Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Hiring for Cash and Markets Program Development Manager (Financial Inclusion) at Amman, Jordan Full Time

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity, and accountability. These attitudes and beliefs shall guide our actions and relationships.

Background

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organization helping people forced to flee. We work in crises across 35 countries, providing emergencies and long-term assistance to millions of people every year. We stand up for people forced to flee, advocating their rights.

Since 2012, NRC Jordan provides shelter, education, youth activities and livelihood opportunities to Syrian refugees in camps and host communities. NRC Jordan also strives to use cash as a modality of assistance wherever feasible, relevant, and appropriate, as well as increasingly commits to applying systems-thinking and market-based approaches in the development of its programming. In particular, our livelihoods team enables youth and adults to access jobs through the demand-driven “Transition to Employment” process, which includes the screening of employers and job seekers, skills-for-work training, mentoring, and partnership with the private sector. They provide cash to support entry into the labor market and the transition to employment as well as cash-for-work opportunities for economically vulnerable refugees and Jordanians.

Increasingly, NRC Jordan recognizes the criticality of access to and use of affordable and appropriate financial products and services to mitigate the adverse impact of humanitarian crises on people affected by displacement. Financial inclusion is a foundation to ensure people affected by displacement are included in economic activities that ultimately lead to self-reliance. Without a protected way to save and receive money, people affected by displacement have few options to make transactions and payments and access loans or credit, let alone buy insurance or other more advanced financial products. As a consequence, they struggle to meet their basic needs, become self-reliant, and build a stable life for themselves and their families.

Job Purpose

NRC Jordan is seeking a Cash and Markets Program Development Manager (PDM) that specializes in financial inclusion programming for a period of 6 months (short term contract) that will help provide the strategic and technical input needed to develop financial inclusion program models – including components of digital finance-for the country program, including specific solutions that are relevant and appropriate for residents of refugee camps.

The PDM will focus on;

• Initiating work streams in developing financial literacy as a core activity;
• Leading proposal development and piloting of new cash and markets-related activities;
• Providing technical oversight on the rollout of e-wallets in camps and in host communities;
• Taking forward recommendations for programming and policy based on research of camp economies and markets.

In addition, the PDM will also provide core capacity-building to the Livelihoods Specialist team, program management, and operations staff as needed, on financial products and services, formal and informal financial markets and the use of alternative finance in support of displaced populations.

What you will do

• Lead proposal development for financial inclusion program components and manage funding proposals, project budgets, and donor reports.
• Coordinate and manage project implementation (activities, budget, and project documentation) in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements
• Develop a financial inclusion roadmap for the country program, including a 3-year action plan as well as specific recommendations outlining the financial, technical, and human resources needed for operationalization.
• Develop both supply-focused and demand-focused intervention models for financial inclusion programming that support the Jordan Livelihood 2022-2025 Strategy.
• Develop technical standard operating procedures (SOPs)/guidelines for cash and markets program components in line with NRC’s Livelihoods Theories of Change and Macro Logframes.
• Develop action plan for implementing programmatic and policy recommendations as a result of research into camp economies and markets.
• Develop financial literacy as a core activity livelihoods activity across core competencies (especially Livelihoods and Youth programs) in camps and host communities as well as provide technical oversight on the rollout of e-wallets in camps and in host communities
• Support research and documentation of lessons learned and success stories on use of financial inclusion programming.
• Overall management of project staff ensuring capacity building of project staff and transfer of key skills on financial markets, systems, actors, products and services.
• Liaise and collaborate with relevant local and national authorities and stakeholders and represent NRC in relevant forums/cluster/working groups, leading on relationship-building efforts with appropriate Government of Jordan entities relevant to the financial inclusion space, for example, the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Jordan, and JOPACC, among others.
• Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy
• Ensure compliance and adherence to NRC regional and country strategies, Head Office strategic priorities, policies, core competencies tools, handbooks, and guidelines.

Professional competencies, Skills and Qualifications required;

• Advanced degree in Finance, Social Science, Economics, Business, or other relevant field.
• Documented technical competences related to the position’s responsibilities, with a minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in a similar role.
• Solid expertise in designing, implementing, and managing financial inclusion interventions throughout the project cycle, especially in conflict/refugee/IDP/displacement and protracted crisis contexts
• Experience developing innovative approaches within an organization and with using cash and markets across technical teams, as well as coaching and capacity building.
• Demonstrated ability to write high-quality strategic and technical documents.
• Demonstrated ability in thinking strategically and innovatively, developing strategic guidance, and improving the quality of projects.
• Previous experience in business development and/or local partnership building will be advantageous.
• Previous experience working in a complex humanitarian context within the Middle East region and additional documented experience as technical specialist or program manager related to NRC’s Core Competencies/sectors will be advantageous.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal. Arabic will be advantageous.

Behavioral competencies

• Planning and delivering results
• Working with people
• Communicating with clarity, impact and respect
• Analytical and strategic thinking
• Empowering others/enabling others to deliver

What We Offer

NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and physical ability.

We offer an opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause and a chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply and join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility: At NRC we think outside the box. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take initiative.

We are also looking for people who share our values:

• To be dedicated in what we do;
• To be innovative with our solutions;
• To act as one unified and inclusive team;
• To be accountable to the donors that make our work possible; the people we exist to serve, and to each other… the members of our NRC family.

Additional Information:

Duty Station: Amman, Jordan

Duration of contract: 6 months short term contract, full-time, in accordance with local labour laws.

Grade 9 in NRC’s grading structure

Travel: Upto 50% domestic, within Jordan

Reporting line: Head of Programmes

We invite applications from all qualified and interested candidates. Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications may be screened prior to the vacancy deadline.

Please note to attach your academic and professional certificates in your application.

For further details you can view a copy of the full job description here.

Intertsed candidates please apply through:

Cash and Markets Program Development Manager (Financial Inclusion) – Jordan – 6 months Short term contract – NRC and NORCAP Careers Careers (oraclecloud.com)