Programme Analyst - SDG Finance at the United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations.

Headquartered in New York City, the status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Analyst - SDG Finance

Job Identification: 11681
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Schedule: Full time
Grade: NOA
Vacancy Type: Fixed Term
Practice Area: Inclusive Growth
Contract Duration: 1 Year with Possibility for extension
Vacancy Timeline: 2 Weeks
Mobility required/no mobility: no mobility required

Background

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
• UNDP 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 Government of Nigeria has committed to the attainment of the United Nations Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While good strides have been made in developing the relevant institutional frameworks such as the Nigeria Integrated Sustainable Development Goals (iSDGs) and the re-alignment of the National Statistical System (NSS) to effectively guide the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria, progress on the SDGs is varied.
• A key challenge hampering SDG progress is Nigeria’s lack of diversified sources of finance for development, due to its heavy dependence on oil and gas exports as a source of government revenue. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, development financing challenges were monumental, requiring an additional $10 billion a year to achieve the SDGs. The pandemic, with its subsequent economic challenges and the underlying difficulties in achieving the SDGs, has raised these financial requirements to even higher levels. The global economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has also made securing additional SDG financing from domestic and international sources even more challenging.
• In partnership with the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported the government of Nigeria to develop the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF).  Through this partnership, UNDP has commenced implementation of the policy recommendations in responding to these challenges by operationalizing the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) for financing development through the design of concrete action plans aimed at effectively mobilizing and utilizing public and private finance, as well as domestic and international finance.  
• UNDP is working to support the government in enhancing domestic revenues by strengthening tax administrative systems to increase domestic public revenue mobilization. On the private finance side, in order to mobilize and align capital to the SDGs, UNDP provides investors and businesses with the data and insights needed to direct capital to where it is most needed. Through the SDG Investor Map, private sector investors and businesses are equipped with market intelligence to directly contribute towards the attainment of the SDGs by scaling local solutions to create impact.
• For this purpose, UNDP Nigeria produced the Nigeria SDG Investor Map, which identifies SDG-aligned investment opportunities to encourage investors to proactively deploy capital towards addressing national development needs, as publicly available via the SDG Investor Platform and spotlighted through a video documentary. Additionally, through impact facilitation, UNDP Nigeria conducts policy roundtables to enhance the enabling environment for SDG investments, engage with key stakeholders including Impact Investment Foundation to arrange investor forums and bridge the demand and supply gap by connecting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with capital allocators to scale high impact solutions.
• With UNDP expanding its programmatic functions to scale the implementation of the INFF and increase public and private sector resource mobilization for the SDGs, the Analyst is critical to this process. The Analyst will lead and support the implementation of the SDG impact investment initiative, SME development, SDG investment brokering, Insurance and Risk Finance, amongst others. Additionally, the Analyst will support the implementation of the recommendations of the Integrated National Financing Strategy (INFS) which outlines policy actions for strengthening domestic public resource mobilization including through tax administrative reforms.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Policy and Programme Coordination
• Strategic Partnership and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement
• Investment & Trade Facilitation
• Knowledge Management
• Outreach Engagement

Policy and Programme Coordination:

• Provide policy advisory support to the government and the private sector in scaling up financing for the SDGs;
• Provide technical assistance in the implementation of Nigeria’s Integrated National Financing Framework(INFF);
• Develop and maintain service offers that support the government to develop the technical elements of the INFF building blocks, including working with SDG impact, insurance and risk financing facility and other teams to deploy services;
• Coordinate the implementation of UNDP’s SDG Impact Investment initiative to drive private sector participation in financing the SDGs in Nigeria;
• Analyze the local impact investment ecosystem and identify potential synergies with UNDP’s private sector development work in-country;
• Support the implementation of UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Financing initiative in Nigeria, including diagnostics and risk finance solutions to vulnerable groups;
• Provide technical support to the government to identify innovative financing mechanisms to mobilize financing for the SDG;
• Provide technical support to federal and state investment promotion agencies to review business support strategies to increase access to finance for SMEs and incentivize private investments;
• Support the Head of SPIEG unit in relevant analytical and policy-oriented work on SDG finance, and other related topics;
• Draft internal UNDP briefing notes and talking points for Senior Management on development finance initiatives.

Strategic Partnership and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement:

• Support in the country office in their engagement on SDGs and SDG Financing with the Government, private sector, UN country team, IFIs, and development partners;
• Develop partnerships and lead engagements with the private sector to drive the mobilization of private capital towards SDG-aligned development needs;
• Organize multi-stakeholder consultative forums, including public-private dialogues to foster collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders;
• Identify potential synergies between UNDP Nigeria, the UNDP Regional Hub and UNDP Country Offices implementing similar Initiatives;
• Support UNDP in building strategic alliances and partnerships with governments, private sector, think tanks, academic institutions, development partners and others to expand UNDP’s work on SDG financing;
• Strengthen collaboration with other UN agencies and external partners to scale innovative financing for the SDGs;
• Increase capacity of states to mobilize private investments for the SDGs
• Work closely with sub-national governments in designing their SDG aligned state development plans.

Investment & Trade Facilitation:

• Lead UNDP’s SDG Investment Brokering programme;
• Facilitate the development of a pipeline of investment-ready women and youth-led/owned enterprises to increase access to finance for high-impact SMEs;
• In line with UNDP’s Regional Integration plan, provide technical support in the design and implementation of the CO’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)offer;
• Conduct capacity building exercises for SMEs to utilize market access opportunities within AfCFTA;
• Organize and support national and regional trade facilitation events to connect buyers and sellers;
• Provide policy support to the government including the National Action Committee on AfCFTA to plan, review and implement programmatic activities;
• Ensure close collaboration with other UN Agencies to operationalize gender mainstreaming within trade and investment tools and instruments.

Knowledge Management:

• Facilitate the development and update of market intelligence on the SDG impact investors platform;
• Lead the deployment of UNDP’s SDG Impact Standards to enterprises and investors, including through the National Advisory Board for Impact Investment (NABII);
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and promote best practices through collaborations with other UN agencies, regional offices and external partners;
• Develop concept notes for technical workshops/webinars/side-events for UNDP’s development finance programmes;
• Produce regular knowledge tools including thought-provoking policy brief relating to Financing Sustainable Development within national and regional contexts.

Outreach Engagement:

• Collaborate on the organization of events, including high-level investor convenings, investment summits, policy dialogues, facilitation events and programme launches;
• Collaborate on project communications, including Annual Reportsand Newsletters;
• Develop resources to enhance capacities within UNDP on development finance,and private sector participation;
• Follow technical discussions in other fora and represent UNDP in relevant meetings;
• Perform other duties, as may be required by the Supervisor.

Impact of results:

• The key results have an impact on the success of the Strategic Policy and Inclusive Economic Growth unit. It will improve programme design and implementation towards strengthening financing for development both at Federal and State levels.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master's Degree in Development, Economics, Public Policy or a closely related field.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in related field with 2 years relevant experience will be considered.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of work experience, including in sustainable development finance, policy analysis, private sector development, strategic planning, and resource mobilization;
• Excellent writing skills, as demonstrated by previous research/analytical reports/policy notes on relevant topics;
• Experience of working in and with developing countries in Africa, especially Nigeria;
• Experience of working with UNDP or UN Development System on matters related to development finance policies will be an advantage.
• Excellent knowledge of current development finance landscape in Nigeria, including international and domestic public and private finance flows;
• Experience in leading consultations with government officials and facilitating discussions among a wide group of stakeholders is required;
• Experience working with government on reforms to public and/or private finance policy is desirable;
• Experience working on Integrated National Financing Frameworks and Impact Investments is a strong plus;
• Strong record in engaging with the private sector and development partners on issues relating to SDG finance;

Language Requirement:

• Verbal and written fluency in English is required.

Competencies
Core:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Act with Determination  LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Business Management: Professionalism:

• In-depth knowledge of economic policies, policy reforms, development planning and financing. Knowledge of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.

Business Management: Partnership:

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, private sector partners, development partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Business Development: Planning and organizing:

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments, monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary and uses time efficiently to meet the deadlines.

Business Development: Communication:

• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively, listens to others, correctly interprets messages and demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Business Management: Professionalism:

• In-depth knowledge of economic policies, policy reforms, development planning and financing. Knowledge of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063.

Business Management: Teamwork:

• Works collaboratively with others to achieve set goals, solicits inputs by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise, and places team agenda before personal agenda.

Business Management: Judgement and Decision-Making:

• Identifies key issues in a complex situation and comes to the heart of the problem quickly and determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Application Deadline 9th July, 2023; 04:59