Mercy Corps recherche un Consultant – Assistance technique aux prestataires de services financiers – Kampala, Ouganda.
Theme: Curriculum Development and Institutional Staff Training on Refugee Finance.
The overall objective of the assignment is to increase knowledge of FSP staff about the unique needs of refugees, eliminate perceptual biases and stereotypes about their needs and offerings, and strengthen the capacities of staff to serve them operationally. Two partner financial institutions will receive this support over a period of five months and are likely to be supported serially. For both institutions, the support will comprise two major phases:
- Curriculum Development
- Institutionalization
Curriculum Development Phase (6 weeks):
The consultant will develop a comprehensive curriculum that addresses key knowledge and skills gaps that prevent both frontline and back-office staff of FSPs from effectively serving refugee and host populations. The thematic focus of the curriculum for the first institution will feature key gaps such as:
- Perceptual biases about refugee financial attitudes and risk profiles,
- Gaps around refugee psychosocial needs and how to close them.
- Knowledge gaps on appropriately segmenting refugee groups and tailoring marketing materials and collateral requirements to their nuanced needs,
- Skills gaps in loan portfolio and recovery management
- Understanding of the social aspects embedded in credit processes such as consumer protection for vulnerable groups.
- Gaps on effectively leveraging key partnerships such as Refugee Led Organizations, agricultural partners, as well as partners in trade and commerce to target and promote financial products and services.
The second institution will be the recipient of a comprehensive curriculum that addresses key knowledge and skills gaps in refugee loan portfolio management, credit and recovery management, and the tailoring of an existing financial product to refugee groups such as smallholder farmers. The thematic focus of the curriculum will comprise the following:
- Administration of refugee loan procedures, loan portfolio monitoring and arrears prevention • Supervision and control aspects including cash flow management, cross checking client data and prioritization of refugee loan requests.
- Credit and recovery management skills for lending staff (including loan appraisal techniques, write offs)
- Effective client management principles and techniques such as customer care or response times and stakeholder management
- Social aspects embedded in credit processes such as consumer protection for vulnerable groups. • Segmentation and marketing of existing financial products to the needs of agricultural actors in the refugee context, particularly small holder farmers
The above-mentioned themes are exhaustive but the consultant will be responsible for further clarifying specific support areas with both financial institutions and the ReFine team during the inception period. However, the actual development of the curriculum’s content will commence only after tacit approval from the management of both financial institutions. The comprehensive curriculum should target both senior management and functional staff of the client FSPs and should include learning aids and props to ensure maximum comprehension. Following development of the curriculum, the consultant will share the draft with the client FSPs for feedback and adjustment.
Institutionalization Phase (4 weeks):
This phase will be identical for both institutions and will follow the ratification of the draft training curriculum and tools. It will involve the rapid development of a trainer of trainers (ToT) curriculum, the execution of a ToT programme for key headquarters and branch staff of the client FSPs, and a review phase to evaluate feedback from the trainees on how to adjust the ToT curriculum and exercise to aid understanding and engagement from the ultimate recipients of the curriculum. The capstone activity for this phase will include the development of an institutionalization strategy for rollout across each FSP client’s network of refugee serving branches.
Key Deliverables:
- Inception report highlighting the scope of work and deliverables.
- Draft institutional curriculum tailored to the needs of the FSP client.
- Trainer of trainer’s curriculum and workplan
- Teaching and learning aids and materials
- Institutionalization strategy for rollout within the FSP client
- End of project report detailing all activities conducted, learnings and recommendations for the institutionalization of the training.
Required Skills, Education and Experience:
- A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the Behavioral Sciences or another related field is required. A Masters Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Financial Services, Economics or related subjects would be an added advantage.
- Human Centered Design training.
- At least three years’ experience in applying Human Centered Design to develop and deliver training content is required.
- Solid experience in working with forcibly displaced persons within the financial, social or humanitarian contexts is required. Experience in working with refugee youth, including savings groups, will be an added advantage.
- At least three years’ experience in developing financial education curricula / programs preferably for financial institutions or corporate entities.
- At least 4 years of experience in banking and microfinance
- At least three years’ experience in agricultural finance or in marketing or adapting financial products to the needs of smallholder farmers and agricultural value chain actors
- Experience in providing similar technical assistance and coaching in micro-lending methodologies to staff of financial institutions.
- Experience in training master trainers
- Experience packaging knowledge products in innovative ways
- Current / previous experience in East Africa, preferred.
Timeline, total number of working days, duty station:
- Duration: Five months in total for the two financial institution clients, expected to be from mid-June through mid-October 2023.
- Expected number of consultant-working days for both assignments: 60 days
- Location(s): Kampala.