The Senior Advisor- Financial Inclusion reports directly to the Program Quality and Learning Coordinator. S/he will serve as country office technical lead of the financial inclusion and economic strengthening efforts towards quality design and implementation of CARE’s programs that ensure women empowerment and gender equality. The position holder will coordinate financial inclusion and economic strengthening related tasks within the CO. S/he will be instrumental in ensuring CARE Ethiopia’s impact at scale strategy is achieved with a vibrant partnership building and acc. The position holder will be a key personnel and leads CARE’s financial inclusion and economic strengthening initiative. The advisor leads/conducts capacity building efforts on strategic partnership at county office level. S/he will oversight any kinds of formative research on social financial inclusion and economic strengthening at county office level. The senior advisor will oversee the integration of financial inclusion and economic strengthening in CARE and among partners, advice monitoring, and evaluation and learning events. The advisor will also serve as the main point of contact for all the country office for financial inclusion and economic strengthening communications internally and at the global level to ensure CARE Ethiopia is fully represented.  

The senior advisor is one major strategy to ensure women’s access to and control over economic resources. The CARE economic empowerment model is based on VSLA as a means to not only provide access to valuable financial services, but to provide a pathway for formal financial inclusion. VSLAs build the financial skills and assets of households by providing access to a safe, convenient place to save as well as small timely loans. VSLAs provide members with practical financial experience that they can leverage to successfully engage with formal financial service providers (FSPs). Equipped with financial literacy to ensure that members understand the way that formal financial markets work, pilots linking VSLA which have resulted in increased financial access for VSLA members and high loan repayment rates for FSPs.

Job Responsibility 

Job Responsibility #1: Analysis, Strategy, Reporting and Design (time: 40%)                

• Participates in projects detailed implementation plans (DIP) and annual reviews, to ensure alignment with CO financial inclusion and women economic empowerment.
• Develops financial inclusion strategy of the CO in collaboration with other project staff;
• Develops indicators to measure results in the areas of financial inclusion;
• Technical supports partner of the consortium in developing or operationalizing a strategic partnership.
• Ensure that the financial inclusion analysis results inform the project design and implementation
• Develops & periodically updates country office strategies on financial inclusion & economic strengthening
• Participates in projects detailed implementation plans (DIP), at the start-up and annual reviews, to ensure integration of financial inclusion and utilization of proper tools and to ensure and assess project responsiveness to gender equality and women’s voice;
• Lead offer of technical support to CARE Ethiopia, government and financial institution staff on financial inclusion of Ethiopia’s population- resource poor and not reached by banks;
• In collaboration with the country office staff (to promote their own capacity building, ownership and sustainability), define and implement a technical assistance strategy guided by CARE’s Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Financial Inclusion strategies to support the country office in implementing large[1]scale VSLA and financial inclusion programs;
• Lead sharing of knowledge on CVA (cash and voucher assistance) & device strategies to implement CVA initiatives
• Work closely with relevant project’s team, Access Africa and Program Managers to develop a DO NO HARM strategy for linking the resource poor to formal financial institutions and ensure adherence to VSLA, linkage, and gender equality principles and financial inclusion strategies;
• Up hold the standardization of the VSLA methodology in all the VSLA projects through consistent and effective application and usage of VSLA specific systems and processes e.g. related to tools, communication, partnerships, training, institutional capacity building etc.
• Supporting project/program teams to develop & implement projects/program quality improvement plans when required;    

Job Responsibility #2 Capacity Building and Technical Assistance for staffs and partners (time: 35%)

• Supports and coordinates CO access to relevant technical assistance
• Lead the operationalization of the VSLA CO strategy at project/program and support the implementation;
• Establishes staff and key partner induction and ongoing training processes on CARE Ethiopia’s financial inclusion framework; 
• Conducts capacity assessment and based on the results, prepares plans and advises project delivery unit on key learning competency and skill requirements in staff and partners;
• Leads the development and facilitation of trainings for partners and staff development on partnership and accountability specific initiatives;
• Guide and support the country offices on developing and implementing strategies to engage youth in VSLA programming; lobbying/engaging the government and financial institutions in developing pro-youth products to accelerate linkage of adolescent girls and youth to formal financial institutions.
• Continuously updates staff and partners on emerging issues to enhance and sustain conceptual clarity and awareness of partners and others’ best practices;
• Identify and develop critical partnerships to support the activities above, including supporting the country office team in developing and managing successful partnerships.
• Designs and leads financial inclusion, VSLA/VESA surveys, analyze results and write reports;
• Documents and shares lessons/results of financial inclusion and economic strengthening;
• Identify critical skills/capacity gaps in the CO teams to develop strategies to build these skills.
• Sets up system to monitor CARE’s partnership performance/achievements & ensure consistent actions
• Facilitates orientation sessions to partners to comply to donors and CARE policies and procedures
• Arranges experience sharing forums 
• Organizes periodic refresher trainings on financial inclusion

Job Responsibility #3: Learning, Policy Implementation, and Networking (time: 20%)

• Ensuring all projects/program staff and partners are conversant with basic concepts and requirements of VSLA and CARE Ethiopia Financial Inclusion strategy through ongoing identification of gaps, training and capacity building of staff and partners in these areas;
• Develop a localized version of the VSLA training manual for application across all projects;
• Apply standard set of CARE Ethiopia VSLA training materials including TOT guide and CF guide. Draw on localized version.
• Pro-actively engage with other organizations working in similar domains in order to learn from others and exchange experiences, lessons and good practices with them.      
• Reorient CARE Ethiopia’s Financial Inclusion Strategy towards market led financial linkage mechanisms and in the interim introduce sustainability conditions for LGF and multiple of lending conditions as part of contract with FSP.      
• In line with the financial inclusion strategy, provide technical support to facilitate linkages between VSLA groups, financial service providers (FSPs), and mobile network service providers (MNOs). -      
• Support linkage needs assessments & assessments of financial institutions & financial sector of the country.     
• Establishing and developing close working relationships with strategic partners such as FSPs, and MNOs; drawing up MOUs as appropriate
• Keeps up to date with developments in financial inclusion including best practice in-country, regionally and globally, and ensure ongoing personal development and learning;
• Support the use of project/programs learning into evidence-based policy influence; 
• Identifies, establishes & maintains productive relationships with like-minded non-government organizations;
• Together with other PQL Advisors, lead the effort to measure the impact and document lessons learned and best practices
• Handles correspondence with CARE Regional Management Unit and CARE International in relation to financial inclusion and women economic empowerment.
• Establishes and maintains formal and informal communication mechanisms with government
• Participates in the documentation & dissemination of lessons learnt related to partnership practices

Job Responsibility #4: Representation and Others (time: 5%)

• Participates in different partnership related task forces and working groups within CARE, at national and International level and others as needed;
• Represent CARE professionally when delegated/authorized;
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Represents CARE in partnership forums
• Organizes and participates in cross-visits within CARE and with other organizations
• S/he will be responsible to develop appropriate skill shifts required of field staff and other staff as we move from being a direct implementation organization to a partnership/facilitation organization
• The person could be given with new tasks as are needed and is expected to execute to meet expectations as any employee of the organization.

 PROBLEM SOLVING (Thinking Environment)

The reason for this senior position is to ensure CARE’s strategic partnership and accountability is in place. The incumbent must use interpersonal skills to choose the right strategy to address a given problem and also has to deal with variable solutions, which need analysis, problem definition and development of alternative solutions. This position requires innovative thinking and the ability to network and communicate broadly and strategically.

 GENDER EQUALITY

• Understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender, youth and social inclusion issues.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and PSEAH (safeguarding), as evidenced in previous positions / programming

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS (KNOW HOW)

 EDUCATION/TRAINING

Required:

Bachelor's Degree in Financial management, Rural Development, applied economics and other related.

Desired:

Master's Degree in Applied Economics, Developmental Studies and professional training in partnership or related fields.

 EXPERIENCE

Required: 6 years’ relevant experience with post graduate degree and 7 years of experience for BSC/A degree holders in Developmental related areas, conversant with adult learning and training of trainers, methodologies, practical experience in women and livelihoods programming.

Desired: 

• NGO experience in similar roles
• Experience working with diverse partners
• Research and development
• Policy advocacy

 TECHNICAL SKILLS

Required:

• Excellent planning, organizational, analytical and decision making skills
• Demonstrated excellent networking and negotiation skills
• Excellent and proven experience in strategic planning and ability to effectively articulate strategy to internally and external stakeholders;
• Good skills in the use of computers
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Proactive, initiative taker who builds partnerships and relationships within and outside of CARE
• Excellent demonstrated analytical skills in the field capacity building and partnership, understanding of different stakeholders, and a progressive perspective and ability to articulate image that reflect CARE’s efforts as a champion of the poor, marginalized and promoter of social justice and gender equality
• Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, sensitivity to HIV/AIDS, transparent and participatory management

Desired:

• Demonstrated technical and managerial ability, sound judgment, and ability to interact and work effectively with others at all levels.
• Having worked in a similar role in the last not less than for 5 years.

 COMPETENCIES

• Respect, integrity, diversity, excellence, adaptability, stress tolerance, coaching, initiating action, communicating with impact, innovation, planning and organizing, building partnership and commitment, facilitating change, adaptability, and contributing to team success

VI. WORKING CONDITIONS AND LEVEL OF TRAVEL REQUIRED. 

This position is located in Addis Ababa, with up to 30-40 % field travel

How to Apply

CARE Ethiopia is committed to preventing all unwanted behavior at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework. CARE Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives or partners.

CARE Ethiopia reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE Ethiopia requesting the information specified above. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. 

If you are interested to be part of our dynamic team, exciting work environment and contribute to CARE Ethiopia’s mission and vision, please send your CV (not more than 3 pages) and cover letter (not more than one page) through Ethio Jobs 

Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Passionate and dedicated candidates who meet the requirement are strongly encouraged to apply, especially women! CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.