Georgia_Moldova_Ukraine Eastern Neighbourhood Microfinance TA Programme

The overall objective of this TA operation is to promote responsible financial inclusion of lower income populations in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova so as to support economic growth, reduce poverty, and encourage entrepreneurship across the region. A further objective is for the EIB to provide support to its selected Financial Institutions to deploy the EIB’s funding in an efficient, responsible and sustainable manner, in accordance with the Bank’s standards and requirements.

The purposes of this technical assistance operation are as follows:

a) To provide Final Beneficiaries in rural locations in Ukraine with access to quality responsible financial services to fund their income generating activities, particularly in the agricultural sector;

b) To improve the reputation and trust levels of Financial Institutions, particularly in Ukraine and Moldova, through the implementation of transparent best practices and social performance management;

c) To contribute towards unemployment reduction by offering populations in the Eastern Neighbourhood improved access to a diverse and responsible range of financial and non-financial products aimed at encouraging income generation;

d) To enhance the Financial Institutions’ compliance to national banking and/or microfinance regulation and international standards;

e) To safeguard the EIB’s reputation and investments by ensuring that Financial Institutions have sound credit risk management procedures in place and serve a growing number of creditworthy clients;

f) To improve loan processing and deployment efficiency and facilitate the contractual relationship between the Financial Institutions and the EIB;

g) To increase the flow of external investment coming into the region thanks to improved banking transparency and reporting practices;

Qualifications: 

KE1 shall combine two roles, that of Team Leader and senior microfinance specialist. They shall be responsible for the delivery of all services and deliverables under this TA operation contract. KE1 will be involved in the activities foreseen under the TA operation and he/she will supervise and coordinate the team mobilised for the production of deliverables under the three Components, ensure quality management and timely corrective action as required.

In addition, KE1 will be a senior microfinance specialist responsible for the implementation of the TA operation in Ukraine. They will likely be based in Kiev and will work as a consultant-coach to assess the market and identify the optimal TA structure to improve financial inclusion, notably in rural areas, for those excluded from financial services in the country. They will work to diagnose needs of Financial Institutions in terms of serving low income, rural populations, draft TORs to mobilise short-term experts and quality control their deliverables.

Qualification and Skills

  • University degree, preferably in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Banking, or related field or equivalent professional experience;
  • Excellent writing, presentation and communication skills;
  • Fluency in spoken and written English and Ukrainian. Russian would be considered an alternative to Ukrainian;
  • Computer literate.

General professional Experience

  • KE1 should have an in depth knowledge of microfinance and/or banking sector, as evidenced by minimum 10 years professional experience (either working for a TA or financial services provider) ;
  • Relevant important experience in MSMEs lending activities;
  • Practical experience and proven track record in organising and delivering professional bank and microfinance training/coaching programmes;
  • Experience of agricultural based lending to MSMEs would be an advantage;
  • Previous experience with EIB financing programmes would be particularly appreciated;
  • Previous experience of assisting financial institutions to improve their social performance and knowledge of the USSPM.

Specific professional Experience

  • At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in one of the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood (preferably Ukraine);
  • Similar experience of working in a senior expert/management position on IFI/donor financed TA operation projects in the past 5 years;
  • Good management skills as evidenced by at least 5 years in a senior management role;
  • At least 5 years practical experience and proven track record in managing the provision of successful capacity building activities to FIs such as microfinance institutions, credit unions or banks, including: conducting needs assessments and analysis of results, development of subsequent training and coaching plans, development of curricula and training materials, organisation and delivery of trainings;
  • Extensive experience in supporting downscaling activities of commercial banks to reach lower income segments / MSME financing (participation in at least 2 full downscaling projects);
  • At least 3 years of experience in product diversification for inclusive finance institutions including the development and roll out of non-financial services for clients.
Start / Duration: 

The intended commencement date is October 2018 and the period of implementation of the contract will be 36 months from this date.

Please send your most recent CV to: Barbara.Braun [at] afci.de