Strategic Innovation Specialist (Finance and Missions)

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Since 2021, the Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) Innovation Team has led the regional implementation of the EU-funded “Mayors for Economic Growth Facility” (M4EG), implemented in five Eastern Partnership (EaP) Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine). The M4EG offers resources, networking and learning opportunities to explore new trajectories of growth and to make towns and cities more attractive for people and investment through new ways of local economic planning. The M4EG takes a 'hyperlocal' and whole-of-place approach and offers training and capability development opportunities for local authorities through the Urban Learning Center, as well as grant programmes for municipalities to test new approaches and tools. As of end of 2023, the network of mayors/municipalities totals 425, with close to 50 of those implementing grants or seed-funds at the local level. 10 cities have been developing their comprehensive Urban Transformation Portfolios with the mission-based approach (utilizing UNDP’s Portfolio Design & Management approach) to address their complex development challenges ranging from topics like energy transition into start-up ecosystem development and digital cultural heritage.

In the new phase of the M4EG (2025-2028) the main objective of the M4EG is to enhance the economic resilience and sustainability of secondary cities in EaP by fostering inclusive and green economic growth.

The Facility will focus on two main outcomes:

1. Improved systemic local-level economic development planning and implementation, for societal vibrancy, digital transformation and regeneration of environment.
2. Enhanced capability of local authorities for project creation and financing absorption, as well as strengthening own source revenue collection and allocation.

The new phase of the M4EG will have a stronger focus on diversifying the local level financing and connecting the municipalities with additional funding and financing opportunities offered by the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan, IFIs, commercial banks and other funding programmes in the region.

To that end, UNDP is seeking a Strategic Innovation Specialist to work on leading the diversification of local level financing and connecting it in the design of the mission-based urban planning within the Mayors for Economic Growth Facility.

The role of the Strategic Innovation Specialist will be to support the development of mission-based urban plans and local level financing under the Mayors for Economic Growth Facility.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Strategic Innovation Specialist will lead the work of M4EG in diversifying the funding and financing opportunities of M4EG network municipalities and embedding the financing angle in the design of the mission-based economic planning and grant programmes. In addition, s/he is expected to work closely with the country offices and the M4EG Regional Project Manager in building both regional and national partnerships with funding and financing organizations, national stakeholders and international partners.

Lead design, develop and coordinate the diversification of local level financing work of M4EG:

1. Identify funding and financing opportunities, such as new instruments, new funding programmes and new funding modalities available in the region;
2. Guide and advise the local financing experts, country offices and local authorities in getting access to new opportunities;
3. Capture learnings and results and translate them into financing case library for the M4EG network;
4. Facilitate learning exchanges and dialogues around funding and financing.

Provision of top-level technical advisory support to embed financing angle in the mission-based economic planning and grant programmes of M4EG:

1. Co-design the mission-based economic planning processes and grant programmes to include financing angle aiming to grow and scale the seed-funded initiatives;
2. Advise and support the mission-based economic planning process in identifying and embedding the funding and financing opportunities into their action plans;
3. Translate the learnings and results into A Financing Framework of the Mission-Based Economic Plans in EaP.

Guide and support the M4EG Regional Project Manager in building and managing strategic relationships with partners:

1. Identify and engage with national, regional and global funding and financing institutions, who provide support for local level in the region;
2. Support country offices in engaging sub-regional and national stakeholders to establish dialogues on local level financing in each country;
3. Identify and coordinate the work with both international and local financing experts and organizations to support the development of financing modalities and pilots.

Lead knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s) and UNDP:

1. Identify capacity building needs and opportunities. Ensure appropriate training and other relevant capacity building activities are organized and implemented in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia. Lead workshops with senior level officials and stakeholders;
2. Proactively identify and pursue opportunities for the documentation and communication of best practices, programme results, and lessons learned under the project;
3. Actively participate in and make substantive contributions to external networks and communities of practice to promote advocacy for UNDP’s work and opportunities for collaboration in addressing development trends. Represent UNDP in relevant technical meetings and working groups under the direction of CO management;
4. Support establishment of knowledge platforms and innovative mechanisms for capturing and disseminating knowledge from the project; and ensure development of knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Specialist will perform tasks for UNDP, under the supervision of the Regional Project Manager for M4EG Facility and work closely with the regional and national M4EG teams.

Competencies

Core competencies

1. Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.
2. Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.
3. Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.
4. Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.
5. Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.
6. Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.
7. Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

People Management competency: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross Functional and technical competencies:

1. Digital - Portfolio design & management
   1. Ability to identify leverage points in systems and design interventions that address them. Ability to design processes that extract learning on an ongoing basis from existing portfolios, so that learning accrues over time and new options for action are continuously generated.
   2. Build a learning ecosystem around a complex development challenge: being able to mobilise a variety of stakeholders and help them learn and work together. Understand key principles of systems and complexity theory.
2. Digital - Systems thinking & transformation
   1. Understand that complex problems need a non-reductionist, holistic approach. Ability to explore challenges from multiple perspectives by zooming in and out, with a focus on relationships and flows rather than individual elements; understand how certain dynamics and conditions are driving and influencing an issue. Ability to develop a collective understanding by mapping system and their dynamics (e.g. flows or resources, information; power relations); is able to handle ambiguity and can help others navigate it.
   2. Being able to identify intervention points to leverage change and system transformation by setting out a coherent collection of multiple interventions to probe the system for desirable effects.
   3. Understand that change is non-linear and unpredictable; being comfortable and able to work with emergence.
3. Digital - Alternative finance
   1. Ability to identify potential alternative forms of finance and mobilise them for the purpose of addressing development challenges.
   2. Ability to review the skills, capacities, procedures, and protocols that are needed to enable new financial mechanisms.
   3. Ability to assess the risks, limitations, and implications of using new financial mechanisms.
   4. Set up the processes and structures to design, testing and implement new financial mechanisms. Managing outreach and stakeholder engagement.
4. Finance - Development finance expertise
   1. Ability to develop and work with innovative financing mechanisms and instruments, e.g. social/development impact bonds, guarantees, climate finance, etc.
5. Partnership management - Relationship management
   1. Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
6. Business Direction and Strategy - Systems - Thinking
   1. 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

1. Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in International Development, Development Economics, Urban Studies, Natural Sciences or other relevant field is required, OR
2. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

1. Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of working experience in the use of innovative mechanisms and methods in development is required;
2. At least two (2) years of working experience with different financing mechanisms is required.

Languages:

1. Fluency in English is required.
2. Working knowledge of another UN language is desired.

Required skills:

1. Experience in designing complexity/portfolio or mission-based plans or strategies is required;
2. Experience in working with cities, municipalities or other local level actors is required;
3. Experience in leading multi-stakeholder processes in international development sector is required;
4. Experience in project management in international organizations or European projects is required.

Desired skills:

1. Experience and knowledge of the regional context and countries in Eastern partnership is desired;
2. Experience in working with innovation is desired;
3. Experience in resource mobilization is desired.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Disclaimer

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Note: 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 similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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