Financing and Partnerships Specialist

undp.org; Philippines; Hybrid; PHP 923,000 - 1,845,000; Full time

Job summary

UNDP Philippines seeks an Independent Consultant to document good practices in partnerships that promote digital transformation and MSME development at the LGU level. The consultant will develop a menu of practical, legally feasible models and a decision framework that LGUs can use to assess capacity, readiness gaps, and adapt the chosen model to their circumstances.

This assignment aims to sustain Digital PINAS outcomes, expand financing options, and strengthen LGU ownership of digital

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Public Administration, Economics, Development Studies, or related field.
• Minimum of 7 years in local governance, partnerships, or development financing.
• Proven experience in applied research, governance analysis, and producing practical recommendations.
• Experience with digital inclusion centers and MSME initiatives is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Document best practices and develop a menu of partnership and financing models.
• Package scalable models suitable for different LGU capacities and environments.
• Develop a practical guidebook and decision framework for LGUs to select and operationalize models.

Skills

Project management

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Research methods

Report writing

Public administration

Education

Advanced degree in Public Administration or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data analysis tools (Stata/R/Excel)

Job description

Description of the Assignment:

Digital PINAS aims to leverage digital innovation for inclusive growth and resilience in line with UN frameworks and the SDGs by addressing digital disparities among marginalized groups through three pillars: strengthening MSME capabilities, improving digital access, and promoting gender-responsive policies. As the programme nears completion, a key priority is ensuring the sustainability of Digital Centers supported under the programme while expanding domestic resource mobilization for digital transformation and MSME development. Under its Joint SDG Fund Results Framework, the programme is committed to supporting an enabling environment for increased LGU and private sector investment, contributing to the broader goal of mobilizing approximately USD 21 million in co-financing and complementary resources for digital transformation, and to supporting the development of sustainability plans for supported Digital Centers.

LGUs play an increasingly important role in advancing digital inclusion, improving access to government and business services, supporting MSMEs, strengthening local innovation ecosystems, and preparing communities for technology-driven change. Digital Transformation Centers/Tech4ED Centers, Negosyo Centers, innovation hubs, public internet facilities, digital skills centers, and similar initiatives serve as important platforms for these objectives, but investments are often constrained by competing priorities and limited fiscal space. Many centers also rely on varying forms of collaboration among LGUs, national government agencies, and the private sector, creating a need to identify sustainable partnership and financing models, understand the factors that drive their success, and generate practical, replicable approaches that address governance, financing, operations, accountability, inclusion, institutional ownership, and long‑term sustainability.

To support these objectives, UNDP will engage an Individual Consultant with expertise in local governance, local economic development, LGU financing and budgeting, resource mobilization, development financing, public-private partnerships, and sustainability planning. The Consultant will help develop sustainability pathways for Digital Centers that will help sustain the JP support beyond the life of the project, strengthen LGU ownership of digital transformation for MSME development initiatives, identify sustainable financing models and opportunities for additional funding and partnerships, and develop scalable partnership and financing approaches for LGUs and programme partners. Recognizing that LGUs differ in their institutional capacity, fiscal position, local partner ecosystem, service requirements, and operating environment, the assignment will not prescribe a single sustainability model. Instead, it will develop a menu of partnership and financing models and a practical framework that LGUs can use to identify and adapt the model most appropriate to their circumstances. The assignment will also build on complementary Digital PINAS initiatives, including the MSME Digitalization Policy and GEDSI Assessment and the GIDA-Ready Digital Solutions Partnership, integrating their findings, recommendations, and partnership opportunities into the consultant’s approach and outputs.

Objectives of the Consultancy

The overall objective of this consultancy is to document, assess, and synthesize good practices in partnerships that promote and sustain digital transformation and MSME development initiatives, including Digital Transformation Centers, Tech4ED centers, Negosyo Centers, and comparable facilities. Based on the assessment, the Consultant will develop a menu of practical, legally and operationally feasible partnership and financing models that LGUs may be select and adapt according to their institutional capacity, fiscal position, service requirements, local partner ecosystem, and enabling environment.

Specific objectives:

1.Identify existing and emerging partnership and financing models that support MSME development and digitalization at the LGU level. Analyze key features of these models, including governance arrangements, financing mechanisms, stakeholder roles, resource requirements, incentives, and sustainability factors.

2.Document and package practical, scalable, and replicable partnership and financing models suited to different LGU capacities, contexts, and enabling environments.

3.Develop a practical guidebook and decision making framework that LGUs can use to assess their capacity and enabling environment, select an appropriate partnership and financing model, identify readiness gaps, and determine the steps necessary to adapt, establish, operationalize, and institutionalize the selected

model.

Qualifications

Education

Advanced degree in Public Administration, Economics, Development Studies, Public Finance, Local Governance, Business Administration, Development Finance, Public Policy, or related fields is required. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with at least two (2) additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a master's degree.

Experience

• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience in any of the following: local governance, public-private collaboration/partnerships, and/or development financing;
• Demonstrated experience conducting applied research, institutional or partnership analysis, comparative case studies, or evaluations that resulted in practical recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze financing, governance, accountability, sustainability, inclusion, and implementation risks—not solely technical features.
• Experience with digital inclusion centers, Negosyo Centers, innovation hubs, public internet facilities, e-government service centers, or similar initiatives is an advantage.
• Experience working with international organizations and the MSME sector is an advantage;

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of Philippine local governance, LGU planning and budgeting, institutional arrangements affecting LGU collaboration with national government and non-government partners, partnership management; development financing, and resource mobilization;
• Demonstrated ability to develop practical diagnostic, decision-making, and implementation tools for government users.
• Ability to translate evidence into differentiated and implementable models and tools.
• Strong analytical, report writing, and presentation skills;
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills;

Period of assignment/services: 50 person days spread over four months

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Women, individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.