Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organisation, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organisation of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developed countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilise and catalyse an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilises its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realisation of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022– 2031.

As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organisation and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, United Nations Organizations, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets, and mobilise and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilise investment flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognise the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders.

UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including:

SME Finance
Sub-National Finance
Digital Finance

UNCDF’s organisational setup includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand), with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNCDF is looking for a Programme Management Specialist to support the Ghana country programme. The Specialist will be in charge of:

Programme Development and Implementation

Lead the execution of programmes, ensuring alignment with UNDP and UNCDF rules, regulations and priorities.
Lead on annual work plans, making sure HR and procurement needs are correctly assessed and executed, risks are updated, and indicators are aligned with Prodoc.
Lead weekly team meetings with project teams, ensuring accountability on follow-up actions.
Lead on drafting and quality assurance of donors’ narrative reports based on donors’ agreements, UNCDF’s corporate requirements for reporting schedules for both programmes.
Provide guidance on Responsible Party selection; i.e. provide quality assurance on due diligence on pre-selected candidates, selection packages and agreements (Responsible Party, Performance Based Payment Agreement, Letter Of Agreement, Supplementary guidelines).
Provide quality assurance support and maintain a relationship with Project Management Support Unit (PMSU) and Operations Effectiveness and Assurance Unit
Lead on the overall monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) agenda vis a vis of donor and corporate requirements
Establish clear performance targets and indicators with partners, consistent with UNCDF's strategic framework and programmes’ objectives.

Financial and Resource Management:

Manage budgets and ensure efficient allocation of resources.
Lead financial reporting and compliance with donor reporting arrangements.
Support audits and decentralised evaluations.
Ensure effective and efficient use of Quantum and Quantum+ in line with the project cycle.
Ensure appropriate staffing and consultants' support is in place, in liaison with regional and HQ support.
Organise targets and monitor financial delivery for the programmes.
Lead and support the management of HR recruitment and procurement processes, including the preparation of TORs, review and selection of candidates.

Knowledge and capacity building, sharing, and advocacy

Identify capacity building needs and opportunities of the project team’s members and provide coaching, support and mentoring as needed.
Ensure appropriate training, project workshops and other relevant activities are organised and implemented in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia.
Ensure project reports capture results, lessons learned and good practices for possible wider application.
Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on development and project-related issues.
Support the establishment of knowledge platforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for the dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area.

Stakeholder engagement

Act as a focal point in-country vis a vis of main stakeholders
Participate in donors’ and stakeholder meetings when and as needed in consultation with the regional office
Manage the relationships with immediate project stakeholders such as donors, government and other technical partners
Support the UNDP country office in making sure the UNCDF results and value added are adequately communicated

Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3:

Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, and have a lasting impact

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3:

Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3:

Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3:

Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3:

Think beyond immediate tasks/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3:

Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3:

Appreciate the benefits of a diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking

Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.

Business Direction & Strategy: System Thinking

Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system

Business Development: Knowledge Facilitation

Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Business Management: Project Management

Ability to plan, organise, prioritise, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals

Business Management: Communication

Communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience
Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels

Partnership management: Relationship Management

Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or a related field is required, or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years (with a Master's degree) or 9 years (with a Bachelor's degree) of progressively responsible experience, including leading roles (e.g. project manager) at the international level in the field of programme management, project management, project coordination or related fields

Required Skills:

Professional experience in leading teams for the delivery of development projects funded by international donors, including the effective provision of substantive leadership and guidance, oversight, monitoring and reporting for projects/programmes with similar scale, scope and complexity.
Professional experience in the relevant thematic areas, such as development finance, digital finance, and youth employment.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

Experience in project cycle, budget/financial management and coordination.
Professional experience within the UN system.
Experience in fostering networks and partnerships, and ability to provide coordination with the UN Agencies, international and other organisations present in the sector.
Professional experience in the geographic area (e.g. Africa/West Africa) and understanding of national challenges.
Experience using Oracle and Salesforce-based systems such as Quantum and Quantum+.

Required Languages:

Fluency in English is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organisation. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with a similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Programme Management Specialist, (IPSA-11), Accra, Ghana (UNCDF) [Open to internal and external applicants]