Cash and Financial Inclusion Senior Officer - Re:Build

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power.

The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998 supporting refugees, vulnerable host communities and various institutions in the country notably the government, community-based organizations, civil society, and the private sector. Currently, the IRC in Uganda has a presence across five sub-regions and six refugee settlements, implementing programming in the sectors of health, protection, and rule of law (PRoL), women’s protection and empowerment (WPE), economic recovery and development (ERD), and education. IRC Uganda also implements cross-cutting programming focused on systems strengthening and accountability to affected persons. The IRC has a country office in Kampala and field offices in Imvepi, Kyegegwa, Lamwo, Moroto and Yumbe, as well as an urban office in Nsambya within Kampala.

Program Background The IRC is implementing the Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development (Re:Build ) program funded by IKEA Foundation. The 5-year project is being implemented in Kampala and Nairobi and it’s entering its third year of implementation in 2023. The IRC is the Lead Partner and coordinates a consortium of local and international partners to deliver the program. RE:BUILD seeks to achieve economic self-reliance and benefit from strengthened urban economic, regulatory, and social environments for urban refugees and vulnerable host residents. Re:Build aims to enable change at varying levels, from better access to livelihoods opportunities and inclusive services within communities to improved refugee-related policies and more targeted and effective service delivery from national, regional, and global actors.

Scope of Work: The IRC is seeking for a Cash and Financial Inclusion Senior Officer, based in Kampala, Uganda for the Re:Build Program . The Cash and Financial Inclusion Senior Officer will work closely with Re:Build program staff and directly under the guidance of the Program Manager. The Cash and Financial Inclusion Senior Officer will ensure technical soundness and coherence of financial inclusion and cash activities within the Re:Build Strategy, donor regulations and government priorities as appropriate. They will coordinate all financial inclusion and cash activities and contribute to the design and implementation of cash-based interventions in the IRC urban program and other areas of IRC operation. The Senior Officer shall carry out cash activities including, protection mainstreaming in cash, developing a sound programmatic approach to cash transfers, review other workstreams that give out cash (such as transportation, child care etc), organize and manage cash transfers, handle cash transfer issues between IRC and beneficiaries, conduct market assessments, post distribution monitoring, market price monitoring, handling complaints related to cash programming and providing relevant feedback to clients. He/she will also be responsible for the implementation of financial inclusion interventions and bank linkage activities as well as liaising with other project teams for support. He/ she will further provide support to Re:Build partners giving technical guidance for their activities around Urban Savings and Loans Associations.

Duties And Responsibilities: Cash Transfers: •Conduct cash transfer feasibility and market assessments. •Oversee the identification, registration, and verification of cash transfer beneficiaries. •Support in cash transfer baseline and post distribution monitoring surveys with support from the monitoring and evaluation team. •Support protection mainstreaming in our cash interventions •Provide guidance and ensure coordination of cash transfers under Re: Build program with a more dedicated effort to RCT cash transfers. •Ensure all cash transfer activities are implemented in accordance with IRC and donor requirements. •Assess appropriateness of the cash transfer modalities and processes and ensure accountability and transparency in the CBI processes. •Assist in reviewing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), to identify and document impacts on underlying processes, systems, people, and the organizational structure. •Provide hands-on guidance in the engagement with bank agents, CBT PoCs, and the service providers. •Visit target communities on regular basis to get their perceptions and experience to assist in planning and development of relevant community-oriented and sustainable programs. •Facilitate the identification designing and implementing of appropriate training needs for both refugees and host communities identified for our interventions. •Participate and contribute to regular coordination meetings such as the CWGs and others.

Financial Inclusion: •Train Community Based Facilitators (CBFs) on financial inclusion, market development and linkage between different market players and will continuously support the CBFs to meet the project deliverables which includes training, building confidence of beneficiaries, identifying, planning, and managing household income generation activities and relevant technical skill development, among others. •Coordinate and oversee the results Based Facility -Loan Guarantee Fund workstream being piloted with selected financial institutions and offer technical support. •Support Re:Build partners in the implementation of USLA implementation and digitalization by offering technical oversight in liaison with the partners’ USLA focal points. •Support USLA groups in financial literacy and other related trainings. •Support in monitoring the performance of new and existing USLA groups and their digitalization. •Support partners on the linkage of USLA groups to the formal financial sector in accordance with IRC’s guidelines on financial linkages. •Identify and develop partnerships with relevant financial institutions, private sector, local youth-focused initiatives, to support the roll out and delivery of CBI component of the project. •Participate in preparing workplans and progress reports (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and quarterly) for the cash and financial inclusion workstream. •Any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

•University degree in Business Studies, Economics, Management, Development Studies, Agriculture, Food Security, or related discipline. •3 years of experience in cash-based transfer programming including business grants, e-voucher, mobile cash, and cash for work. •Experience of training and supporting VSLA groups required. •Practical experience in working with mobile network operators and other mobile financial services such as Agent Banking and/or Mobile Money is required. •Experience working with urban reefugee context is desirable. •Experience in social protection mainstreaming desirable •Experience in Loan Guarantee Model and other loan portfolio for refugees is a plus •Experience of working as or with Community Based Trainers a plus •Proficient in MS Office packages and other relevant applications •Fluency in both oral and written communication in English. Local languages/dialects are a plus.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and several others.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity: We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.