Financial Inclusion Officer, P3, Nairobi at UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

Improving livelihoods through economic and financial inclusion is a key component of achieving protection and long-term solutions for the refugee situation. Economic inclusion contributes to the self-reliance and resilience of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, empowering them to meet their needs in a safe, sustainable and dignified manner, avoid aid-dependency, contribute to their host economies, and prepare for their future whether they return home, integrate in their country of asylum, or resettle in a third country.

Self-reliance is often contingent to the ability of forcibly displaced to have access to financial services such as loans and credit lines, savings accounts and payment services. Most forcibly displaced, in particular refugees, are today excluded from the formal financial sector, which means they lack a safe place to save and receive money, affordable ways to make payments, and access to loans to invest in a business activity or to smooth their consumption needs.

Ongoing global processes such as the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and the focus on the humanitarian-development nexus show the need for and benefit of taking a holistic approach which requires the engagement of a broad range of stakeholders, leveraging the value-add and strategic positioning of each of them.

In the area of financial inclusion, UNHCR engages with financial service providers (FSPs), specialized development agencies, and impact investors to facilitate the financial inclusion of refugees and other forcibly displaced. To make its planning and interventions effective in this area, UNHCR wishes to hire a Financial Inclusion Officer who will be working under the supervision of the Senior Financial Inclusion Coordinator based in HQ and in close collaboration with the Economic Inclusion Unit. The incumbent will have a broad range of tasks and responsibilities related to programs¿ design, monitoring and evaluation, partnerships¿ creation, and support of field operations. S/he will be responsible for supporting field operations with the screening and implementation of financial inclusion projects and partnerships; identifying new areas of work for UNHCR to promote access to finance for forcibly displaced in Africa and neighbouring countries; and establishing key partnerships with financial inclusion actors ¿ in particular investors, financial service providers and specialized development agencies.

S/he will promote awareness about the needs for access to finance for forcibly displaced and disseminate findings of UNHCR work in this area by planning and delivering on a research agenda and writing/editing relevant communication pieces and papers as needs arise.

S/he will establish and maintain close and effective partnerships with the financial inclusion sector, in particular investors, donors and financial service providers. S/he will also ensure UNHCR representation in appropriate regional coordination mechanisms and networks.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Identify new projects in the area of financial inclusion, support the planning and successful implementation of these projects through sustainable partnerships with relevant financial institutions, international lenders and development financial institutions.
• Document the impact of any project in financial inclusion, ensure acknowledgement for its relevance, and wide dissemination of its findings.
• Support the capacity strengthening of field staff involved in financial inclusion operations, particularly in relation to the identification of suitable financial institutions to partner with, data-collection and performance/outcomes monitoring.
• Support UNHCR field operations to raise awareness about access to finance for forcibly displaced within the financial community and to establish partnerships with qualified financial service providers.
• Provide technical guidance to UNHCR field operations engaged in partnerships with financial service providers.
• Train financial service providers and other key stakeholders in the industry about the financial needs of forcibly displaced by organizing workshops and focus groups with refugees in field operations in Africa and neighbouring regions.
• Identify and build solid partnerships with the financial sector, research institutes, competent technical agencies and others that can bring knowledge, know-how and networks in support of creating financial inclusion opportunities for forcibly displaced and hosting communities.
• Raise awareness about the needs of forcibly displaced in access to finance and on the work done by UNHCR in this area by writing/editing publications and presenting at key international events in the Africa region.
• Proactively seek new opportunities for effective shared value partnership building and resource mobilization amongst highly qualified financial institutions, as well as development actors and donors.
• Support the monitoring, reporting on measurement of results/impact of financial inclusion projects implemented by UNHCR or partners.
• Support the identification and assessment of technical assistance needs of refugees and selected financial institutions.
• Support creating training material for financial service providers (FSP) and delivery on them.
• Support selecting areas of intervention ¿ in line with UNHCR strategic objectives and in coordination with field operations - for implementing projects and fostering partnerships with the financial community.
• Decide on coordination with partners, the selection of FSPs with whom UNHCR will engage in multi-country programs.
• Support in reviewing project proposals coming from field offices and implementing partners to promote access to finance for forcibly displaced.
• Research and write/edit knowledge products pertaining to financial inclusion/resilience of forcibly displaced for publication.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3 - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

• Development Economics;
• International Development;
  or other relevant field.
• (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)
• Certificates and/or Licenses
• not specified;

Relevant Job Experience

• Essential: Solid knowledge of the financial inclusion sector as evidenced by minimum 6 years of professional experience in the sector as researcher or provider. Practical experience in conducting needs assessments of microfinance clients and analysis of results. Proven experience of developing training materials, organization and delivery of trainings for microfinance and banking institutions. Professional experience with financial and social performance data collection and due-diligence of microfinance institutions.
• Proven knowledge of the financial and social performance standards of the microfinance industry.
• Desirable: Experience with living and working on financial inclusion in Africa. Previous experience working with FDPs or migrants in the area of economic inclusion. Professional experience working for a microfinance investment fund or a financial service provider. Experience to support FSPs with improving their social performance management systems.

Functional Skills

• MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation
• MS-Presentation
• CO-Strategic Communication
• CO-Public Speaking
• IT-Computer Literacy
• IT-MS Office Applications;
• (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)