Financial Services Specialist

Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org

Lutheran World Relief, Nepal in concert with Corus International seeks to recruit a Financial Services Specialist for the USDA funded Food for Progress project designed to address food security through improvements in the aquaculture value chain by (1) incorporating climate smart technologies, (2) improving end market linkages and incomes for farmers, (3) increasing access to finance for farmers to expand trade of agricultural products, and (4) strengthening the public and private sector.

The position will be based at the project office in Simara, Bara District Nepal.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Financial Services Lead, the Financial Services Specialist will provide support on technical design and strategy development to increase investment in medium-sized agribusinesses, smallholder farmers, and the rural poor. S/he will form partnerships with financial service providers including banks, MFIs, and private sector investors to expand the finance and investment opportunities.

S/he will lead on financial literacy and support the Financial Service Lead in making arrangement for financial product development, entering partnerships with financial institutions.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Research and prepare an exhaustive database on the financial services providers in the project area
• Analyze the loan, savings and insurance products offered by the different financial institutions and prepare a comprehensive analysis to facilitate decision making on engaging financial services providers
• Assess the financial requirements of the community and establish a foundation for the team to engage in discussions with financial services providers regarding appropriate products and services
• Research on financial literacy related packages and modules available in the market and investigate the suitability of adopting these modules in the program area
• Modify/translate the financial literacy materials to the local language and prepare training material with the support of training coordinator
• Conduct pilot testing of financial literacy materials in collaboration with the Training Manager
• Document the issues related to collateral, fees, interest changes without notice and provide feedback to Policy and Advocacy Lead to develop advocacy materials and conduct advocacy actions
• Support financial service lead in assessing the financial needs of the primary and secondary processer, transporters, hatteries and fish fry sellers and the retailers and work with the banks and financial institutions to address these gaps
• Prepare documents for signing of MOU with the banks and financial institutions for provisioning of financial services

Education & Experience

The ideal candidate should have a minimum bachelor's degree in finance, Banking, Development Finance, social science or related field with atleast three (3) years relevant experience.

S/he must have strong experience of building access of the farmers and entrepreneurs to financial services, prior working experience with financial institutions on similar initiatives would be an advantage. Prior knowledge and skills in business and financial literacy is needed. S/he should have knowledge of collateral free banking initiatives.

In addition, the candidate should have excellent interpersonal and communication skills with and must be fluent in English and Nepali. Ability to communicate in Bhojpuri and Maithili language will be an asset.

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Last updated on Nov 14, 2023