UNCDF Internship Opportunity with the Digital Hub for Asia - General Call for 2022 Applications

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Background

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in 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. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

UNCDF pursues innovative financing solutions through: (1) financial inclusion, which expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the local economy, while also providing differentiated products for women and men so they can climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; (2) local development finance, which shows how fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion, women’s economic empowerment, climate adaptation, and sustainable development; and (3) a least developed countries investment platform that deploys a tailored set of financial instruments to a growing pipeline of impactful projects in the “missing middle".

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 with a focus on reaching the last mile and addressing exclusion and inequalities of access. At the same time, UNCDF deploys its capital finance mandate in line with SDG 17 on the means of implementation, to unlock public and private finance for the poor at the local level. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs and currently to 28 of 169 targets.

About Digital @UNCDF

The UNCDF strategy ‘Leaving no one behind in the digital era’ is based on over a decade of experience in digital financial inclusion in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. UNCDF leverages digital finance in support of the SDGs to achieve the vision of promoting digital economies that leave no one behind. The goal of UNCDF is to empower millions of people by 2024 to use services daily that leverage innovation and technology and contribute to the SDGs. To achieve this vision UNCDF uses a market development approach and continuously seeks to address underlying market dysfunctions that exclude people living in the last mile.

UNCDF is looking for qualified interns to support its different activities related to the following functional areas in its Regional Hub/Implementing countries located in Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Fiji and Samoa:

• Innovation Fund
• Data Analytics
• Partnership and Programme Expansion
• Monitoring & Evaluation and Operation
• Communications and Knowledge Management

The internship manager is committed to providing the intern with the training, guidance and support necessary to complete the below duties and responsibilities effectively and within the internship period. This will include, but not be limited to, scheduled meetings (weekly) to assess output progress, systems training (if required) and completion of required university reports for the purpose of meeting any necessary Degree requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the UNCDF staff, the key activities expected from Digital Hub for Asia interns are:

Innovation Fund

• Support for conducting background study on digital transformation of the financial sector needs
• Support developing concept notes on digital transformation of financial sector players
• Support project partners to create risk registers and implement risk management practices
• Analysing challenge fund project outputs and impacts to create project impact dashboards
• Support challenge fund management
• Any other duties as assigned

Data Analytics

• Data Analytics that includes working with team on bigdata engagement, analyzing trends, and assisting the team with documenting the same;
• Conduct deep-dive thematic research on key issues related to Digital Asia and Pacific activities
• Support in data curation and analytics and experimenting with new data techniques
• Support systematic case study analyses
• Any other duties as assigned

Partnership and Programme Expansion

• Undertake review of various intervention plans and leads including engaging background research and stakeholder discussions to further develop these interventions into specific concepts, intervention themes or proposals that the project should implement in target countries
• Support UNCDF staff to carry out donor mapping exercise and develop resource mobilization strategies for ASEAN and SAARC countries
• Support in conducting background research on a country by country basis and drafting concept notes
• Any other duties as assigned

Monitoring & Evaluation and Operation

• Review, update, develop and streamline the activity tracker for UNCDF SHIFT activities. This includes updating verification documents and links as well as updating the tracker with new activities and documents.
• Research regional and industry trends in financial inclusion and identify benchmarks that can be used by the Regional M&E team
• Support KPI data aggregation in Power BI (overall dashboard design)
• Support project’s day-to-day operation activities
• Develop operation tracking tools
• Supporting the organization and coordination of workshops, conferences and inter-organization meetings
• Provide assistance in procurement efforts and logistical needs
• Any other duties as assigned

Communications and Knowledge Management

• Pitching, writing, proofreading and editing thought leadership, human-impact and other stories and articles
• Assisting in the management of social media channels to promote the UNCDF work on corporate channels
• Supporting the maintenance of the internal online Knowledge Management platforms to ensure ease of access, user-friendliness, and currency of resources
• Development of visual social media, web and print assets , Supporting the preparation and dissemination of reports and other communications materials
• Supporting the organization of various online/offline meetings/events when and as required
• Any other duties as assigned

Competencies

UNCDF/UNDP Core competencies

• Communication
• Delivery
• Innovation
• Leadership
• People Management

Functional Competencies

• Demonstrable skills in research, analytical thinking, and communication;
• Excellent writing and editing skills in English;
• Proven ability to manage diverse and complex tasks, with tight deadlines;
• Able to take initiative and work independently, with minimum supervision;
• Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills with ability to work under pressure within an international setting;
• Interest in the UN system and general knowledge of development issues is a plus
• Self-starter; organized; able to multitask, balance multiple responsibilities, and work to deadline

Guiding Principles

• Demonstrates consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UNCDF in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Demonstrates an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff.
• Demonstrates an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.
• Demonstrates an intellectual curiosity and deep desire to learn.
• Demonstrates a consistent commitment to pro-actively helping fellow members of the PPC Unit and UNCDF more broadly in their day-to-day activities to the reasonable extent possible.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Candidate must be enrolled in a degree programme in Social Sciences, International Relations, Economic Development, Economics, Finance, Journalism, Political Science, Communications, Graphic Design, Marketing, Business administration or other related fields.

Applicants to the UNCDF Internship Programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• (a) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
• (b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);
• (c) Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;

Work Experience and Desired Skillset:

• Demonstrated experience, part or full-time, paid or volunteer, in economics, policy related work, finance, inclusive finance, communications, knowledge management international development, sustainable development or related fields;
• Demonstrated research and analytical capacity;
• Excellent computer, mobile apps, and digital tools operating capabilities;
• Must be able to work in a multicultural environment and be aware of political sensitivities.

In addition to the above experience and skillset, applicants for the Communications and Knowledge Managementt Intern must also have:

• Experience in pitching, writing, editing and proofreading various texts for diverse audiences for social media, web and print;
• Familiarity with social media platforms and graphic design and photo editing software applications (Canva, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop);
• Proficiency or prior experience in MS Word, PowerPoint and/or Keynote;
• Interest in internal knowledge management is an advantage;

Additionally, Data Analytics Intern must also have:

• Experience in STATA, R-Studio, Tableau, Nvivo, Power-BI, Python, GIS Mapping, software’s, or other similar data analytic tools.

Languages:

• Fluency in English required for all opportunities listed above.
• For Country Office duty stations (outside of Bangkok, Thailand), fluency in the local language is preferred.
• Knowledge of other UN languages will be considered a plus.

Additional assignment-specific qualifications:

• Solid understanding of international relations and development.

Additionally, Data Analytics Intern must also have:

• Experience in STATA, R-Studio, Tableau, Nvivo, Power-BI, Python, GIS Mapping, software’s, or other similar data analytic tools.

Working Arrangements:

• Internships maybe in any of the following duty stations: Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, or Cambodia.
• Home-based contract will be considered during Covid-19 pandemic.
• These internships may be for both full-time or part-time placements, depending upon the organization needs and changing pace of UNCDF work. Selected interns may be asked to work on either full-time or a part-time basis (at least 16 hours per week / 2 days a week minimum). This will be communicated as a part of the internship offer to successful candidates.
• UNCDF team members are currently located in countries across Asia, especially the ones mentioned above. Selected interns are expected to work closely with an assigned team-member of UNCDF, based in one of the specified locations listed above;
• Interns are expected to use own Computer/ Laptop, as they may not have full-time access to office Computers/Laptops;
• Contribution made by interns to any organizational publications will be acknowledged and/or recognized if the publication rules allows for authorship to be mentioned.
• Only longlisted candidates will be invited for a technical written test (via email) and the top scoring candidates shall be invited for a phone/Skype interview.

Internship Conditions:

• UNCDF Internship programme is governed by the UNDP Internship Policy Framework and Rules.
• Interns are partially financially remunerated by UNCDF. The costs associated with the assignment will be partially supported by UNCDF and the rest to be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his/her own arrangements for travel, accommodation, etc. Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out (i.e. Bangkok, Thailand).
• Under the new revised UNDP Internship Policy, UNCDF will provide a modest monthly internship stipend to its interns, in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy. All expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern or her/his sponsoring entity/institution.
• Selected interns must be able to share proof of education enrolment and/ or graduation, medical / health and life /accident insurance, valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out and be able to provide insurance documentary proof at the time of their selection.
• The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNCDF but to complement an intern’s studies and learning growth
• There is no expectation of employment at the end of these internships.

Application Process:

Please note that the UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents (CV/ Resume, Cover Letter etc. into a single file before uploading).

• In your application, please state in one paragraph why you would like to be considered for the internship and your primary motivation to apply for the role.
• Please note that you will need to answer the mandatory questions on timeframe and availability (under Additional Questions section), which is a part of the internship application process, in addition to your cover letter.
• Please submit your Resume/CV and an application using the UNCDF Internship Application form: http://www.uncdf.org/download/file/127/2509/internshipdoc
• Applications should include the application form and latest resume. Applicants are welcome to submit any additional work samples or portfolios in one single file, preferably PDF.
• Interested candidates can apply at any time indicating the timeframe of their availability in the internship form. However, only those candidates selected for interviews/ further assessment by hiring managers will be contacted.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a general call for internships throughout 2022. We accept applications from interested and qualified applicants on an ongoing basis for internship opportunities with the Digital Hub for Asia.

Interested Candidates can apply at any time indicating the timeframe of their availability in the internship form. However, only those candidates selected for interviews/further assessment by hiring managers will be contacted on an ongoing basis, as per organizational need.