Business Development and External Relations Adviser

The United Nations Capital Development Programme (UNCDF) is a UN organization with a capital mandate (unique in the UN System) focused on reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) first and foremost in the least developed countries (“LDC”s).   To support the realization of UNCDF’s Business Plan and drive the rapid expansion of the organization’s capacity to assist LDCs to meet their graduation goals, respond to LDC demand for its services, and increase its geographical coverage of and average investment size in LDCs, UNCDF requires a partnership and business development strategy.  This strategy encompasses specific, and interlinked, strategies for partnerships, branding and communications, and resource mobilization, which capitalize on mandate-specific partnership building, inter-governmental/client relations, and specific business development opportunities.

Business Development and External Relations Adviser ICS-12 (P-5)

UNCDF is currently seeking to fill the above mentioned position for its HQs Office in New York, USA. The major task includes the following:

• Provide leadership in the development and implementation of an integrated office-wide UNCDF partnership and business development strategy;
• Provide strategic advice and support to UNCDF Senior Management on conceptualizing, fostering and developing innovative partnerships with a view to better positioning UNCDF within the international architecture, and for increased core and non-core contributions;
• Manage UNCDF’s relationship with the Executive Board by ensuring coordination and organization of each session and staffing the Executive Secretary;
• Elaborate and launch strategies and pave the way for innovative partnerships with key emerging funding sources, including decentralized cooperation actors, international/regional/national/local governmental and non-governmental organizations, private sector entities;
• Identify, develop and negotiate opportunities for major core and non-core resource mobilization.  Build and consolidate partnerships with government and non-governmental actors and institutions in North and South;
• Oversee partner/client relationship maintenance and provide practices/regional and country based colleagues with common platforms for partner management and monitoring as well as specific support and advice;
• Ensure strong linkages between strategic policy development, intergovernmental positioning, and partner/business development, and critical knowledge generation relevant to and strategically servicing these functions;
• Manage the Partnership/Strategic Policy Unit within the UNCDF Directorate.

Education:

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in international relations, law, economics or other related social sciences.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years experience of relevant professional experience in business development, resource mobilization, fund-raising, partnership-building, networking.  At least 5 years of experience in UN/UNDP;
• Experience in development finance, preferably related to one (or all) of following areas: project finance, (municipal) bonds, credit enhancement instruments (e.g. guarantees), debt and blending instruments, as well as innovative financing mechanisms;
• Good understanding of the changing development finance landscape, including (i) new providers and sources (e.g. impact investors) and (ii) types of funding (e.g. blended instruments);
• Expert technical knowledge and extended specialized experience in the area of external relations, resource mobilization and donor relations;
• Experience working with international organizations, developing country governments, donor agencies, and/or NGOs and other civil society groups engaged in diverse sectors of international development;
• Familiarity with UNDP and UN system and the donor community.

A competitive international remuneration package included.

Additional information and application at:

http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=52501  

Application Deadline : 15 January 2015