Ajira Mpya Shirika la UNCDF Intern – Programme Development UNCDF MicroLead (MLE)

Job description

Background

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, and local governments finance the capital investments that will improve poor peoples’ lives. Financial inclusion means universal access, at a reasonable cost, to a wide range of financial services, provided by a variety of sound and sustainable institutions. The range of financial services includes savings, short and long-term credit, leasing and factoring, mortgages, insurance, pensions, payments, local money transfers and international remittances. (http://www.uncdf.org/)

MicroLead

In September 2011, UNCDF and The MasterCard Foundation launched the expansion of the successful MicroLead (MLE) programme with the goal to increase access to microfinance, particularly savings services, to a minimum of 450,000 low income people in Sub-Saharan Africa. MLE supports leading Financial Service Providers (FSPs) and/or Technical Service Providers (TSPs) with savings-led methodologies to expand their operations/services to new, underserved markets. MLE has implementing partners operating in Rwanda, Malawi, Cameroon, Liberia, Tanzania, Burundi, Ghana, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Benin and Myanmar. With a view to strengthening knowledge around the development of savings products in financial institutions in developing countries, the MLE incorporates a strong learning agenda to encourage the sharing of best practices and knowledge within the microfinance community and beyond.

Among the different outputs under its knowledge management activities, MLE promotes knowledge sharing and learning for and with the partners of the programme. As part of this commitment, MLE has created a learning platform composed of knowledge sharing events and tools during the course of its programme. In addition, MLE organizes yearly learning events for its partners, the fourth (and final) to be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from March 6-10 2017. Partners are invited to participate in the workshops to share learning with their peers, funders and other experts.

The Objectives Of These MicroLead Annual Events Are To

Increase sharing of knowledge and capacity among grantees;
Build a community of practice among grantees that will have the potential to last beyond the MLE programme, and;
Collect learning from grantees and disseminate these learning beyond the MLE grantees.

More information on UNCDF’s MicroLead program may be found at http://www.uncdf.org/en/microlead .

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties And Responsibilities

The intern will support ongoing MLE communication and knowledge management activities under the direction of the Programme Manager based in Dar es Salaam and supporting the communication and knowledge management team. Specifically, the key activities of the intern will include:

Developing proposals for the MLE Programme’s activities/projects/missions
Providing input and maintaining the MLE contact database
Writing of blog articles, news and press releases
Disseminating information about the programme’s events and publications in social media
Other tasks as requested by the MLE Programme Manager

Work Arrangements

The intern will work full-time in the Dar es Salaam, Tanzania UNCDF office.
Work space will be provided. Please note that the intern will not have access to a computer. Bringing a personal computer is required.
Please note that internships are not remunerated. UNCDF policies do not provide for interns to be compensated for travel, salaries and living expenses.

Competencies

Strong speaking and writing abilities in English, with professional knowledge of French highly preferred as well;
Knowledge of social media for dissemination of programme information;
Some experience in training and organizing learning events;
Strong organizational and research skills;
Excellent interpersonal skills;
Capacity to work collaboratively in a multicultural environment;
Excellent research, analytical, communication, and writing skills;
Ability to work under tight deadlines;
Respect for Diversity;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty; and
Commitment to UNCDFs vision, mission, and strategic goals.

Education

Required Skills and Experience

Enrolled in Masters Programme in public relations, marketing, communication, journalism, economics, international development and/or policy, or related field.

Experience

Demonstrated interest in microfinance and curiosity related to development in general;
Prior experience in creating and developing proposals preferred;
Able to take initiative and work independently;
Proven ability to manage diverse, time-sensitive and complex tasks;
Excellent computer capabilities (Word, Excel, Power Point);
Some background in creating Design/Graphics preferred.

Language

Fluent in English, with professional knowledge of French also preferable.

UNCDF may accept interns providing the following conditions are met:

Enrolled in a master’s programme in a graduate school (second university degree or higher) at the time of application and during the internship (if a candidate is graduating before the internship period begins, they are no longer eligible); or
Pursuing their university/college studies, having completed at least four years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree, if pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages;
Not have graduated prior to the beginning of the internship.

Tentative Timeline

The intern must be available for a minimum of 2 months, beginning from mid-June, 2017, through the end of August.

Please Note The Following When Applying For This Internship

Interns are not staff members;
All costs connected with an intern's participation in the programme must be borne by the students or the nominating institutions as appropriate;
Please precise your research/thesis subject in your cover letter.

Please submit a current CV and cover letter in one document (UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document) explaining the candidate’s motivation for the internship and ability to meet selection criteria.