Innovative Financing Advisor, Consultant, Level II

JOB TITLE: Innovative Financing Advisor

TYPE OF CONTRACT: International Consultant Level 2 (P3 Equivalent) 

UNIT/DIVISION: WFP Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa (RBN)

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Nairobi, Kenya  

DURATION: 11 months 

BACKGROUND:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 80 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

As conflict, climate change and COVID-19 drive up the number of hungry people in Eastern Africa, finding innovative solutions to the complex humanitarian & development challenges in the region is essential, now perhaps more than ever. WFP Regional Bureau for Eastern Africa which oversees some of the most promising innovations at WFP, has recently launched a WFP Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa to disrupt hunger in the region (Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda). Its main goals are to a) upscale & support local innovation ecosystems to strengthen local food systems, b) support WFP country offices to test new products and innovations and c) facilitate best practices & knowledge sharing.  

Based in Nairobi, the WFP Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa identifies, supports and scales high potential solutions to hunger worldwide. It supports entrepreneurs (could be WFP innovators or external startups, NGOs, companies) to take their innovations to the next level – either getting ideas to the first proof of concept or already implemented solutions to the next scale-up. Supported innovative projects can get seed funding, hands-on support by our New Venture Consultants or our partners and access to WFP's operations in Eastern Africa countries and globally through different acceleration and incubation programmes. The most promising innovations are supported in scaling further.

The WFP Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa is now supported by USAID, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners. A wide range of next-level innovation are being supported, ranging from innovative businesses in South Sudan to start-ups in Uganda and Rwanda. With additional funding secured, the Hub is planning to launch new innovation programmes in the region (e.g. a climate-focused acceleration programme), build more services and products to support WFP teams in their quest to build the WFP of tomorrow and implement its newly-developed theory of change and M&E framework.

PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

With a growing portfolio the Hub is looking for an Innovative Financing Advisor to develop its work within the areas below. Reporting to the Head of the WFP Regional Innovation Hub For Eastern Africa, the incumbent  will be spearheading this increasingly important workstream within the Hub. Entrepreneurial and independent, you will be working with all functional units in the Regional Bureau, HQ and Country Offices as well as stakeholders and partners in the global and regional innovation ecosystem and lead the development of this portfolio.

The responsibilities will include:

1. Support innovations and other WFP Regional Innovation teams with investment readiness activities to accelerate their path to scale advancing towards Zero Hunger and other Sustainable Development Goals:

• Develop the Hub’s strategic approach to getting the portfolio of start-ups and businesses investment-ready
• Establish necessary partnership/s with the East African investor community to assess the business models of our innovator portfolio.
• Share impact investing knowledge and best practices with the Hub and other WFP teams to promote and showcase the value of investment readiness activities.
• Support the portfolio of innovations in becoming investor ready.

• Support portfolio companies by acting as an “entrepreneur in residence” to provide bespoke guidance to innovators on defining key performance indicators and milestones; product testing, technology improvements, and market-fit; distribution and scale-up strategies; financial modelling; environmental sustainability strategies; talent strategies; investor-preparedness; etc.
• Act as the business counterparts to WFP intrapreneurs/innovation projects, helping them to think like start-ups, set up business plans and ensure that the innovation is financially viable whilst socially/environmentally responsible.

1. Unlock further investments for companies and projects within the Regional Innovation Hub portfolio:

• Build a strong network of potential investment partners: local innovation entities (innovation centres, incubators, accelerators, etc.), foundations, Corporations, VCs and investments actors to offer them dealflow and validate the assumption that we can de-risk investments for local start-ups and innovative MSMEs.
• Establish deal books and data rooms to showcase portfolio companies and network this amongst investor networks.
• Support follow-on fundraising efforts by structuring third-party-verified dealbooks and executing investor-matchmaking activities and events.
• Attend and engage in relevant conferences, ecosystem gatherings, industry association meetings, and speaking engagements for sourcing, branding, thought leadership, investment and learning opportunities.

1. Drive the Innovative Financing portfolio at WFP

• Liaise with HQ, the Regional Bureau and the country offices to stay abreast of the latest innovative financing projects.
• Support country offices in designing and implementing innovative financing activities (e.g. blended finance facilities for MSMEs, structure new investment funds).
• Support the development, implementation and management of processes and tools for giving seed funding to innovators across the region, including impact measurement and monitoring of investments facilitated by WFP.
• Design new activities, programmes and projects to tap into blended capital to provide new tools to country offices to further the development agenda; working closely with finance, procurement and legal as required.
• Engage with all necessary internal stakeholders on topics related to innovative financing models and support the building of strong external partnerships within the Innovative Financing ecosystem in the region.

1. Support other Innovation Hub activities    

• Work with the learning advisor within the RBN Innovation Hub to prove wider impact of innovation challenges in building sustainable, inclusive food systems within the region.
• Provide analysis and content preparation (data analysis on projects, market research, powerpoint presentations, briefs etc) for priority topics and new strategic initiatives.
• Participate and carry out discussions with colleagues in other divisions or external stakeholders on topics related to the Innovation Hub’s strategic priorities.
• Support other core processes of the Innovation Hub (e.g. fundraising, partnerships, key events, etc) as required.
• Support the Head of the Regional Innovation Hub as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THIS FIRST CONTRACT PERIOD:

• Establishment of an investment strategy for portfolio businesses.
• Satisfactory support provided to portfolio innovators in scaling their businesses.
• Additional funds raised for a significant proportion of portfolio companies.
• Satisfactory support provided to country offices implementing blended finance or innovative financing activities.
• Satisfactory support to other hub activities including required research, presentations, and strategies.
• Satisfactory support on core programs and enabling functions (as needed) with satisfactory 360 review by manager and collaborating team members.
• All work and materials developed during the contract are well documented and available to all relevant stakeholders in designated knowledge management processes/platforms.

Education: Advanced University degree in business, economics, innovation, international development or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses. 

Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in African start-ups, consulting, FMCG private businesses or innovation/entrepreneur support in the humanitarian/international development sector.

Experience building and delivering scale-up strategies for end-to-end verticals of work from within the private and humanitarian sectors, preferably at large-scale organizations.

Knowledge & Skills: 

• Passion and deep understanding of technology innovations (e.g. mobile apps, blockchain, artificial intelligence) and business model innovations (e.g. innovative finance, crowdsourcing)
• Strong networks of actors in African innovation ecosystems and a nuanced understanding of the sector and its development over the past decade
• Entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial leadership experience such as starting your own company, starting a new program / department or launching new organization-wide programs
• Has worked cross-functionally and can navigate uncertainty with curiosity, poise, and a solution-oriented mentality
• Ability to gather and synthesize different types of qualitative (e.g. interviews, stakeholder consultations, network analysis) and quantitative (e.g. financial/impact modelling) information to guide major strategic and operational decisions
• Excellent communication/presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, to develop business plans and to write and deliver presentations
• Strong conceptual thinking to develop new strategies and innovative projects, especially those which are driving progress towards the SDGs
• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audience with maturity and tact
• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy, proactively seeking support and guidance when needed
• Sets high-level of ownership over projects to achieve impact for WFP constituents
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme

 Languages: Fluency in oral and written English mandatory. An intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish), Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages), and/or Swahili is desirable. 

Deadline for application: 2 May 2023