Project Portfolio Specialist, WCA and LAC, IPSA10, UNCDF [Open to internal and external applicants], Dakar, Senegal

## Project Portfolio Specialist, WCA and LAC, IPSA10, UNCDF [Open to internal and external applicants], Dakar, Senegal - Organization:UNDP - United Nations Development Programme In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby: - Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026. - Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments - Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers - Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply. General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity. As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF's unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022-2031. As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, United Nations Organizations, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders. UNCDF's work is focused on three priority areas, including: UNCDF's organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States. Due to the expanding pipeline of UNCDF projects throughout the Western and Central Africa (WCA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region and the initiation of several new though small initiatives, UNCDF seeks to hire a Project Portfolio Specialist to lead project launch in the first months/phases of the project commencement (inception) and implementation. Particularly, these new initiatives include 3 joint programmes under the Joint SDG Fund, that is the “Mali's Food Systems and Energy Transition Acceleration Programme” in Mali, “ConvergeFood” in Cameroon and “Burkina Faso Flagships Initiatives (Food Systems Focus)” in Burkina Faso, and the “Conectando la cadena de valor del cacao con soluciones sostenibles de mercado y financiación en Catatumbo project under the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) in Colombia. These projects are too small in scope and of a short duration for a dedicated project manager. The WCA/LAC portfolio spans a unique multilingual environment, combining English, French, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as projects in varied areas including clean energy transition, food systems transformation, digital development finance, private sector development, financial inclusion and others. The regional projects pipeline is continuing to actively expand and remains dynamic, with several initiatives already entering initial implementation phases, including those in the countries mentioned above (Mali, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Colombia), that the position will directly support. Additional projects are expected to enter the pipeline as UNCDF advances its positioning with major donors and financing windows (such as PBF, MPTF, EU, GEF, GCF and others) across a range of thematic areas aligned with its unique investment mandate. Given this evolving pipeline, the Project Portfolio Specialist is expected to provide flexible, responsive support to the above-mentioned projects in Mali, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Colombia, as well as new country engagements and projects emerging as the regional projects pipeline expands to new donors and opportunities in several contexts (Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Jamaica, Brazil, among others). The incumbent will lead the project management functions for these projects, ensuring coherent coordination, timely operational setup, cross-language support, and alignment with UNCDF's unique investment mandate and implementation approach across diverse contexts. The Project Portfolio Specialist will ensure the alignment of operations, establishment of the project portfolio team and coordination, and ensure successful set-up of projects' objectives, workstreams, partnerships, and reporting processes. The role is expected to interact with various UNCDF functions (investment, management, communications, finance and operations) active both at country, regional and Headquarters, and a wide array of professionals in the countries of project implementation, including donors, UN partner agencies, government counterparts, private-sector partners, development banks and DFIs. Duties and Responsibilities The Project Portfolio Specialist will report to the Regional Team Lead matrix to the two Regional Investment Specialist for West and Central Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and have monthly progress update meetings with the region and project team to discuss and align delivery. The role is based in Dakar, Senegal and may require some travel to the countries where projects are implemented with costs borne by UNCDF. Under the guidance of UNCDF's Regional Team Lead/Regional Investment Specialists for WCA and LAC, the overall respons