Access to Finance and Grants Specialist - UCHI Strengthening Agricultural Commercialization Project
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Malawi, dedicated to supporting the nation's development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aligned with Vision 2063, is seeking a specialist to drive financial inclusion within its Resilience and Sustainable Growth (RSG) portfolio.
The RSG portfolio champions inclusive growth, sustainability, and climate resilience, with a strong focus on agriculture and private sector development. This includes innovative financial instruments to support entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers.
Malawi's agricultural sector, crucial for employment and GDP, offers significant commercialization potential. However, women face persistent barriers to accessing finance and resources, hindering inclusive growth. The UCHI Strengthening Agricultural Commercialization Project aims to address this by fostering market-oriented practices and creating financial opportunities for smallholder farmers and women-led MSMEs.
A key output of this project is "Improved Financial Access for FOs and Women-Led Agricultural MSMEs." This initiative will equip farmer organizations (FOs) and SMEs with financial management training, facilitate loan access, and establish the UCHI Commercialization Facility (offering matching grants and blended finance). The goal is to bridge the gap to commercial credit and investment, promoting sustainable business models with a focus on productivity, resilience, and gender equality.
UNDP is recruiting an Access to Finance and Grants Specialist to lead the design, implementation, and oversight of the UCHI Commercialization Facility, spearheading the financial access and investment component of the project.
Scope of Work:
Advised on Fiduciary Management
- Oversee the launch and execution of the UCHI Commercialization Facility.
- Collaborate with the project team and grantees to establish clear milestones aligned with disbursement schedules.
- Develop milestone verification tools for the UCHI Commercialization Facility's matching grants.
- Lead the process of reviewing disbursement requests against achieved milestones.
- Manage a portfolio of grants and financial products within the UCHI – Agriculture Commercialization Project, ensuring compliance with financial agreements and progress monitoring.
- Guarantee that payments are directly linked to milestones defined in binding grant agreements, following thorough due diligence and the establishment of a monitoring plan prior to disbursement.
- Track and verify expenditures to ensure efficient and intended use of funds by grantees.
- Maintain meticulous records of payments, disbursements, and financial reports to uphold transparency and accountability.
- Provide regular financial updates to the Project Manager, Project Specialist, and UNDP management regarding grant disbursements, financial status, and compliance.
- Monitor fund disbursements to grantees, documenting the utilization of funds with complete evidence as per contractual agreements.
- Participate in due diligence assessments of selected FOs/SMEs.
- Ensure grant selection, due diligence, and contracting processes incorporate gender-responsive criteria, prioritizing women-led agribusinesses and those demonstrating strong inclusion practices.
- Develop milestone templates that integrate gender Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as the proportion of women benefiting, women in leadership roles, and gender-responsive budgeting.
Ensure Monitoring and Reporting
- Collaborate with the UCHI Project’s M&E Specialist to develop and implement a robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system for tracking grant progress and measuring the impact of the UCHI Commercialization Facility against project objectives.
- Monitor grantee progress, identifying and addressing risks or delays to ensure project goals remain on track.
- Prepare comprehensive quarterly and annual progress reports detailing achievements, challenges, and lessons learned from funded projects.
- Work closely with the UCHI M&E Specialist and the UNDP Malawi CO M&E team to integrate grant data into the project's overall performance tracking system.
- Monitor grantee project progress against baselines and implementation agreements, collaborating with grantees to resolve any deviations or difficulties, with guidance from the Project Manager and Project Specialist.
- Continuously monitor grantee performance and promptly alert the Project Manager to any existing or potential unsatisfactory performance.
- Ensure, in conjunction with the M&E Specialist, the preparation of baseline reports at the commencement of grant implementation and end-line impact reports for each grantee fulfilling their contractual obligations and milestones.
- Contribute to progress presentations during monthly and other scheduled meetings, including Project Technical and Steering Committee meetings with funding partners and stakeholders.
- Track and report sex-disaggregated data for all grantees, including the number of women accessing finance, women in decision-making roles, and the gender impacts of business expansion.
- Conduct gender-sensitive risk assessments and ensure corrective measures address barriers faced by women and vulnerable groups.
Lead Financial Access and Partnerships
- Lead engagement with financial service providers to facilitate access to finance for project beneficiaries.
- Design and implement financial solutions tailored to the needs of FOs and MSMEs, including blended finance mechanisms and risk-sharing approaches.
- Forge strategic partnerships with banks, microfinance institutions, and other funding entities to expand financing opportunities and technical assistance for the UCHI Project.
- Advocate for financial products that align with the commercialization requirements of FOs and MSMEs.
- Research and facilitate the development of other relevant financial instruments for the UCHI Project, providing timely advice to the project team.
- Collaborate with UCHI Value Chain Specialists to ensure FOs and SMEs receiving grants and financial products receive guidance on integrating climate-smart agriculture practices into their commercialization efforts, thereby maximizing impact and contributing to project objectives.
Advise and Support Financial Literacy and Capacity Building
Business Development
- Knowledge Generation
- Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need..
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.
Required Skills and Experience
Minimum Education requirements:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Accounting, Banking, Agribusiness, or related field from a reputable university is required. OR;
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above fields in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Minimum years of relevant work experience
- Minimum 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience at the national or international level managing grant portfolio, grant schemes, and project management among others is required.
Required skills
- Experience with enterprise and/or Innovation Challenge Fund management services for private and international organizations;
- Experience of management of grant portfolio, matching grant schemes, impact investing, blended finance mechanisms and/or venture capital vehicles;
- Proven experience working on financing for private sector-driven agriculture development working in Malawi or Africa context;
- Sector knowledge in agriculture and financial innovation including an up to date understanding of market access frontiers for FOs/SMEs and how they may be shifted through small scale agricultural commercialization;
- Demonstrated ability to conduct gender‑responsive financial assessments and design interventions that address barriers for women and marginalized groups.
Desired experience/skills/competencies
- Experience with Malawi is an added advantage;
- Proven experience integrating gender equality in access-to-finance initiatives, grant management, or private‑sector development;
- Experience working with women-led MSMEs or agricultural FOs, preferably in rural contexts;
- Strong ability to assess business models, financial sustainability, and risk mitigation strategies;
- Experience in Program/Project management and good communication skills;
- Experience in working with a UN Organization would be an advantage.
Required Language(s)
- Proficiency in both written and spoken English and Chichewa is essential.
Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Right to select multiple candidates
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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