Access to Finance and Grants Specialist @United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced a vacancy for an Access to Finance and Grants Specialist based in Lilongwe, Malawi. The role sits within the organisation’s Resilience and Sustainable Growth (RSG) portfolio and supports a national agricultural commercialization initiative aimed at strengthening financial access for farmers’ organisations and small and medium enterprises.

The position is offered under a National Personnel Service Agreement (NPSA-11) and is open to both national and international applicants. The application deadline is 16 June 2026.

This strategic role is central to UNDP’s long-term development agenda in Malawi, supporting inclusive economic growth, climate resilience, and financial inclusion in the agricultural sector.

UNDP Development Context in Malawi

The United Nations Development Programme in Malawi has been active since 1964, supporting national development priorities aligned with Malawi Vision 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The current Country Programme (2024–2028) focuses on two main pillars:

• Governance and institutional strengthening
• Resilience and sustainable economic growth

Within this framework, the Resilience and Sustainable Growth portfolio focuses on:

• Climate adaptation and disaster resilience
• Agricultural transformation and commercialization
• Inclusive private sector development
• Natural resource management
• Poverty reduction through sustainable livelihoods

The Access to Finance and Grants Specialist role directly supports these priorities through financial system strengthening and enterprise development in agriculture.

Agricultural Commercialisation and Financial Inclusion Focus

Agriculture remains the backbone of Malawi’s economy, employing over 70% of the population and contributing significantly to GDP. However, structural barriers continue to limit productivity, particularly for women-led agribusinesses and smallholder farmers.

Key challenges include:

• Limited access to formal credit for women-owned MSMEs
• Lack of collateral for financing applications
• Low financial literacy and business planning capacity
• Gender inequalities in land ownership and economic participation

The UNDP UCHI Agricultural Commercialisation Project seeks to address these gaps by improving financial access and building sustainable market systems for farmers’ organisations (FOs) and MSMEs.

Role Purpose and Strategic Function

The Access to Finance and Grants Specialist will lead the design, implementation, and oversight of the UCHI Commercialisation Facility. This includes managing blended finance mechanisms, matching grants, and investment readiness support for agricultural enterprises.

The role is responsible for ensuring that financial resources are distributed efficiently, transparently, and in alignment with development objectives, particularly those promoting gender equality and inclusive growth.

Key Responsibilities

The position includes a wide range of technical and managerial duties across financial governance, monitoring, partnerships, and capacity building.

Fiduciary Management and Grant Oversight

The specialist will be responsible for:

• Managing the full lifecycle of grant disbursements
• Designing milestone-based funding frameworks
• Reviewing financial reports and disbursement requests
• Ensuring compliance with grant agreements and due diligence processes
• Tracking expenditure and maintaining financial transparency
• Integrating gender-responsive criteria into funding decisions
• Developing financial performance indicators and milestone tools

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

A major component of the role involves performance monitoring and impact evaluation. Responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing M&E systems for grant tracking
• Producing quarterly and annual performance reports
• Monitoring financial and operational progress of grantees
• Conducting risk assessments and corrective action planning
• Ensuring sex-disaggregated data collection and reporting
• Supporting baseline and end-line impact evaluations

Financial Access and Strategic Partnerships

The specialist will lead engagement with financial institutions and development partners to expand access to finance. Duties include:

• Building partnerships with banks, microfinance institutions, and investors
• Designing blended finance and risk-sharing models
• Supporting development of financial instruments for MSMEs
• Promoting financial products aligned with agricultural commercialization
• Advising on investment readiness strategies for enterprises
• Strengthening private sector engagement in rural development

Financial Literacy and Capacity Building

The role also focuses on strengthening financial capabilities among beneficiaries. This includes:

• Designing gender-sensitive financial literacy programmes
• Training farmers’ organisations and MSMEs in financial management
• Supporting business planning and investment readiness
• Enhancing record-keeping and budgeting systems
• Integrating women’s economic empowerment modules
• Facilitating knowledge sharing between grantees

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must meet strict academic and professional criteria to be considered.

Minimum qualifications include:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Accounting, Banking, Agribusiness, or related field with 7 years of experience
• OR Bachelor’s degree with 9 years of relevant experience

Required experience includes:

• Grant portfolio or fund management
• Blended finance or impact investment mechanisms
• Agricultural development finance
• Private sector development in Africa or Malawi context
• Gender-responsive financial programming

Core Competencies

The role requires advanced professional capabilities, including:

• Strategic thinking and systems analysis
• Strong partnership and stakeholder management
• Financial decision-making and business acumen
• Monitoring and performance evaluation expertise
• Ability to design innovative financing solutions
• Strong analytical and risk assessment skills
• Commitment to gender equality and inclusion

Why This Role Is Important

The Access to Finance and Grants Specialist position plays a critical role in transforming Malawi’s agricultural economy by improving access to finance for smallholder farmers and women-led enterprises. By strengthening financial systems and enabling investment in rural businesses, the role supports broader national goals of economic diversification, poverty reduction, and sustainable development.

The position also reinforces UNDP’s commitment to inclusive growth by ensuring that marginalized groups, particularly women, have equitable access to financial opportunities and market systems.

Application Details

Key information for applicants includes:

• Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
• Contract Type: NPSA-11
• Application Deadline: 16 June 2026
• Full-time role with international development scope

Applicants are advised that UNDP maintains strict recruitment standards and does not charge any application fees at any stage of the process.

Conclusion

The Access to Finance and Grants Specialist vacancy represents a high-impact opportunity within the United Nations Development Programme in Malawi. The role combines financial management, agricultural development, gender inclusion, and private sector engagement to strengthen rural economies and improve livelihoods.

As Malawi continues its transition toward agricultural commercialization and climate-resilient development, this position plays a key role in ensuring that financial systems are inclusive, efficient, and aligned with national development priorities.

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.