Overview
The Investment Specialist will contribute to the development, structuring, approval, and execution of investment transactions, focusing on market analysis, financial mechanism design, and project management to support SDG impactful investments.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead systematic market scoping to inform investment strategies and identify opportunities.
- Advise on structuring blended finance solutions tailored to specific market and project needs.
- Map the financing landscape in target countries and analyze prevailing financial terms.
- Draft investment strategy documents, operational guidelines, and structural frameworks.
- Support the design of blended finance solutions and derisking approaches.
- Identify and engage with potential co-investors and partners.
- Identify and screen investment opportunities aligned with UNCDF’s strategic priorities.
- Conduct comprehensive due diligence on selected transactions.
- Analyze financial statements and build financial models.
- Draft investment appraisal memorandums and internal documentation.
- Coordinate with UNCDF’s Investment and Finance Oversight Division.
- Support transaction structuring using UNCDF’s financial instruments.
- Present investment opportunities to UNCDF’s Investment and Disbursement Impact Committee.
- Track and document progress of transactions through the investment cycle.
- Provide ongoing technical assistance for the financial instruments deployed.
- Design and implement capacity-building initiatives for investees.
- Assist investees in developing viable business plans and financial strategies.
- Advise government counterparts and partners on investment related constraints.
- Facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building.
- Lead preparation and implementation of annual work plans, budgets, and activity schedules.
- Coordinate day-to-day project operations and partner engagement.
- Prepare high-quality donor reports (narrative and financial).
- Oversee M&E processes.
- Maintain project documentation and track financial delivery.
- Lead project close-out.
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 and/or the private sector, preferably with investment and/or business management expertise, is required.
- A minimum of 5 years investment experience in at least one, but preferably several, of the following areas: Agricultural SMEs, Clean energy SMEs, SMEs promoting digitalization in the context of financial inclusion (FINTECH), Project finance, Micro Finance Institutions, Guarantee instruments within the space of development finance is required.
- Experience working in venture capital and/or banking within an international financial environment, preferably in development finance institution, impact investor or similar is required;
- Experience in project preparation and/or in development of investment opportunities, especially for investment projects with social and environmental objectives in developing countries is required.
- Competency with financial modeling and analysis in Microsoft excel is required.
- Computer literacy, including proficient use of research and applied software is required.
- Experience in private credit and/or equity for investments with a development impact in emerging/frontier markets, is highly preferable.
- A minimum of 2 years of experience in working for/in the UN System or similar international development finance institution is desirable;
- Experience working in or with the Asia-Pacific region, or being based in a compatible time zone, is considered an advantage.
Qualifications
An Advanced (Master’s level) university degree in development, business administration, finance, marketing, economics, accounting or related fields is required. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
