Local Finance Specialist

The Local Finance Specialist serves as the lead technical advisor on subnational public finance within UNDP's Sustainable Finance Hub Public Finance for the SDGs portfolio. The role involves guiding design, implementation and monitoring of subnational fiscal policy coherence efforts, driving thought leadership, representing UNDP in global fora, and building partnerships to support integrated fiscal policy support to countries.

Responsibilities

• Provide high level policy advisory support on subnational public finance and fiscal policy coherence.
• Lead the application of the cost of fiscal incoherence methodology at the local level and support integration of fiscal redistribution into coherent fiscal frameworks.
• Work closely with UNDP teams and partners to provide integrated support on local finance for SDG delivery.
• Lead and support country-level analytical, diagnostic and implementation work on subnational public finance and fiscal policy coherence reforms.
• Facilitate policy dialogue and coalition-building with governments, UN entities, IFIs, development partners, civil society and private sector.
• Lead research and analytical work to guide identification of local public finance reforms.
• Develop frameworks, methodologies, guidance, and tools to facilitate fiscal policy coherence at subnational level.
• Drive thought leadership and knowledge sharing through policy papers, technical notes and case studies.
• Support UNDP and SFH global policy dialogue and flagship publications on public finance for the SDGs.
• Document lessons learned and promote uptake of innovations globally.
• Manage communities of practice and facilitate knowledge exchange among practitioners.
• Design training materials and deliver capacity-building resources on fiscal policy coherence and local finance.
• Facilitate South-South and triangular cooperation for peer learning on fiscal policy coherence and local finance.
• Represent UNDP in international conferences, expert meetings and policy dialogues on subnational fiscal policy coherence and fiscal redistribution.
• Support senior leadership in global and regional engagement and prepare technical inputs for meetings and dialogues.
• Contribute to UNDP’s leadership of the Local2030 Coalition Finance Working Group and collaboration with the SDG Fund.
• Build and sustain strategic partnerships with IFIs, UN entities, donors, local government networks, civil society and research institutions.
• Contribute to results-based management of the PF4SDGs portfolio and related initiatives through indicator tracking and performance monitoring.
• Prepare technical inputs for reporting, reviews and portfolio analysis related to subnational public finance and fiscal policy coherence.
• Support coordination across SFH teams, Regional Bureaux and Country Offices for coherent design and implementation of initiatives.
• Support operational delivery and programme management including coordination of consultants and experts.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Law, or Public Administration or related discipline is required.
• 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 PhD or equivalent advanced research qualification in a relevant field (e.g. public finance, political economy, development studies) is an asset.
• Minimum of seven (7) years (with master’s degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience providing policy advice in public finance, fiscal policy or related fields, including at least three (3) years at the international level, is required.
• At least five (5) years of experience supporting Ministries of Finance and/or Parliaments in developing countries on public finance policy and reform processes, is required.
• At least five (5) years of demonstrated experience working on subnational public finance, including fiscal decentralization or local financing strategies for development outcomes, which may include policy advisory roles, analytical work and/or relevant academic teaching experience, is required.
• Demonstrated, applied knowledge and hands-on experience providing policy advice and technical assistance to national and subnational governments, on fiscal policy coherence (including the cost of fiscal incoherence methodology), ILFFs (including in the context of the Local2030 Coalition and Joint SDG Fund), and fiscal redistribution, is required.
• Demonstrated experience in high-level policy engagement with Ministries of Finance and other government institutions on tax, expenditure and/or debt frameworks, including facilitating dialogue with senior officials and development partners, is desired.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with multilateral or UN system initiatives on local finance, including the Local2030 Coalition, with contributions to Working Group 2 and Working Group 1, and experience advising on the design of bankable project pipelines and financing instruments through Joint SDG Fund or similar initiatives, is desired.
• Demonstrated expertise in fiscal redistribution initiatives (such as progressive taxation and fiscal equity), including analysis of distributional impacts and linkages to development outcomes; experience related to High-Net-Worth Individual (HNWI) taxation and engagement with relevant global initiatives (e.g. Seville Platform for Action) is desired.
• Experience working with the UN system, multilateral organizations and/or International Financial Institutions (IFIs), is an asset.

Skills

• Public Finance Policy
• Fiscal Policy Analysis
• Fiscal Decentralization
• Local Financing Strategies
• Policy Advice
• Technical Assistance
• Fiscal Policy Coherence
• Cost of Fiscal Incoherence Methodology
• ILFFs
• Fiscal Redistribution
• Tax Frameworks
• Expenditure Frameworks
• Debt Frameworks
• Policy Engagement
• Dialogue Facilitation
• Project Pipeline Design
• Financing Instruments Knowledge
• Progressive Taxation
• Distributional Analysis
• Subnational Public Finance
• Public Finance Management Reforms

Languages

English