Associate Financial Services Officer

UNOPS

Aug 30, 2019 (4 years ago) 0 Comments



Background Information: 

UNHCR Sub Office Melkadida (SOMEL) is collaborating with the Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA), the Somali Regional Government, the Dollo Ado and Bokolmanyo Woreda Authorities, and NGO implementing partners to enhance the self-reliance of refugees and host communities by supporting livelihoods and economic inclusion interventions. The self-reliance programme is supported by the IKEA Foundation and focusses on three key sectors: Agriculture, Livestock, and Financial Services (Microfinance). 

Refugee and host communities in the Dollo Ado and Bokolmanyo Woredas of the Somali Regional State predominantly rely on agriculture and livestock production for their livelihood. These two Woredas are regularly subjected to the risk of droughts and floods, impacting the food security and livelihoods of these populations. In order to facilitate the access of refugees and host communities to financial services, in November 2016, UNHCR launched a formal microfinance programme in partnership with the Relief Society of Tigray and the Dedebit Microfinance Institution. The program has provided saving and loan services to approximately 3,500 refugee and host community individuals and business people across all five camps and adjacent host communities. Moving forward, the strategy is to sustain the existing program and attract additional financial services providers, including banks, microfinance institutions, and micro-insurance companies to the refugee and host community markets in Dollo Ado and Bokolmanyo Woredas. The objective is to promote market competition and to strengthen access to private sector driven financial services for individuals, cooperatives and business enterprises. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Consultant will work under the supervision of SOMEL’s Livelihoods Officer and will be responsible for the following deliverables; 

  • Analyse the performance of the existing saving and loans that have been provided to refugee and host communities by Dedebit Microfinance Institution. Identify gaps, propose and implement measures for improvement of the performance of the microfinance programme;
  • Monitor performance and provide continued technical and managerial advice/support to Dedebit Microfinance Institution to improve business management and operations;
  • Support and facilitate the opening of additional financial service providers in the refugee and host community markets;
  • Monitor the day to day performance of the loan taking enterprises in terms of their loan repayments, savings status as well as effectiveness of financial inclusion models being applied;
  • Facilitate the access of all refugee/host community cooperatives and business groups to financial services through provision of technical advice for developing business plans and applying for loans and savings services;
  • Plan, implement, monitor, and report on all ‘financial services’ related activities under UNHCR livelihood development programme;

The selection of the consultant will be determined on the basis of the strength of technical methodologies and proposals of how he/she will undertake the above activities and on the below minimum requirements. 

Required Qualifications:

Education:

  • Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Economics, Finance, Rural Development or related areas.
  • Specialized knowledge of financial services sector, especially microfinance sector.

Minimum Experience: 

  • Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in implementing or managing enterprise development and financial services projects/programs for rural communities in Ethiopia
  • Demonstrated experience in supporting the development and capacity building of SMEs and MSMEs in Ethiopia
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the MSME policies and financial services sector in Ethiopia
  • Negotiation and presentation skills
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Office IT tools 

Desired Attributes: 

  • Knowledge of market system development methodologies
  • Experience working in refugee hosting environments is a plus
  • Knowledge of the Somali Regional State and agro-pastoralist context 

Language requirements: 

  • Fluency (written / oral) in English.
  • Working knowledge of the Somali language is an added advantage.

Submission of Applications

This vacancy is open for qualified Ethiopians only. 

Female candidates are encouraged to apply. 

UNHCR is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

IMPORTANT

Applicants who wish to be considered for this position should send a motivation letter the P11 Form and or the most recent fact sheet through the online application system.

Candidates will be required to sit for a test.

Due to the volume of applications only short-listed candidates will be invited for interview. 

Refugees – who cares?   We Do.