Economic Recovery Assistant – Financial Inclusion at Danish Refugee Council

Responsibilities:
R1. Project Management/Development, Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Support to plan, oversee and implement financial inclusion activities in DRC Urban Program within the project.
• Remain abreast of topical developments related to economic recovery and financial inclusion that will promote community participation in the financial sector hence improving their economic/livelihoods and well-being.
• Contribute to promote sector learning and knowledge management in the Livelihoods sector through: collating findings/ information collected from the field as well as routine monitoring to draw lessons.
• Support in community mobilization, sensitization, formation of groups and training on VSLAs (Village Savings & Loans Associations) as well as FED (Financial Enterprise Development) to promote financial inclusion amongst the vulnerable and unbanked communities.
• Contribute to developing and/or adopting sector guidelines and tools in support of Livelihoods program implementation.
• Support in submitting timely and high-quality activities/donor, and internal progress reports.
• Contribute in Livelihoods sector growth in scope through fundraising – identification of sector gaps and root causes analysis, and support in developing quality concept notes/proposals with corresponding activity budgets.
• Support the Financial Inclusion team in project kick-off, review and  closure meetings including periodic program review, planning and external meetings as often as requested by the supervisor.
• Assist in ensuring the sector adheres to CHS (Core-Humanitarian Standards) Principles in project implementation; participate in CHS audits and support M&E plan.

R2. Technical Implementation:

• Contribute to implementation of technical activities related to financial inclusion including building the capacity of VSLAs as well as work with digital partners to digitize VSLAs.
• Support to conduct training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills, working with micro-businesses to strengthen business plans and operations.
• Coach and mentor entrepreneurs to be able to scale up their businesses.
• Support entrepreneurs through market linkages, business information and access to finance through the relevant partners in the project.

R3. Coordination & Partnership:

• Support to develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders, including urban refugee and host community members and leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, DRS (Department of Refugees Services), FSP (financial service Providers) and other DRC team members including partners to enhance multi-agency and multi-sectoral cooperation and coordination on response activities.
• Contribute to promoting collaboration and synergy between refugee-focused interventions and the host communities.
• Assist to actively participate and engage in relevant coordination meetings and collaborate with other agencies of relevance/value add to DRC’s urban agenda.

R4. Budget Management:

• Provide support to ensure sound budget expenditure, adherence to DRC financial procedures and donor requirements as related to the financial inclusion sector.
• Contribute to drafting spending plans, procurement plans, and work plans based on financial inclusion activities and budgets.
• Assist to participate in Budget Follow-Up (BFU) meetings to ensure the budget is tracked and over/under expenditures are addressed in time in consultation with the Economic Recovery Officer and Project Manager.

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum of 2 years + of field experience in implementing economic recovery/financial inclusion programming in an International NGO or other relevant agency.
• Experience in financial inclusion interventions and models (VSLA/GS&L, co-operative societies, Grameen, village banks) is an added advantage.
• Good technical experience in financial inclusion programming including working with VSLAs, developing the capacity of micro-enterprises, working with micro-loans programs/formal financial institutions and providing financial inclusion and entrepreneurship training. Experience working with ‘sharia-compliant’ financing is an added advantage.
• Experience in working with digital service providers and digital financial services including the implementation of digital solutions is desirable.
• Good project management skills, with experience managing multiple location, sector project budgets.
• Experience working in urban displacement responses and in multi-sectoral interventions.
• Experience in the digitization of savings groups, enterprises, or social associations is an added advantage.
• Good planning, organizational and problem-solving skills with ability to work both independently and within a team in a demanding working environment.
• Good analytical and strategic planning skills.
• A demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments/communities, donors, partners, local organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Good level of communication and interpersonal skills.

Education: 

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Business Management, Economics, Entrepreneurship or Community Development or its equivalent).
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential