Country Coordinator

Details

Mission and objectives

UNCDF vison: Is to promote digital economies that leave no one behind. The UNCDF strategy ‘Leaving no one behind in the digital era’ is based on over a decade of experience in digital finance in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. UNCDF recognizes that reaching the full potential of digital financial inclusion in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aligns with the vision of promoting digital economies that leave no one behind. The vision of UNCDF is to empower millions of people by 2024 to use services daily that leverage innovation and technology and contribute to the SDGs. UNCDF will apply a market development approach and continuously seek to address underlying market dysfunctions. 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. UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: 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. 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 and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs.

Context

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN's capital investment agency for the world’s 46 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. UNCDF has been present in the Pacific since 2008. From 2008 to 2020, together with UNDP, UNCDF implemented the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP). The PFIP played a leading role in bringing about profound changes in the market, which resulted in almost 3Million pacific islanders accessing financial services. The success PFIP helped position UNCDF as the agency with a wide network and extensive knowledge on financial, digital financial and digital services and products, and today our flagship programmes in the Pacific include: • The Pacific Digital Economy Programme (PDEP) which is implemented with UNCTAD and UNDP, aims to support the development of inclusive digital economies in the Pacific addressing the impact of COVID-19 and at the same time leveraging its catalytic capacity. • The Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme, implemented with UNDP, aims to improve the financial preparedness and resilience of Pacific islanders towards climate change and natural hazards • The STREIT programme, a partnership with FAO, UNDP, ILO and ITU and that aims to support rural entrepreneurship, investment and trade in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The portfolio across the region identifies and promotes the deployment of blended finance instruments to lower the upfront capital and/or reduce the investment risk for the private sector. For example, UNCDF is supporting Coral Reef Preservation in Fiji and PNG though our partnership with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs and the issuance of the Blue Bond in Fiji, a project implemented in partnership with UNDP. Primary countries of focus are Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands (SOI), Tonga, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste and Kiribati.

Task description

The Country Coordinator, positioned under the supervision of the UNCDF’s Regional Manager, will play a pivotal role in implementing UNCDF’s initiatives in Timor Leste. This encompasses: Programme Implementation: Coordinating and managing the implementation of UNCDF programmes in line with annual work plans, ensuring quality assurance and achievement of outputs. Private sector support: Supporting the development of innovative projects and initiatives, leveraging UNCDF’s Technical Assistance facilities and blended finance instruments. Team Management: Supervising and mentoring personnel, including other potential volunteers, interns, and consultants, based on project requirements. Strategic Partnerships: Building relationships and capitalizing on opportunities for collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, including government bodies, the private sector, and development partners. Policy and Regulation Support: Assisting government entities in enhancing policies and regulations to support the strategic objectives in the region. Partner Relationship Management: Actively engage and manage relationships with various financial service providers, including commercial banks, insurance companies, fintechs, mobile money operators, and remittance service providers. Provide both financial and technical support from UNCDF to strengthen these partnerships. Representation and Networking: Represent UNCDF at all relevant country-level workshops, conferences, and events, ensuring UNCDF’s presence and participation is meaningful and impactful. Facilitation of Visits and Meetings: Support and facilitate country visits for regional technical specialists and other UNCDF colleagues, liaising with partners to organize productive meetings. Reporting and Accountability: Ensure timely and accurate reporting from partners that have received support, fulfilling all required obligations and standards. Knowledge Management and Communication: Contribute to the organization's knowledge base by writing blog posts, focus notes, and other relevant content.