Project Specialist

The specialist will coordinate UNCDF’s field delivery under the Highlands livelihoods programme, expanding inclusive finance and digital financial services for women and young people while managing partners, financial instruments, monitoring, safeguards and learning in fragile communities.

Department: Investment and Implementation Division

• Coordinate field implementation of livelihoods and inclusive-finance activities against approved workplans and budgets
• Oversee access-to-finance, digital-finance and risk-mitigation activities with local partners
• Engage provincial authorities, financial institutions, cooperatives, private actors and communities
• Support deployment of guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, insurance pilots and financial-literacy packages
• Conduct field assessments, monitor investee compliance and resolve operational risks
• Collect and verify results, beneficiary feedback and evidence for donor and programme reporting
• Apply conflict sensitivity, gender equality, disability inclusion and environmental and social safeguards
• Document lessons, good practices and success stories from field delivery

• Advanced university degree in development, business administration, finance, marketing, economics, accounting, social sciences or a related field, or a bachelor’s degree plus two additional years of qualifying experience
• At least five years with a master’s degree or seven years with a bachelor’s degree in financial inclusion, rural livelihoods, private-sector development or related project implementation
• Demonstrated experience in fragile, conflict-affected or remote contexts
• Strong project coordination and field implementation capability
• Written and spoken fluency in English and Tok Pisin

• This nationally recruited vacancy is open only to the stated Tier 1 and 2 applicant groups
• The role requires regular field presence across Papua New Guinea’s Highlands region