Role Title: Economic Recovery Assistant – Financial Inclusion, DRC

The overall purpose of the role: 
The overall responsibility of the Economic Recovery Assistant  – Financial Inclusion is to support the Economic Recovery Officer to provide sound technical expertise to a financial inclusion project funded by SIDA and led by DRC in partnership with Pangea Trust, a Sharia finance partner, a digital partner, FSD (Financial Sector Deepening Kenya), and Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB). The role will technically report to Economic Recovery Officer under the overall management of a financial inclusion Project Manager and support the day-to-day implementation of the economic recovery related activities in the project. In addition, he/she will undertake other duties as assigned by the Project Manager in a matrix management arrangement with the Urban Area Manager to ensure the project expectations are met.

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

Languages:

• English
• Swahili
• Any of the relevant languages spoken by the beneficiaries is an added advantage

DRC’s Core competencies: 
All DRC roles require the post-holder to demonstrate and master the below DRC’s core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: you focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: you involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: you take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: you Uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Conditions: 
Contract duration:  1 year (Renewable), subject to performance and funding
Employment category: Band I2, with an annual salary range of KES 1,042860 – KES 1,149,756. Salary and conditions will be in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council terms of employment for National staff.
Reporting to: Economic Recovery Officer
Availability: October 2022
Duty station: Eastleigh
Key stakeholders:   
Internal: Programme Management Unit, M&E staff, implementing field teams, senior management team and support service team.
External: Technical Working Group(s), urban refugees and host communities, Local and National Government Authorities, relevant NGOs/CBOs and humanitarian agencies including DRC partners and donors as appropriate.

General
Commitments: 
DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html)

Application Process:
Qualified candidates are invited to submit their applications, which should include a 1-page cover letter clearly stating their motivation, and qualifications and a CV. Applications should include contact details of three professional referees who have supervised the candidate in the last five years. One referee must be the applicant’s most recent manager. Only applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered.
We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on https://drc.ngo/about-us/careers/vacancies/. Applications should be sent no later than: 16th  September 2022.

Gender Equality: 
DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels.  In light of this, female candidates and those from minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.