DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION OFFICER, PARTNERSHIPS AND DEVELOPMENT FINANCE (Bogota)

Contract

This is a NO-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-3 contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:

The position is located in the United Nations Resident Coordination Office (RCO) in Colombia and reports to the Senior Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning and RCO Team Leader.

The UN has been working for Colombia for 68 years and the UN Country Team (UNCT) is currently composed of 21 Agencies, Funds, Programmes and Offices. It has a strong field presence, with offices in 67 locations, and around 3,250 personnel. The Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2020-2023), recently signed with Government, outlines three development priorities: (1) local stabilization: Peace with legality; (2) migration as a factor of development; and (3) accelerating SDG catalysers. The UN System also delivers humanitarian assistance together with civil society partners, coordinated under through the Humanitarian Country Team. In 2020, the UN scaled-up its response to the COVID19 crisis, including the immediate health response, protection of lives and livelihoods and the medium to longer term socio-economic impact of the pandemic. Our work focuses on supporting Colombia sustain peace and reach the Sustainable Development Goals, making sure no one is left behind.

A key priority for the RCO is to development new innovative ways to financing the development outcomes that the UN in Colombia is pursuing, based on partnership and collaboration with the private sector, financial institutions, and impact investors. The primary focus of this position is therefore to deepen engagement of the UN with private sector partners to leverage financing and investment for sustainable development.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Development Coordination Officer, Partnerships and Development Finance will be responsible of the following duties: (These duties are generic and may not be carried out by all Development Coordination Officers, Partnerships and Development Finance.)

Summary of Functions: 1. Provides substantive support for strategic planning for and coordination of UN Country Team (UNCT) partnerships 2. Coordinates and participates in joint resource mobilization for the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). 3. Provides substantive support on financing for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4. Supports knowledge management and capacity development

Description of Functions:

1. Assists with the provision of substantive support for strategic planning for and coordination of UNCT partnerships

• Provides advice on the development and implementation of the UN Partnership Strategy in alignment with and support of the UNSDCF in the country;
• Monitors and assesses the strategy at regular intervals to harness new emerging opportunities, with focus on innovative modalities for development financing, to anticipate changes to the internal direction and external environment, and to make mid-term adjustments;
• Provides substantive support to the Resident Coordinator (RC) and the UNCT in identifying risks and opportunities related to specific partnerships, with emphasis on parternships with private sector, financial institutions and impact investors, and suggests mitigation measures as relevant;
• Provides inputs on due diligence processes of potential investment and partnership opportunities, in accordance with UN regulations and procedures;
• Provides advise and substantive support to RC/UNCT to develop and implement locally-tailored partnerships, financing for development, and resource mobilization strategies and initiatives, with priority on private sector partners;
• Contributes to dialogues with partners to improve development assistance policies and practice;
• Plans and facilitates liaison and coordination with UN entities at country, regional and HQ levels, to help package and define UN business strategies, including differentiated value propositions, to attract partners, both traditional and non-traditional
• Carries out other duties as assigned by the RC in support of the UNSDCF and UNCT coordination.

2. Participates in joint resource mobilization for the UNSDCF

• Provides substantive support to RC/UNCT to develop and implement locally-tailored resource mobilization strategies and initiatives, and identify appropriate data and benchmarks to measure progress and success;
• Monitors and analyzes existing resource mobilization partnerships and relationships, including private sector partners, financial institutions, impact investors, and those with high net worth, and facilitates coordinated access to vertical thematic Trust Funds.
• In coordination with the data management and results monitoring and reporting officer, plans and facilitates the design, formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of joint programmes and programming processes for use in joint resource mobilization, as well as business intelligence related to private sector engagement in SDG financing;
• Provides substantive support for the production and distribution of marketing materials to raise awareness about opportunities for working with the UN on SDG investment, and the development related initiatives with private sector partners;
• Contributes to building the UN brand via events, media and public relations opportunities targeted to the diverse partners, in close collaboration with the UN Communications Group.

3. Provides substantive support on financing for accelerating the achievement of the SDGs

• Provides substantive support on financing for development options, instruments, modalities to the RC/UNCT, in alignment with the Common Country Analysis (CCA), UNSDCF, MAPS (Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support), the Integrated Strategic Framework (ISF) with the UN Political Mission and the Humanitarian Response Plan and similar processes;
• Analyzes trends and provides advice and support for developing new and innovative financing mechanisms for development and SDG acceleration, including support to blended finance solutions, social impact bonds and leveraging of social impact investment with special focus SDG 16;
• Provides inputs for briefing papers and discussion points on issues related to financing for development for consideration by RC/UNCT;
• Plans and facilitates engagements with external stakeholders - including the national government, international financial institutions and others - on financing for SDG acceleration and sustaining peace;
• Undertakes the design and execution of innovative proposals to strengthen the UNCT engagement and reputation with private sector partners and social impact investors, and to generate greater financial resources in support of the SDGs and sustaining peace;
• Assists in the establishment and management of the country-based SDG Fund, coordination of funding through vertical thematic Trust Funds and supports the existing UN MPTF for Sustaining Peace in Colombia and its Technical Secretariat, in close collaboration with UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (where relevant).

4. Supports knowledge management and capacity development

• Plans and facilitates the development, maintenance and sharing of knowledge and intelligence, to ensure RC/UNCT are informed and positioned to effectively generate and harness opportunities to meet its resource mobilization targets;
• Contributes to knowledge networks and communities of practice at national, regional and global levels;
• Undertakes activities to strengthen the capacity of UNCTs to mainstream and promote SDG investment partnerships;

• Provides business intelligence, analysis and systematizes knowledge related to the UN innovative engagement with private sector and impact investors, with the aim to strengthen the ecosystem for SDG financing and social impact investment in Colombia. Provides substantive support for the discovery, evaluation and selection of partnership opportunities at the sourcing and origination stages

  Competencies Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

  Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services. Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs. Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas. Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box." Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

  Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

  Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business or public administration, finance, international relations, sustainable development, social sciences, education or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

  Work Experience A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in providing strategic support to public-private partnerships social impact investment projects, resource mobilization or development finance in the context of development cooperation or related areas.. Extensive experience working for private sector, international financial institutions, or social impact investor is a requirement.

  Previous experience working with Colombian institutions, civil society organizations and/or the UN in Colombia is an advantage

  Languages Fluency in Spanish and strong command of English, is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

  Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

  Special Notice Candidates for the National Professional Officer category shall be of the nationality of the country where this position is located.

  United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.