ensure the Facility web-site updates; coordinate distribution of the project related information;
- Ensure visibility of the Donor and Implementing Partners in all project outputs.
Ensures effective quality assurance of the Facility’s operation focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Establish an effective tracking system and database for the Facility-supported projects to reflect their financial and physical progress throughout their life cycle from the submission of proposals, to implementation, and evaluation to documentation and closure in compliance with EU and UNCDF M&E requirements;
- Ensure strict adherence and compliance of all operations and activities with the Facility rules and procedures, including the financial and other requirements for the size and nature of the eligible projects, and the type of support and individual disbursements per project;
- Collect regular (quarterly and annual) narrative and financial reports from the implementing partners (PSFU and UDB) for submission to the START Management Board and DINU Programme Manager as part of the programme overall monitoring arrangements;
- Design, in cooperation with the START partners, general key performance indicators for the Facility, assign distinct performance measures, and ensure their continuous monitoring and timely corrective measures in the case of deviation;
- Develop in collaboration with the partners and implement START monitoring and evaluation plan, compliance and accordingly utilize the findings as to justify adjustment of the funds disbursement schedules and to introduce corrective measures in the case of deviation;
- Regularly update the risk log for the Facility and conduct appropriate budget and operation risk management, mitigation and responses.
- Analyze and monitor the financial situation, present forecasts for the Facility, and monitor for unusual activities and transactions;
- Support the design, preparation and implementation of regular independent audits of the Facility; prepare management responses and follow up on the audit recommendations as appropriate;
- Organize field verification and inspection visits by the START Management Board, partners, government officials and other stakeholders.
Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and implements the resource mobilization strategy for the Facility focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Establish and maintain dialogue with government officials, NGOs, partners, donors and communities to provide knowledge and understanding, ensuring accurate interpretation of the Facility’s objectives;
- Identify areas of cooperation and coordination with other government and non-government partners, financial institutions, development agencies as well as UN agencies for the implementation of joint activities related to the Facility;
- Render support in resource mobilization efforts for the Programme.
- Prepare and implement the strategy and action plan for transforming START into a sustainable and adequately capitalized investment facility providing technical assistance and seed capital to small and medium-sized value adding agribusinesses.
Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and management, focusing on the achievement of the following results:
- Formulate and implement START Visibility Plan to capture the management of the funds as well as the projects being implemented for the purpose of Facility visibility and lessons learnt and, in this regard, periodically publish knowledge products in the START website and other media;
- Assist in documenting START good practices and lessons learnt.
- Facilitate learning and experience sharing for government officials, private sector representatives, local community leaders and experts;
- Contribute to national, corporate and global knowledge networks;
- Represent the Facility and UNCDF in meetings relating to the Facility;
- Contribute to UNCDF cross-practice synergies with the development finance interventions at country level.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Programme Manager – DINU employment opportunity should a Master’s degree or equivalent in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration or other related field.
- A minimum of five years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing financial management, investment services and/or funds management advisory services;
- Previous experience in managing staff and operational systems in accordance with international procedures and standards and establishing interrelationships with international organizations and national governments in the area of governance and development;
- Experience in Least Developed Countries, particularly in Uganda and East Africa;
- Knowledge and experience of UNCDF and UN system policies and programming is desirable.
- Extensive knowledge and experience in the design, implementation and management of funding facilities providing integrated business development and financial services.
- Experience in providing project development and investment advisory services to small and medium enterprises, particularly in the agricultural sector.
- In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter
- Broad knowledge and understanding of more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
- Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff;
- Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
- Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
- Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments;
Personal Competencies:
- Advocacy/Advancing a policy-oriented agenda: Analysis and creation of messages and strategies. Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for advocacy work
- Results-Based Programme Development and Management: Contributes into results through primary research and analysis. Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work; researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration; monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation
- Building strategic partnerships:
- Identifying and building partnerships; identifies needs and interventions for capacity building counterparts, clients and potential partners; displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/herself and willingly accepts new work assignments; takes responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and strives until successful outputs are achieved; innovation and marketing new approaches.
- Developing new approaches, looks at experience critically, drawing lessons, and building them into the design of the new approaches; identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations; documents successes and uses them to project a positive image; creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking; makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor.
- Promoting organizational learning and knowledge sharing: Developing tools and mechanisms. Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches; identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms.
- Client Orientation: Contributing to positive outcomes for the client; anticipates client needs; works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider, demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates who so desire to join the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in the aforementioned capacity should endeavor to Apply Online by Clicking on the link below. Please further review job requirements and if competent Click Apply Now.
Deadline: 14th March 2018
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