Programme Specialist – SME Finance and Business Development Services
Uganda
- Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Location: Uganda
- Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Banking and Finance
- Sustainable trade and development
- External Relations, Partnerships and Resource mobilization
- Project and Programme Management
- Sustainable Business Development
- Closing Date: 2024-11-21
IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
- FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
- Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
- Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
- FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
- All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
- All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level.
The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources.
Specifically, FAO Country Offices\:
i. advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO’s mandate.
ii. provide technical assistance and deliver core services.
iii. assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation.
iv. position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation; and
v. Ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management.
The project “Sustainable Wood-based Value Chains in Uganda” aims to promote sustainable management practices of existing wood resources through wood resource planning, timber yield regulation plans, and certification schemes. It also seeks to enhance processing capacity and market development of wood products, strengthening aggregation models and supporting primary and secondary wood processors. To address gaps related to investment and access to finance for SMEs in the wood-based industry, the project will provide capacity development and advisory services to local financing institutions (banks and non-banks) together with facilitating policy dialogues to improve the enabling environment for investors in the wood-based industry.
Reporting Lines
Under the general supervision of the FAO Representative in Uganda and the direct supervision of the Team Leader- Forestry at FAO Uganda, and that of technical advisor on forest finance and investment, and the technical backstopping of the regional Lead Technical Officer, the programme specialist on SME finance and business development services will work with other programme specialists, and analysts in the implementation of the project.
Technical Focus
The incumbent will support the Technical Advisor on activities related to (i) investment readiness programme (ii) unlocking access to finance for wood-based SMEs at national and sub-national levels.
Tasks and responsibilities
• Develop eligibility criteria for selection of SMEs for the investment readiness programme
• In collaboration with programme analysts, support mobilization, selection, and onboarding of SMEs onto the investment readiness programme.
• With technical guidance from the Finance and Investment Advisor, develop terms of reference and ensure selection and onboarding of eligible Business Development Support (BDS) service providers to support SME investment readiness program.
• Review and approve work plans and progress reports by the BDS provider(s).
• Undertake quality assurance monitoring visits to the SMEs receiving BDS to ensure service delivery as well as provision of necessary technical advice.
• Collect relevant information and data on business development best practices and lessons learned from the BDS programme and disseminate as part of the knowledge sharing and capacity development efforts.
• Conduct an in-depth review of specific financial products offered by local financial service providers to identify which products are appropriate for which wood base SMEs (Primary and secondary wood processing SMEs).
• Assess financial service providers gaps to unlock opportunities for credit sourcing for wood-based SMEs.
• Support capacity development of partner financial institutions through specific tailored training programs, informed by the training needs assessment.
• Train and build capacity of banking and non-bank finance professionals on Sustainable financing
• Through training workshops and seminars, train wood value chain SMEs in business and financial management.
• Contribute to development of monitoring and evaluation tools to assess project progress in terms of delivering on the goal of enhancing SME access to finance.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• An advanced university degree or equivalent in finance, business administration, economics, or any related field
• Five years of experience in providing business advisory support to SMEs and in the field of banking, investment management or SME lending
• Working knowledge of English (level C)
• Ugandan National
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Knowledge and understanding of the financing tools/instruments in support to SMEs investment
• Experience in addressing challenges to unlock access to finance by SMEs
• Experience in training banking and non-banking finance professionals and SMEs in business and financial management
• Knowledge and interest in natural resource/ forestry /wood sector is a plus.
• Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Good level of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
Selection Criteria
• Relevant industry certifications in finance are an added advantage.
• An understanding of the forestry landscape in general.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
- Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http\://www.whed.net/
- For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.