Senior Manager (Innovative Financing) , P-5,Supply Division, Copenhagen, Denmark, Fixed Term Appointment

The purpose of this position is to provide leadership and oversight management to SD’s portfolio of innovative financing tools to support the timely availability of affordable essential supplies. Timely access requires good forecasting, planning, and adequate budgeting, financing, and execution on that financing. However, funding delays, market constraints, and other factors jeopardize systematic access and are a leading cause of commodity stockouts in countries. . The position will lead the deployment of pre-financing interventions to help bridge these short-term funding gaps and deploy risk financing to improve access and market dynamics of these supply of critical essential commodities supplies. The position will oversee UNICEF’s main tool for supply pre-financing and other supply financing interventions, the Vaccine Independence Initiative (VII), which is deployed to improve access to vaccines and other non-immunization commodities.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, Education

Access to safe, effective, quality assured, and affordable essential products for children and their families through public health services is instrumental to improving the health of children and families, and improving health coverage.  Countries’ increasing reliance on their own domestic resources, especially in the context of transition from donor support, further 

UNICEF procurement services enables governments and partners to leverage UNICEF’s procurement scale and expertise to meet supply needs. During the past decades, pre- financing interventions became instrumental in supporting countries in securing access as demand for these health supplies surged in low, middle and  high income countries in the context of the COVID-19 Emergency, other public health emergencies and emerging needs. In 2020, the Executive Board approved the extension of the Vaccine Independence Initiative (VII) and its revolving fund for five years. Additional resources were mobilized for the VII in order to support adequately country pre-financing and special contracting.

The COVID-19 legacy, declining ODA budgets, and overall macroeconomic challenges are expected to materially influence both the domestic fiscal space in programme countries, as well as the global health and development financing architecture for country programmes and other development priorities, going forward. Therefore the including offering pre-financing support to governments will continue to be a strategic element in sustaining and expanding access to essential supplies for children and their families in many programme countries.

Many of Supply Division’s approaches and solutions used in the 2022-2025 strategic period for supporting the adequate financing of supplies will continue to evolve and be expanded. However, there is also a need to identify and build new financing opportunities, partnerships and solutions to support the provision of essential supplies and accelerate results for children.  

Through financing and partnerships solutions, Supply Division supports government efforts to increase domestic and domestically-mobilized financing and mobilize other financing to support improved market dynamics, including a strengthened local supplier base which complements domestic sources and further enables improved access. 

How can you make a difference? 

The purpose of this position is to provide leadership and oversight management to SD’s portfolio of innovative financing tools to support the timely availability of affordable essential supplies. Timely access requires good forecasting, planning, and adequate budgeting, financing, and execution on that financing. However, funding delays, market constraints, and other factors jeopardize systematic access and are a leading cause of commodity stockouts in countries. . The position will lead the deployment of pre-financing interventions to help bridge these short-term funding gaps and deploy risk financing to improve access and market dynamics of these supply of critical essential commodities supplies. The position will oversee UNICEF’s main tool for supply pre-financing and other supply financing interventions, the Vaccine Independence Initiative (VII), which is deployed to improve access to vaccines and other non-immunization commodities.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: JD _ PSC Senior Manager (Innovative Financing) P5 .docx

 Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

The Senior Manager (Innovative Financing) has the overall strategic leadership of the VII and other financing tools and will:

• Building upon a well-established foundation and risk management process, take VII to the next level in terms of professionalization and sustainability;
• Lead the internal and external work on expansion of VII and other bridge financing tools with the objective of helping improve operational timeliness for the provision of essential commodities and/or market dynamics, and improved domestic resource mobilization;
• Identify opportunities from both a country financing and market dynamics perspective that would benefit from a financing intervention, including by engaging with respective UNICEF SD business units and external partners.
• Originate transactions from both a country-facing and markets-facing perspective which will utilize the VII and VII-enabled transactions, including on design and negotiation of terms with countries and suppliers.

• Develop and pursue a smart risk management strategies, including with active recovery efforts for executed transactions to protect the VII capital base.
• Oversee & monitor capital base utilization to optimize use for financing and reporting
• Manage a team that seamlessly executes on transactions and actively manages risks and opportunities.
• Manage forecasting of demand for pre-financing and other financing interventions;
• Coordinate the underwriting process and financial management of country-subscriptions (including efficient credit line applications and VII action plans are followed), ad hoc prefinancings special contracting ensuring the good stewardship of the VII
• Provide technical advice, guidance and design improved operational processes and systems improvements to ensure supply financing activities are compliant to UNICEF FRR, applicable financing agreements, and overall operational efficiency.;
• Lead day-to-day resource mobilization activities with donors and financing partners the VII;
• Work with external partners (including other UN agencies) as a thought leader and collaborator on initiatives which can leverage VII’s capabilities and support the strengthening of domestic resource mobilization activities;

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration or other related field.

Work Experience:

• Minimum ten years of progressively responsible managerial experience in complex and large operations involving planning and operation of financing initiatives and tools, (for example) loan facilities, revolving funds, credit facilities and sovereign financing and/or other innovative or alternative financing instruments.
• Demonstrated experience in markets, market dynamics and/or analysis for health supplies. Experience with vaccines is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging with countries on the mobilization of domestic resources and/or credit recovery processes.
• Experience in UN/UNICEF or other development agencies or Private Sector including:
  • Capacity to diagnose and resolve multiple, concurrent problems; a conceptual and strategic analytical capacity.
  • Knowledge of current trends, practices in specialized field of UNICEF work.
  • High level of leadership, analytical and negotiation skills.
  • Ability to articulate and conceptualise ideas and influence policies, strategies and priorities.
  • Ability to express clearly and concisely, ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
  • Strong problem solving orientation.
  • Ability to plan, co-ordinate and manage multiple activities. Experience with project management work.
  • Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships.

Skills 

• Computer skills, including preparation of PowerPoint presentations, draft written documents for senior leadership audience and various office applications.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English required and preferably another UN language.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

(8)Nurtures, leads and manages people 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.