Terms of Reference

I.                    Background

Support to Financial Inclusion in Lesotho (SUFIL) is a joint programme of the Government of Lesotho, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and it runs for three years, from 2010 until 2012. The programme aims at strengthening the enabling environment and capacities of financial service providers to provide pro-poor financial products and services. It works at three levels:

-    Macro level: improved regulation and policy environment through increased sector coordination and leadership by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP);

-   Meso level: strengthened financial infrastructure through capacity building of selected technical service providers, improved financial literacy and knowledge dissemination;

-   Micro level: improved access to a broad range of financial services and support to sustainable inclusive finance providers and market leaders through innovations.

The Joint Programme will contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the goal of halving extreme poverty by year 2015, through the improvement and expansion of access to sustainable financial services in urban and rural areas, particularly the low income population and vulnerable groups to allow broad based economic growth and employment creation.

II.      Duties and responsibilities

Under the joint supervision of UNDP Economics Adviser and the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) of the SUFIL Programme, the National Expert will undertake the following tasks:

1. Institutional support to microfinance institutions

• Liaising with the Micro finance forum in Lesotho to identify opportunities for increased effectiveness of the Micro finance component for the youth as well as the SMMEs;

• Review of the technical and financial support requests coming from the MFIs and project partners;

• Provision of technical support for the implementation of support to MFIs, e.g. procedures manual, methodological tools, new products development for women, the youth and SMMEs, training, and the dissemination of best practices;

• Collection and review of quarterly and annual performance indicators;

• Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

2. Institutional support to macro and meso levels

• Develop an action plan to support the Lesotho Microfinance Network;

• Support implementation of the action plan;

• Preparation and submission of applications for funding by the bodies concerned;

• Provision of support, advice to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and relevant stakeholders.

3. Monitoring of project activities

• Periodic monitoring performance of microfinance institutions’ through field visits;

• Reporting on programme achievements, delivery and other areas of accountability to UNCDF/UNDP for regular performance monitoring.

4. Programme management

Under the supervision of the CTA, the National Expert shall provide support for the following:

·    Secretarial duties of the Investment Committee;

·    Preparation of the annual work plan, including financial needs and budgetary planning;

·    Preparation of quarterly and annual reports;

·    Facilitation of the conduct of annual audits of MFIs and the Programme, as well as evaluations and monitoring missions.

III.     Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN`s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional:

Development and Operational effectiveness

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects;
• Good knowledge of the Results Management Guide and Toolkit.

Excellent analytical and writing skills

• IT literacy and ability to operate with on-line web-based applications;
• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods;
• Knowledge and the ability to apply communication methods and techniques.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture;
• In-depth knowledge of relevant development issues;
• Ability to provide policy advice;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Management and Leadership

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Effective communication skills in various contexts: strategic planning, mentoring, training and making presentations;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

 IV.   Required Skills and experience

Education

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in finance, banking, development studies, or related field.

 Experience:

• Minimum of five years relevant work experience in microfinance sector;
• Experience in project management;
• Familiarity with UNDP and UN system will be an asset;
• Ability to perform under a heavy workload and tight deadlines.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English and Sesotho, both written and verbal;
• Strong communication skills.

Interested applicants should submit their application and CV through the UNDP online system http://jobs.undp.org/. The deadline for submissions is May 13, 2011.