UNOPS is seeking a Catalytic Finance Specialist in Abuja to support menstrual health investment and catalytic finance opportunities across West Africa.

Catalytic Finance Specialist (Anglophone West Africa) at UNOPS

Posted: 29-Jul-2026
Application Deadline: August 19, 2026
Contract Type: ICA – LICA – Specialist – Retainer
Contract Level: LICA 10
Duty Station: Abuja, Nigeria / Home Based
Job Category: Programme
Experience: Minimum 5 years
Contract Duration: 1 year, with possible extension

Job Overview

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is seeking a Catalytic Finance Specialist (Anglophone West Africa) to support the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund’s (SHF) Capital M initiative.

The role will focus on identifying and assessing enterprises, investors, financial institutions, and strategic partners that could help expand financing for market-based menstrual health solutions.

The initial geographic focus is Nigeria, with the assignment expected to expand to other Anglophone West African markets as the programme develops. The role will draw heavily on experience in private-sector finance, impact investing, development finance, market analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

The successful candidate will help identify promising enterprises, understand their financing needs, assess investment readiness, map the wider financing ecosystem, and recommend opportunities for catalytic financing or partnership support.

About the United Nations Office for Project Services

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is a UN organization focused on helping partners turn plans and resources into practical results.

UNOPS provides services in areas including project management, infrastructure, procurement, human resources, and financial management, supporting humanitarian, development, and peace and security efforts around the world. The organization works with UN entities, governments, international financial institutions, development partners, and other organizations to strengthen implementation capacity.

UNOPS describes itself as a demand-driven, self-financing organization dedicated to implementation rather than maintaining a conventional programme or policy mandate. Its work spans more than 130 countries and includes projects supporting sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For this opportunity, the role sits within the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF), which is a project of UNOPS. The specialist will contribute specifically to the financing and investment side of menstrual health market development.

Official organization website: UNOPS

What the Role Is About

The Catalytic Finance Specialist will work with the SHF technical team to build a stronger pipeline of financing opportunities in the menstrual health market.

Rather than simply looking for sources of funding, the role involves understanding the businesses, investors, financial institutions, and market conditions that determine whether financing can reach viable menstrual health enterprises.

The specialist will report to the MH Markets Specialist and work closely with the wider programme team.

Assess Enterprises and Build the Investment Pipeline

A central responsibility will be identifying businesses and other organizations that could potentially benefit from catalytic financing.

The specialist will:

• Identify enterprises, financial institutions, investors, and strategic partners relevant to menstrual health financing.
• Assess businesses across the menstrual health value chain, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and e-commerce platforms.
• Review enterprises based on their development stage, business model, geographic presence, market position, financial performance, fundraising status, financing requirements, and investment readiness, where information is available.
• Identify relevant incubation and acceleration programmes supporting menstrual health enterprises.
• Help determine which opportunities have the strongest potential for further engagement.

The work will require a combination of research, commercial analysis, financial understanding, and practical judgement.

Map the Financing Ecosystem

The specialist will also examine the wider financial environment surrounding menstrual health enterprises.

This will include:

• Mapping financial institutions and intermediaries that provide, or could provide, local-currency financing.
• Identifying blended finance funds and impact investors.
• Identifying development finance institutions and other potential financing partners.
• Reviewing potential partners’ investment mandates and criteria.
• Assessing their financing instruments and sector priorities.
• Determining how their interests align with Capital M’s objectives.

This analysis will help the programme understand not only which enterprises need financing, but also which financial actors may be positioned to provide it.

Analyse and Prioritise Opportunities

Not every organization identified through the market assessment will be suitable for catalytic finance.

The Catalytic Finance Specialist will therefore help develop and apply screening criteria to prioritize opportunities.

Assessments will consider factors such as:

• Potential development impact.
• Commercial feasibility.
• Scalability.
• Financing requirements.
• Investment readiness.
• Alignment with SHF objectives.

Based on this analysis, the specialist will recommend opportunities that may be appropriate for technical assistance, catalytic financing, partnership development, or additional assessment.

The role may also contribute to developing appropriate financing structures, instruments, and partnership models.

Build Relationships With Market Participants

The position involves direct engagement with businesses and potential financing partners.

The specialist will:

• Build relationships with potential Capital M partners.
• Engage enterprises to understand their business models and financing challenges.
• Gather market intelligence through stakeholder consultations.
• Contribute technical information to the programme’s engagement strategy.
• Prepare technical briefs, presentations, assessment profiles, and related materials.
• Represent SHF at selected meetings, conferences, and sector events when required.

Strong communication skills will therefore be important alongside financial and analytical expertise.

Geographic Focus

The initial focus of the assignment is Nigeria.

As the programme expands, the role may provide support across other Anglophone West African markets, including:

• The Gambia
• Ghana
• Liberia
• Nigeria
• Sierra Leone

The specific countries and sequence of activities will be agreed with the SHF technical team.

Expected Deliverables

The detailed workplan and timelines will be agreed during onboarding, but expected outputs include:

• A workplan outlining the methodology, activities, timelines, and expected results.
• A review of existing SHF work, relevant documentation, and market intelligence.
• A stakeholder and financing ecosystem map.
• A regularly updated pipeline database covering potential opportunities and financing needs.
• Information on investment readiness and possible SHF support.
• Summaries of stakeholder consultations and market insights.
• Recommendations on priority enterprises, partnerships, and catalytic financing approaches.
• Technical contributions to Capital M’s engagement strategy with finance and investment partners.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should have an advanced university degree, such as a Master’s degree or equivalent, in:

• Development Finance
• Corporate Finance
• Economics
• Business Administration
• International Development
• A related field

A Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline combined with an additional two years of relevant professional experience may be accepted instead of an advanced degree.

Candidates must have at least five years of professional experience in areas such as:

• Private-sector finance.
• Development finance.
• Corporate finance.
• Impact investing.
• Related financial or investment fields.

Experience in programme financing related to development finance or impact investing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is specifically required.

Additional Experience That Could Be an Advantage

Experience in menstrual health markets and value chains would be desirable, particularly experience involving:

• Industry participants.
• Enterprises.
• Investors.
• Development finance organizations.

Knowledge of the business and financial ecosystem across Anglophone West Africa is also desirable.

Applicants with an understanding of regional financial institutions, investment actors, enterprises, and market conditions may therefore be particularly well positioned for the assignment.

Key Skills

The vacancy highlights the following skills:

• Market analysis.
• Project coordination.
• Research.
• Stakeholder engagement.
• Prioritization.

The role also calls for strong judgement, strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, adaptability, and the ability to evaluate information and make practical recommendations.

Language Requirements

English: Fluent — required

French: Basic — desirable

The French requirement is listed as desirable rather than mandatory.

Contract and Work Arrangement

The position is advertised under an ICA – LICA – Specialist – Retainer contract at LICA 10 level.

The available vacancy information indicates a one-year contract, with the possibility of extension depending on satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and the continued need for the services. The duty station is listed as Abuja, Home Based.

The vacancy does not state a specific remuneration amount, so applicants should not assume a salary figure from the job advertisement.

Who Is This Role Best Suited To?

This opportunity is aimed at a mid-career finance or investment professional who understands how businesses, investors, development-finance institutions, and other market actors interact.

It may be particularly relevant to professionals with experience in impact investing, development finance, corporate finance, investment analysis, or private-sector development.

The role is less about traditional accounting and more about identifying commercially viable opportunities, understanding financing gaps, assessing investment readiness, and connecting promising enterprises with potential financing and strategic partners.

Application Deadline

The closing date is:

August 19, 2026

The available vacancy information also indicates that applications must be received before the stated closing time under UNOPS application rules. Applicants should therefore avoid waiting until the final day to submit their application.

Application Tips

This is a specialist role, so a generic finance CV may not present the right experience clearly enough.

Applicants should emphasize experience involving:

• Development finance.
• Impact investing.
• Private-sector investment.
• Financial or market analysis.
• Investment-readiness assessments.
• Pipeline development.
• Stakeholder mapping.
• Blended or catalytic finance.
• Engagement with investors and financial institutions.
• Work in low- and middle-income markets.

If you have worked across West Africa, especially with financial institutions, investment funds, enterprises, or development-finance organizations, make that experience clear.

It is also worth explaining measurable results where possible—for example, the number or type of enterprises assessed, investment opportunities identified, financing transactions supported, or partnerships developed.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the official UNOPS recruitment system.

UNOPS does not accept unsolicited CVs, and candidates should be cautious of anyone requesting payment as part of the recruitment process.