Catalytic Finance Specialist (Francophone West Africa)

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners by providing quality servces, integrated solutions and management support through strategic, cost-effective and results-oriented approches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a global fund dedicated to achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health for all, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. Capital M is SHF’s global initiative to build and strengthen the menstrual health (MH) market, fostering sustainable, market-based solutions that provide access to safe, quality, affordable menstrual products and empower women and girls across low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). By doing this, SHF contributes to a wide range of SDGs related to education, health, gender equality, the environment and economic growth.

To achieve this, SHF works with national and local governments, the private sector, investors and financiers and other market stakeholders to improve the enabling environment, strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem and facilitate access to finance to bring market-based approaches to scale. For a market segment that falls within women’s health and -hygiene, improving access to finance is critical. Enterprises in this space are structurally underfunded, posing a significant barrier to scale. SHF’s presence is critical to bridge the financing and investment gap, working with partners to showcase the market potential, derisk financing and investment in MH enterprises and connect public and private funders, financiers and investors to a growing pipeline of investable opportunities.

Our approach supports an Africa-led ecosystem for access to finance and investment, where we collaborate with existing public and private funders, financiers and investors, connecting them to enterprises with novel technologies and business models. We focus on enterprises with the potential to scale product categories’ availability at national and regional level, supporting efforts to maximize efficiency and minimise costs for low-income users by leveraging economies of scale. This ultimately contributes to structurally improving market access and significantly reducing environmental impacts. To achieve this, we believe there is an important role for south-to-south knowledge transfer and investment to accelerate market development.

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a project of UNOPS.

From Geneva, UNOPS facilitates the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working with governments, other United Nations (UN) agencies and partners by providing quality servces, integrated solutions and management support through strategic, cost-effective and results-oriented approches. This includes supporting platforms and hosting high-profile, flagship initiatives and funds focusing on health, nutrition, water and sanitation, sustainable cities, environment, energy, climate and trade. UNOPS is a recognized resource for the UN system in Geneva – from fund management and oversight and advisory services, to providing hosting solutions to a range of global initiatives, as well as operational support to partner organizations.

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a global fund dedicated to achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health for all, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. Capital M is SHF’s global initiative to build and strengthen the menstrual health (MH) market, fostering sustainable, market-based solutions that provide access to safe, quality, affordable menstrual products and empower women and girls across low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). By doing this, SHF contributes to a wide range of SDGs related to education, health, gender equality, the environment and economic growth.

To achieve this, SHF works with national and local governments, the private sector, investors and financiers and other market stakeholders to improve the enabling environment, strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem and facilitate access to finance to bring market-based approaches to scale. For a market segment that falls within women’s health and -hygiene, improving access to finance is critical. Enterprises in this space are structurally underfunded, posing a significant barrier to scale. SHF’s presence is critical to bridge the financing and investment gap, working with partners to showcase the market potential, derisk financing and investment in MH enterprises and connect public and private funders, financiers and investors to a growing pipeline of investable opportunities.

Our approach supports an Africa-led ecosystem for access to finance and investment, where we collaborate with existing public and private funders, financiers and investors, connecting them to enterprises with novel technologies and business models. We focus on enterprises with the potential to scale product categories’ availability at national and regional level, supporting efforts to maximize efficiency and minimise costs for low-income users by leveraging economies of scale. This ultimately contributes to structurally improving market access and significantly reducing environmental impacts. To achieve this, we believe there is an important role for south-to-south knowledge transfer and investment to accelerate market development.

The Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) is a project of UNOPS.

Reporting to the MH Markets Specialist, and working closely with the wider team, the role will support SHF’s Capital M initiative and its goal of advancing country - and regional-level - pipeline opportunities for catalytic financing in the menstrual health (MH) market by identifying and analysing high-impact enterprises and strategic partners to unlock additional investment.

The role of the Catalytic Finance Specialist will be to assist the SHF technical team with scoping of potential pipeline opportunities/targets (in particular enterprises in a first step) and partners for catalytic financing in SHF’s priority countries (with an initial focus on Francophone West Africa) by drawing on relevant experience in the private sector, impact investing and/or development finance space.

The Catalytic Finance Specialist will help map out key private sector players, potential SHF/Capital M partners, investors and other relevant organisations in the market. The role also includes meeting with enterprises and potential partners to explore opportunities, understand challenges and assess financing needs - supporting strategy and efforts to unlock more investment through catalytic finance.

The role will support Capital M to identify, assess and advance catalytic financing opportunities for market-based menstrual health solutions. The initial focus will be Senegal, with broader support across Francophone West Africa as the programme grows.

Market and pipeline assessment

• Identify and assess enterprises, financial institutions, investors and strategic partners that could support catalytic financing for market-based menstrual health solutions.
• Assess enterprises across the menstrual health value chain, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers and e-commerce platforms.
• Review their development stage, geographic presence, business model, market position, financial performance, fundraising status, financing needs and investment readiness, subject to data availability.
• Identify relevant incubation and acceleration programmes supporting menstrual health enterprises.

Financing ecosystem mapping

• Map local financial institutions and intermediaries that provide, or could provide, local-currency financing for menstrual health enterprises.
• Identify relevant blended finance funds, impact investors, development finance institutions and other financing partners.
• Assess their mandates, investment criteria, financing instruments, sector priorities and alignment with Capital M.

Pipeline analysis and prioritisation

• Develop and apply criteria to screen and prioritise direct and indirect pipeline opportunities, including enterprises, financial institutions and investment vehicles.
• Assess opportunities based on their potential impact, feasibility, scalability, financing needs and alignment with SHF objectives.
• Recommend priority opportunities for technical assistance, catalytic financing, partnership development or further assessment.
• Support the development of suitable catalytic financing instruments, structures and partnership models.

Stakeholder engagement and partnerships

• Contribute market intelligence and technical content to Capital M’s engagement strategy.
• Build and maintain relationships with potential Capital M partners and pipeline opportunities.
• Prepare technical briefs, presentations, assessment profiles and other agreed outputs.
• Represent SHF at selected meetings, conferences and sector events, as agreed with the technical team.

Geographic Focus

The assignment will initially focus on Senegal. As the programme grows, the role may provide broader support across Francophone West Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Togo. The specific countries and sequencing of activities will be agreed with the SHF technical team.

Key Deliverables

The detailed work packages and timelines will be agreed during onboarding. Key deliverables will include:

• An agreed workplan setting out the methodology, activities, timelines and expected outputs.
• A desk review of existing SHF work, relevant documentation and market intelligence, using the MH Market Maturity Assessment Tool as a baseline.
• A stakeholder and financing ecosystem map covering enterprises, financial institutions, investors, funds, accelerators and other potential partners.
• A regularly updated pipeline database covering identified opportunities, financing needs, investment readiness, potential SHF support and recommended next steps.
• A summary of stakeholder consultations and key market insights.
• Recommendations on priority pipeline opportunities, partnerships and catalytic financing approaches.
• Technical inputs to Capital M’s engagement strategy with finance and investment partners.

Required

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in development finance, corporate finance, economics, business administration, international development or a related field

• A Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline in combination with additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Required

• Minimum of 5 years work experience in the private sector/development finance/corporate finance related area is required

• Experience in programme financing (related to development finance/impact investing in LMIC) is required

Desired

• Experience in working in menstrual health (MH) related to markets and value chain concepts from the perspective of the industry, enterprises, investors and/or development finance actors is desirable

• Knowledge of regional (Francophone West Africa) sector specific enterprise environment and financial actors is desirable.

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