Overview
The Investment Specialist will advance the blended finance portfolio in Papua New Guinea, focusing on rural development, enterprise financing, blue economy growth, and conflict-resilient livelihoods.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead strategic research and market analysis to inform investment strategies and identify opportunities.
- Advise on structuring blended finance solutions tailored to specific market and project needs.
- Map the financing landscape, analyze financial terms, and identify regulatory barriers.
- Monitor trends in blended finance, climate finance, and impact investing.
- Draft investment strategy documents and support the design of blended finance solutions.
- Design derisking and blended finance approaches to crowd in private capital.
- Recommend de-risking instruments and offer technical guidance on investment readiness.
- Identify and engage with potential co-investors and partners.
- Contribute to country-specific investment roadmaps and pipelines.
- Support strategic planning, reporting, and donor engagement.
- Participate in investment-related meetings and discussions.
- Identify and screen investment opportunities aligned with strategic priorities.
- Conduct comprehensive due diligence on selected transactions.
- Analyze financial statements and build financial models.
- Score credit risk and assess financial health of prospective investees.
- Draft investment appraisal memorandums.
- Coordinate with oversight divisions to ensure compliance with policies.
- Support transaction structuring using UNCDF’s financial instruments.
- Present investment opportunities to the Investment and Disbursement Impact Committee.
- Track and document progress of transactions, monitor performance, and identify risks.
- Provide ongoing technical assistance for deployed financial instruments.
- Design and implement capacity-building initiatives for investees.
- Assist investees in developing business plans and financial strategies.
- Advise government counterparts and partners on investment-related constraints.
- Facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building.
- Provide technical inputs for work plans, budgets, and activity schedules.
- Coordinate day-to-day investment initiatives.
- Technically lead the drafting of donor reports.
- Lead M&E processes for investment transactions.
- Provide technical advisory for smooth implementation and closure of transactions.
Required Experience
- A minimum of 7 years (with a masters’ Degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in either the financial sector or the private sector or a mix, preferably with investment and/or business management expertise.
- At least 5 years’ investment experience and knowledge of the financial markets, the needs of financial institutions and the credit instruments for the blue economy.
- Experience working in banking within an international financial environment, preferably in the development of finance institutions, impact investors, or similar.
- Experience in at least one, but preferably several, of the following areas: impact-oriented SMEs, Project finance, Micro Finance Institutions, Guarantee instruments within the space of development finance.
- Experience in project preparation and/or in development of investment opportunities, especially investment projects with social and environmental objectives in developing countries.
- At least 2 years of experience in working for/in the UN System or similar international development finance institution.
Qualifications
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, Economics, Accounting, or related fields is required. Or A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
