Expert - Value Chain Finance

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 49 least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to microfinance and investment capital. UNCDF focuses on Africa and the poorest countries of Asia, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital – grants and loans – and technical support to help financial service providers reach more poor households and small businesses through inclusive finance approach, and local governments finance the capital investments that will improve poor peoples’ lives.

In Nepal, UNCDF is implementing the Access to Finance (A2F) sub-component of the Government of Denmark’s UNNATI programme. UNNATI - A2F is implemented through the National Implementation Modality (NIM) with the Nepal Rastra Bank’s Microfinance Promotion and Supervision Department as the implementing partner.

Access to Finance and UNNATI: This programme has been designed to enhance and improve the agricultural sector in Nepal. The Government of Denmark along with the Government of Nepal is supporting the Inclusive Growth Programme in Nepal (UNNATI). The objective of UNNATI is “Promotion of sustainable inclusive growth that reduces poverty and raises living standards.” Within the context of UNNATI, the purpose of the Access to finance (A2F) project is to support financial service providers to more effectively serve the agricultural value chain actors with appropriate financial products- thereby enabling smallholder farmers and MSMEs to invest into their value chain activities leading to the sustained improvement in competitiveness of selected value chains.  The A2F project interventions will have a national impact with a specific focus given to the Eastern Development Region of Nepal, under the umbrella of UNNATI, specifically in the seven districts of Mechi and Koshi corridor - Ilam, Paanchthar, Terhathum, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Taplejung and Sankhwasabha

Expert - Value Chain Finance will report to the Team Leader – Value Chain Finance and will be responsible for the day to day field related project activities and achievement with respect to working with financial institutions and other project partners.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Be responsible for maintaining and developing strong partnerships with regional and local level banks, microfinance institutions, cooperatives, insurance companies, partners, collaborators, private sector players, and any other associated stakeholder;
• Will implement all field operations under A2F according to the work plans, project document and implementation strategy;
• Ensure active participation and representation at different levels of the project regionally and nationally;
• Work closely with local partners and develop strategies to promote their organizational development and capacity-building; Identify AVCF needs of value chain actors in tea, ginger and dairy sub-sectors and develop local partnerships for creating suitable financial products and ensure delivery;
• Build capacities of local level financial institutions and project partners involved in AVCF. Conduct capacity building trainings for regional and local teams of financial institutions and selected partners under the project;
• Monitor and ensure successful delivery of financial competency projects with local partners in EDR
• Work closely with financial institutions to ensure successful achievement of pilots implemented on the field and up scaling of successful pilots;
• Undertake periodic regional market mapping in the area Agriculture Value Chain Finance (AVCF);
• Undertake market chain finance evaluations and analyses indicating the key stakeholders, identifying cross district characteristics, problems, opportunities and key entry points for interventions;
• Identify financial products and entry points where value chain actors are benefitted in terms of use and access to financial services;
• Identify product development needs in terms of savings, credit, insurance, warehousing and leasing products.

• Promotes sharing of knowledge and experience, and actively works towards continued personal learning and development;
• Good practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues, and particularly those pertinent to UNCDF’s financial inclusion practice areas;
• Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects;
• Builds  strong relationships  with all partner, focuses on impact and results and responds positively to critical feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Remains  calm, in control and good humored even under pressure and demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Proven networking, team building, organizational and communication skills;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability and demonstrates conflict resolution skills;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
• Ability to conceptualize issues and analyze data and use computers, office software packages and web based management systems

Education

• Master’s degree in management, finance, development, business and economics or related fields.

Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in value chain finance programs, focusing on agricultural value chains;
• Experience of working with banks, microfinance development banks and large scale financial cooperatives will be preferred;
• Proven understanding of best practices in Micro Small and Medium Enterprise finance, including agricultural finance and credit delivered by value chain actors;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing new agricultural financial products, including experience with market research techniques, piloting new products, promoting strategic alliances and monitoring results;
• Familiarity with UN agencies and prior experience working with donor-funded programs will be an advantage;
• Excellent technical skills in value chain finance, and an in–depth knowledge of inclusive finance issues especially gender inclusiveness and responsible finance;
• Good understanding of performance monitoring of financial institutions and good grasp of monitoring and evaluation in general; experience working with the financial sector in Nepal.

Language

• Fluency in English and Nepali (written and spoken)