Project Manager, Islamic Finance, Istanbul
Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Country: Turkey
City: Istanbul
Office: UNDP in Istanbul, Turkey
Closing date: Friday, 24 March 2023
Job Identification : 9080
Locations : Istanbul, Turkey
Posting Date : 03/09/2023, 12:04 AM
Apply Before : 03/24/2023, 03:59 AM
Job Schedule : Full time
Agency : UNDP
Grade : IPSA-9
Vacancy Type : International Personnel Service Agreement
Practice Area : Management
Bureau : Bureau for Policy and Programme Support
Contract Duration : 1 Year with Possibility for extension
Education & Work Experience : Master’s Degree - 2 year(s) experience OR Bachelor’s Degree - 4 year(s) experience
Required Languages : English
Vacancy Timeline
2 Weeks
Job Description
Background
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Office/Unit/Project Description
Within the context of SDG Financing, UNDP has launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, which is a finance and innovation platform that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy. As part of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, development finance has a central role to play in delivering support to the UN member-countries, in leveraging new sources of capital, offsetting high debt burdens, and in innovating for long term solutions to challenges around climate change, disaster resilience, and fragile ecosystems.
The Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Policy Center mandated to leverage the role of the private sector in development. The IICPSD was established in Istanbul, Turkey on the basis of the Partnership Framework Agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the United Nations Development Programme in March 2011. The Center is one of the six global thematic centers of UNDP, advocating and facilitating the contribution of the private sector to human development and inclusive growth through the following thematic priority areas:
Private Sector Engagement in South South Cooperation
Role of the Private Sector in Skills Development
Impact Investment
Private Sector Resilience and Crisis Response.
Furthermore, the Center supports the UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) by leading UNDP’s strategic offer to partner and work with the private sector.
Under its impact investment thematic area, IICPSD and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) established the Global Islamic Finance and Impact Investing Platform (GIFIIP) in 2016 to position Islamic finance and impact investing as leading enablers of SDG implementation around the world. Bringing together the private sector, governments and key stakeholders operating in the Islamic finance and impact investing markets, the platform aims to promote market-based solutions to sustainable development challenges. It focuses on enabling the private sector, using Islamic finance in tandem with impact investing to achieve SDGs on a global scale.
As part of GIFIIP and the broader Islamic finance portfolio, the Center designs and implements activities to support the Country Offices, partners and stakeholders from both public and private sector. The activities include, but not limited to, developing Islamic finance backed innovative financing mechanisms such as microfinancing, credit guarantee funds, Green Sukuk products as well as designing capacity building activities such as training programmes and awareness raising activities.
Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Center’s Deputy Director, the Project Manager will coordinate and support the activities and projects ongoing and planned under the Islamic finance portfolio of the Center including overall management and coordination of GIFIIP’s workplan and activities. The Project Manager will also provide substantive and administrative support in the design and implementation of knowledge management activities of IICPSD in the Islamic finance area, which includes research, toolkit and training development for initiatives of the center, cooperation, technical advisory and implementation assistance offered to other UNDP units, including Country Offices and Regional Bureaus. The Project Manager will promote organization’s capacity as a reliable partner with national as well as international counterparts, ensure coordination of sectoral activities with broader country/regional/global programmes and advocate on behalf of organization’s goals.
For more information on IICPSD and GIFIIP activities, please visit https://www.iicpsd.undp.org/content/istanbul/en/home.html and http://www.gifiip.org/.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the guidance of and reporting directly to the UNDP IICPSD Deputy Director, the Project Manager will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following key functions: 1) Effective implementation and coordination of the GIFIIP workplan as well as Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) platform:
Coordinate and follow up on the whole process of GIFIIP work plan (Green Sukuk Initiative, Digital Solutions for Financial Inclusion, Capacity Building on Islamic Finance and Impact Investing, GIFIIP Communication Strategy) and GIFIIP’s Three-Pillar Strategy (Conceptualization & Capacity Building, Advocacy & Inter-industry Collaboration, Deal Sourcing & Matchmaking)
Coordinate strategic consultations and discussions with partners.
Coordinate consultancy works and review and assess products/services provided by consultants and expert counterparts and notify/advise the Deputy Director on quality and recommend appropriate actions for results improvement.
Draft terms of reference (TOR) for local short-term and long-term consultants and support the related recruitment and procurement processes as may be required.
Coordinate the development of the content for second phase of MOOC including curriculums, presentations, multiple-choice exam questions and storylines for recording per module.
Ensure maintenance and continuous development of the course content.
2) Coordinating formulation, management, and evaluation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing activities of IICPSD in the Islamic finance field:
Conduct thorough analysis and research of the role of private sector in Islamic finance focusing on good practices and lessons learned that enhance inclusive growth.
Coordinate preparation of high-quality policy and programme guidance materials for fields such as innovative Islamic financing mechanisms (green financing, climate financing, and social financing) and the Islamic finance ecosystem.
Update IICPSD and GIFIIP websites and social media accounts on a regular basis with relevant material, highlighting key events and achievements.
Analyze and synthesize proposals for support and interventions in area of Islamic finance.
Conduct the necessary internal procedures related to editing, design, and clearance of documents and advocacy materials.
Coordinate the preparation of annual, ad-hoc project reports, submission, presentation to contributors, and other relevant stakeholders, with a special view to capturing lessons learned and best practices for improving the performance of the Islamic finance portfolio.
Coordinate the preparation of research products and provide technical assistance related to Green and other thematic Sukuk (i.e. Assessment Study for Green Sukuk, Green Sukuk Framework, Second Party Opinion (SPO) Report)
Coordinate the preparation of research products related to Islamic microfinance and financial inclusion (i.e. Assessment of the Microfinance Sector, Strategy / Product Development, Engaging Islamic Finance Modalities in Respective Credit Guarantee Fund)
Conduct and supervise capacity development activities and related training programmes (i.e. Green Sukuk Training, Islamic Finance and Impact Investing Training, Islamic Microfinance Training)
Provide strategic guidance, technical inputs and quality assurance for the implementation of portfolio activities in the Islamic social finance, impact investing, Green Sukuk and Islamic microfinance areas.
3) Supporting strategic partnerships and implementation of the outreach and resource mobilization strategy:
Develop communication materials including press releases, speeches, briefs, and blogposts.
Organize local / regional / global events to promote GIFIIP and its services.
Organize and coordinate roundtable discussions, press conferences, briefing sessions, conferences, workshops, retreats, national and international events.
Support design and formulation of IICPSD activities within the area of responsibility, translating IICPSD’s priorities into local and international interventions and partnerships.
Apply conceptual models in support of partnership and intervention design.
Analyze and research information on donors, draft substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identify opportunities for initiation of new projects.
Support and maintain partnerships with development partners, government institutions, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders to contribute to the achievement of the IICPSD’s objectives.
Identify related ongoing activities within other institutions and encourage collaboration and synergies.
Draft and follow-on project proposals as per the needs identified by UNDP/donor.
Coordinate communication, advocacy, and outreach activities for smooth implementation in line with the respective guidelines of UNDP.
Participate in relevant national/regional/global seminars, meetings of work groups and panels, and meetings in this thematic area.
Establish and nurture partnerships with relevant institutions and organizations working in the areas of Islamic social finance, impact investing, Green Sukuk and Islamic microfinance.
4) Supporting the provision of top-quality advisory services to the relevant stakeholders and facilitation of knowledge building and management:
Provide inputs to preparation of the team results-oriented workplans.
Manage the archive of briefings, meeting minutes and PPT presentations, update them regularly and guide team members as may be needed.
Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Serve as IICPSD focal point on Islamic Finance for UNDP Country Offices and relevant stakeholders.
Institutional Arrangement
The Project Manager will work under the direct supervision of the IICPSD Deputy Director and in close collaboration with the other IICPSD and SFH team members.
Competencies
Core
Achieve Results:
LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively:
LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously:
LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
Adapt with Agility:
LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination:
LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner:
LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:
LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area
Name
Definition
Business Management
Monitoring
Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.
2030 Agenda: Partnerships
SDG Finance
Public Sector Finance (Tax and domestic resource mobilization, public financial management and public expenditure), Islamic Finance Area.
Business Development
Knowledge Generation
Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
Partnership management
Relationship management
Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
Partnership management
Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding
Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms
Required Skills and Experience
Min. Academic Education
Master’s degree in finance, Islamic finance, economics, development finance, business, or a related area is required. Master’s degree or PHD in the related area is an asset.
Min. years of relevant work experience
Minimum 2 (two) years of progressively responsible working experience in Islamic finance, project/programme coordination, analysis or closely related area is required.
Or 4 (four) years of relevant experience if Bachelor’s degree.
Required skills and competencies
Proven experience and knowledge in the design and development of educatory and research content for Islamic finance, preferably with a perspective on sustainable development or social finance is a requirement.
Proven experience in research and analysis of the Islamic finance ecosystem and financial tools as well as their relevance to the sustainable development is a requirement.
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required.
Desired additional skills and competencies
Experience in organization of events, conferences etc. is an asset.
Experience of working with international organizations and managing multi-stakeholder partnership projects is an asset.
Knowledge on visibility standards and rules of UNDP is desirable.
Knowledge of the UN system would be an asset.
Experience in handling of web-based management systems is an advantage.
Required Language(s) (at working level)
Proficiency in English is required.
Working knowledge of other UN languages is desirable.
Disclaimer
Important information for US Permanent Residents (‚Green Card‘ holders)
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
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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Link to the organization’s job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1678403421889
