Digital Financial Services (DFS) Policy Specialist – East and Southern Africa (ESA)

About the Organization

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developed countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDF's vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF's unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.

UNCDF's work is focused on three priority areas: SME Finance, Sub-National Finance, and Digital Finance.

Job Summary

The DFS Policy Specialist will provide continued advisory support for regulatory frameworks, champion leadership in DFS policy reform, and advocate for Open Finance, consumer protection, and women's digital financial inclusion. The role emphasizes long-term engagement, capacity development, and strategic partnerships to enable the advancement of inclusive financial models.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct in-depth reviews of Digital Finance Services (DFS) legal and regulatory frameworks.
  • Conduct comprehensive reviews of DFS legal and regulatory frameworks in the Policy Accelerator focus countries, with particular attention to financial inclusion, non-bank financial service providers, competition, gender considerations, and financial consumer protection.
  • Identify regulatory gaps and propose amendments, drawing on relevant international good practices and country examples, within the scope of workplans agreed between the project and the respective financial authorities.
  • Where mutually agreed with UNCDF and the relevant authority, provide targeted DFS legal and regulatory advisory support in lieu of a full framework review.
• Provide country-level and regional DFS regulatory advisory support.
  • Provide strategic and technical advice to UNCDF country and regional teams, including support to the development and review of aide-mémoires, action plans, implementation roadmaps, strategies, policies, regulations, and other regulatory deliverables.
  • Identify relevant partners and learning objectives for peer exchanges and capacity-building activities, and participate in technical discussions with regulators and other stakeholders across the five focus countries.
  • Jointly agree with the project team on the formats and structures of country reports, proposed regulatory amendments, and strategic deliverables, taking into account the specific needs and expectations of the respective financial authorities and government counterparts.
• Support the development of UNCDF's Open Banking/Open Finance approach (ESA focus).
  • In coordination with country and regional project teams, support the design and implementation of Open Banking/Open Finance advisory interventions in up to three countries within the Policy Accelerator portfolio.
  • Integrate Open Banking/Open Finance considerations into competition and consumer protection activities.
  • Respond to requests from financial authorities to support the development of policy, regulatory, and implementation approaches that promote inclusion, innovation, and investment.
• Contribute to knowledge exchange through participation in the AFI Competition Exchange Working Group.
  • Participate, together with project personnel, in meetings and activities of the AFI Competition Exchange Working Group.
  • Review relevant outputs and provide insights applicable to the ESA context and UNCDF's strategic objectives.
  • Translate Working Group findings into actionable recommendations and advisory support for UNCDF country teams and counterparts.
• Ensure coordination and provide other related technical assistance.
  • Maintain close collaboration with country, regional, and global Policy Accelerator personnel, as well as other relevant stakeholders.
  • Undertake any other related activities, technical assistance, analytical work, capacity-building support, advisory services, or deliverables reasonably requested by UNCDF and aligned with the objectives of the Policy Accelerator programme and the Specialist's area of expertise.

Required Qualifications

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, or related field is required, or a first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree.
• A minimum of seven (7) years (with Master’s degree) or nine (9) years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in digital financial services is required.
• Fluency in English is required.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Extensive experience in policy advisory roles within the digital finance sector, including proven engagement with regulatory authorities and financial stakeholders.
• Experience in digital financial inclusion frameworks.
• Experience working in developing countries, particularly in the ESA region.
• Experience with Open Finance and consumer protection policies.
• Experience leading strategic initiatives and mentoring junior staff.
• Experience with UNCDF/UNDP rules and procedures.

How to Apply

Click the application link to apply. UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.