Finance Consultant (plugPAY), CST Level I

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

Join our diverse and passionate team that works on varied and international projects directly contributing to saving & changing millions of lives around the globe.

JOB TITLE: plugPAY Finance Consultant TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant Level I UNIT/DIVISION: Business Development and Cash Based Transfers Branch (FINB), Corporate Finance DUTY STATION (City, Country): Permanent Place of Residence (Rome, Italy) DURATION: 11 Months

WHO WE ARE

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries and territories, bringing life-saving assistance in emergencies, building pathways to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change and supporting sustainable and resilient livelihoods for a world with zero hunger.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do, and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of the diverse, committed, skilled, and high-performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: UN World Food Programme (WFP), and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

WHY JOIN US?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT Cash-based transfers (CBT) represent an increasing share of WFP’s total humanitarian assistance (34 percent in 2021) and include assistance distributed as physical banknotes, e-money, mobile money, vouchers, or debit cards. By providing sufficient cash to meet food and other essential needs, WFP (WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME) aims to ensure families do not find themselves in a situation where they need to redistribute limited resources at the expense of food security. In 2021, WFP transferred US$2.3 billion to 41.8 million people in 69 countries, empowering them to meet their essential needs.

In support of WFP’s global scale-up of cash-based transfers, the Finance function through the Business Development and Cash Based Transfers Branch (FINB) is developing corporate tools and guidance, providing day-to-day technical advice and assistance to Country Offices (CO) while also undertaking a range of other strategic activities and engagements internally as well as with external service providers. The consultant will be supporting country roll-outs for plugPAY, supporting the development and enhancement of corporate tools and guidance, and providing strategic advice based on market intelligence and financial technology insights to the Financial Sector Intelligence and Innovation (FSII) team within FINB.

Under the overall Supervision of the FSII team lead, the Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Guide WFP Country Offices (COs) with plugPAY operations in day-to-day activities to ensure successful implementation of plugPAY for Cash Based Transfers.

• Streamline communication and support payment planning, timeline keeping, and improvement suggestions through close collaboration with all relevant Country Office (CO) stakeholder groups
• Provide operational support and guidance for payment creation, reconciliation, accounting entries, and KPI evaluation to involved CO colleagues
• Evaluate lessons learned and make continuous suggestions for procedural and technical improvements, document such together with CO in pre-established SOPs
• Support CO Finance, programme, and ICT stakeholders as required

Formulate Business requirements for plugPAY system enhancements.

• Derive lessons learned and suggestions for improvement based on country office operations
• Craft business requirements, align them within plugPAY team and with other finance stakeholders, submit for implementation, and follow through on implementation status

Conduct KPI reporting and act as a business counterpart for the digitization of management reporting with the implementation of a comprehensive reporting dashboard.

• Aggregate KPIs from country offices on a monthly basis and consolidate into the management report
• Prepare inputs for management reporting template on a monthly basis
• Formulate business requirements and establish plugPAY management dashboard for KPI reporting in close collaboration with Finance Systems and Services unit

Document plugPAY processes to enhance guidance materials and prepare for streamlining and policy implementation

• Update plugPAY manuals and supporting documents as required
• Support the design of new process flows for the upgrade of the solution in close alignment with plugPAY team and other Finance stakeholders

Build and maintain a standard document repository for novel beneficiary payment solution

• Prepare and update guidance materials such as step-by-step guidance, accounting model, and end-to-end process for plugPAY
• Build centralized storage for project-related IT documentation in close alignment with TEC stakeholders

Support plugPAY project management and country rollout roll-out

• Support crafting of management reports, communication materials, and funding applications as required
• Support feasibility evaluation for country implementation through research on national payment infrastructures, regulatory requirements, and available FinTech service providers, to assess the potential of plugPAY implementation

Provide COs with guidance and support during the various stages of CBT implementation

Other duties as required

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT

• Successful Country Office plugPAY CBT operations
• Updated documentation of plugPAY processes, guidance documents, and Country Office SOPs
• Built and maintained a standard document repository
• Delivered monthly KPI and management reporting
• Suggested lessons learned and solution improvements based on plugPAY operations
• Pilot results of CBT payment solution PlugPAY delivered in project KPIs
• The expanded landscape of global plugPAY feasibility analysis
• Reviewed and cleared ad-hoc reports produced by the plugPAY team
• Various analytical study outputs and market insights as requested

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education: University Degree in Economics or Finance, Business Administration, or related fields

Knowledge& Skills:

• Knowledge of global financial markets, sub-sectors, and their institutions and stakeholders
• Overview of basic corporate finance protocols, experience in KPI
• reporting and crafting of funding applications
• Understanding of the regulatory setting for payment instruments in the
• context of humanitarian interventions
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a diverse team

Experience:

3 years of related work experience, preferably in one or more of the following:

• Corporate finance, financial sector assessment, or consulting
• Research and market analysis for financial institutions, Macro Economic/regulatory/humanitarian setting

Languages:

• Good oral and written communication in English; knowledge of French and/or another additional UN language is a plus

TERMS & CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status

Deadline for applications: June 6, 2023

Please note that the deadline is at 11:59 pm Rome time (GMT + 1)

Ref: VA No. 827342

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, and complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passports, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.