Digital Financial Inclusion Advisor

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.

Job Title: Digital Payment Specialist Consultant

Type of Contract: Consultant level II

Division: CBT / Cash-Based Transfers Division

Duty Station (City, Country): Rome HQ, Italy

Duration: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The rapid advance of digital technology brings new opportunities for countries to accelerate economic growth and for people to connect with services and jobs. Evidence shows that connectivity combined with well-designed and promoted digital solutions and affordable access to the internet open the door for people to access financial products and services and to enter the digital economy. But digital development is not happening evenly. According to the most recently released Findex 2021 data, 742 million women still remain excluded from formal financial systems. Globally, 2.7 billion people—almost half of the world’s population—are still offline and at the end of 2021, close to half (43%) of the world's population were not using mobile data, even when they are living in areas where connectivity is available. Those most frequently left out are the poorest, least educated, persons with disabilities, and those uprooted by crisis. And the majority of these, are women.

Initiated thanks to the support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in 2020, the work to enable DFI and WEE” through cash transfers has become a corporate priority reflected in our normative work, including the upcoming cash policy. WFP envisioned to support 10 million women through their own financial accounts. In parallel, WFP is also currently defining a “Choice Model” to give the women and men we serve greater control and choice in where to receive payments, if to switch among accounts, and where to withdraw and transact from. This means engaging with an increasing number of Digital Financial Services providers and new Fintech business models. Besides, WFP is increasingly supporting governments to build inclusive Government-to-Person (G2P) payment systems.

WFP is therefore seeking to recruit a Digital Financial Inclusion (DFI) Advisor, with strong private sector expertise, to support the policy and design work around these overarching themes of WFP cash policy. The DFI advisor will support WFP in capitalizing on Fintech and digital financial technologies to promote Women’s Economic Empowerment and accelerate Digital Financial Inclusion, to put people at the center of everything we do, to give people flexibility and choice when they need it, and to support governments to build inclusive Government-to-Person (G2P) payment systems. S/he will monitor Fintech evidence base and accompany Regional Bureaus (RBs) and Country Offices (COs) to harness the power of Fintech and digital financial services to help people in crisis survive and thrive.

The Advisor will work under supervision of the WFP’s Her Money, Her account Team lead within the Policy and Design unit in the Cash-Based Transfer (CBT) Division, in close collaboration with other teams, including within CBT Policy & Design Unit (Choice & FSP contracting, UX Design, G2P, ID & data team), the CBT Delivery & Engagement Units, INKA, PRO-C Climate Risk Finance etc. S/he will work with WFP employees, partners and financial service providers in selected operations. S/he will be home-based and will be required to travel to WFP countries of operations.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Global-level action:

1. The Digital Financial Inclusion Advisor will support the implementation of elements of the upcoming CBT Cash Policy related to accelerating Digital Financial Inclusion of women and men. S/he will be the go-to person for knowledge related to DFI and input in related research or normative documents.
2. S/he will provide technical advice on DFI & WEE through CBTs and G2P and accompany RBs and COs when they require support. She will create and share practical guidance and best practices related to DFI
3. S/he will coach and upskill colleagues on DFI matters, develop a Light DFI starter pack and guidance to support new COs starting on their DFI journey. S/he will advise the Engagement Bubble on DFI content formulation for workshop/training of national staff.
4. S/he will consolidate lessons from the implementation of the BMGF investment to build on the body of evidence on how to effectively digitize, design and implement women-centered digital financial inclusion interventions as a part of cash-based transfers and G2P. S/he will support WFP’s Global DFI Learning Agenda to increase understanding of cash transfers programs as a way to address barriers that disproportionately impact women such as limited access to ID and phones, physical distance to branches, gendered social norms, hindering regulations etc. S/he will ensure WFP is up-to-speed on DFI-related ‘hot topics’, such as financial health, digital payments in fragile contexts, climate finance and other areas to be discussed.
5. S/he will provide DFI technical expertise to adapt WFP's internal systems, including data systems tracking CBT operations (COMET), systems and tools used for Financial Service Providers procurement etc.
6. S/he will lead the establishment or strengthen partnerships with leading advocates of DFI/WEE to support global, regional, and country level actions, and position WFP as a thought-leader during major DFI/Fintech events.
7. S/he will contribute to WFP’s shift to a more user- and community-centered approach to implementing CBT through digital financial inclusion with a strong focus on women.

Regional and Country-level action:

The Digital Financial Inclusion Advisor will support some RBs and COs implement the DFI/WEE objectives of the cash policy. S/he will support RBs and or COs to:

1. Conduct scoping analyses to inform action-oriented, context-relevant DFI interventions, by:

1. 1. On the demand-side: Supporting COs and RBs’ capacity to conduct participatory qualitative analyses, including focus group discussions, key informant interviews and user journey mapping, to better understand preferences and experiences of women (and men) for digital financial products, services and delivery channels. Help COs navigate through existing quantitative demand-side surveys (FINDEX, GSMA).
   2. On the Supply-Side: Supporting COs’ and RBs’ to map relevant Digital Financial Services providers including Fintechs to build a strong business case relevant to their markets, to incentivize private sector consider the women WFP serve as a valid client base, for which they should have specific digital financial products and services.
   3. On the enabling environment-side: Supporting COs’ and RBs’ capacity to build an understanding of the national and regional laws and regulations that enable and/or impede women’s ability to access and use digital financial services as and build advocacy strategy to make changes, where needed.

1. Understanding possible entry points for DFI/WEE within existing programmes and incorporate DFI in regional strategies and Country Strategic Plans (CSP)

1. Design, review and implement interventions to accelerate DFI/WEE, such as:

1. 1. Connecting with public and private sector partners aimed at increasing mobile phone ownership for women at lower cost, or accelerating women’s access to formal ID.
   2. Designing digital financial capabilities strengthening programs for women to increase their confidence and understanding of digital financial products and services.
   3. Identifying and digitizing channels that are used by women such as savings groups, to increase women’s access and usage of digital financial products and services.
   4. Increase the number of women working as mobile banking and mobile money agents, to increase women’s income generation opportunities and encourage women in those communities to use financial services.
   5. Identify, train and manage community champions (men, women and youth) to address the social norms barriers and change belief that impede women from using digital financial services.
   6. Advise governments on the design of their Management Information Systems (MIS) and the integration of sex-disaggregated data to inform gender-smart policymaking.

1. Adjust systems to track DFI/WEE progress, by monitoring relevant M&E indicators (PDM or ad hoc surveys), to summarize learnings from the field and continuously inform COs programming.

1. Exploring new partnership opportunities, with the private, public sector and donors, to elevate WFP’s thought leadership and advocacy profile on DFI matters in their country, for instance by: joining discussions with regulators, Financial Services Providers, Identification Offices and Social Protection Ministries, or by organizing capacity strengthening workshops with governments on DFI-WEE matters.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

Global-level deliverables

1. The implementation of the CBT Cash Policy includes support on DFI including possible collaboration with relevant Fintechs.
2. A DFI/WEE Menu of Options is updated with latest learning and related technical support provided as needed to COs and RBs.
3. COs/RBs are supported when recruiting or training local DFI Focal Points. A ‘Light DFI Starter Pack’ developed and shared with the CBT Engagement Unit.
4. Blogs, reports or podcasts capturing lessons learnt as part of the BMGF investment and other COs integrating DFI/WEE into their programs. Learning and best practices are shared across multiple platforms internally and outside WFP, comforting WFP’s thought leadership in digital financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment.
5. Technical guidance is provided as part of the new COMET and as part of the Choice Model definition.
6. The DFI Partnership strategy is updated to reflect evolution of the Fintech industry
7. COs are supported when conducting User-journey workshops and UX-design research to inform decision-making and ensure CBT programmes are more conducive to DFI & WEE.

Regional and Country-level deliverables

1. Technical advise is provided to RBs/COs when conducting demand-, supply and regulatory-side analyses to scope DFI opportunities and barriers and inform locally relevant actions. Tools and guidance enable COs to independently collect and analyze information through user-journeys, focus group discussions or surveys.
2. Input is provided in the development of strategies and priorities at regional and country levels- including where relevant, in regional strategies and country strategic plans to ensure effective inclusion and integration of DFI as a pathway towards women’s economic empowerment.
3. Support is provided to RBs/COs when defining interventions to ensure CBT operations – and Government (G2P) responses supported by WFP – are increasingly designed with a gender transformative lens and integrate DFI and WEE.
4. Support is provided to RBs and COs to independently track progresses toward DFI & WEE and capture learnings from the ground. Knowledge generation for regional and country level discussions on digital financial inclusion for women’s economic empowerment and the unique role provided by cash-based transfer programs in increasing women’s access and usage of digital financial services.
5. Support is provided to RBs and COs to expand partnership opportunities and WFP’s advocacy role in their region/country.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: A postgraduate qualification (at least Masters or equivalent) with specialized education in finance or fintech-related fields.

Experience: 6 to10 years of progressively responsible experience in the fields of digital and financial inclusion, fintech, women’s economic empowerment, digital identity and data analytics, with experience from both the private and development/ humanitarian sectors.

Experience engaging with a diversity of financial services providers – including commercial banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators, and fintech firms – on digital financial inclusion for women and girls and members of (visible or non-visible) socioeconomically discriminated minorities.

Experience working across multiple countries and continents

Experience designing, conducting, and supporting qualitative and quantitative research for digital financial inclusion. Previous publications highly desirable.

Experience in advocacy for digital financial inclusion for underserved groups with NGOs, CSOs, development financial institutions, central banks and other government actors is highly desirable.

Previous experience working in emergency and humanitarian settings and cash-based transfers is an asset.

Languages: English is required. Another WFP language – Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish – is a plus.

Knowledge and Skills:

Deep technical knowledge on Financial Inclusion and Fintechs. External partnership skills. Ability to think both strategically and operationally, with strong attention to details. Ability to challenge status quos. Proactive attitude, with initiative and a sense of accountability. Ability to provide technical advice that is actionable and can be understood by diverse stakeholders. Ability to develop user-friendly guidance. Team player. Excellent interpersonal, communication and facilitation skills (written and oral). Ability to work productively and in an organized fashion.

Terms and Conditions

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.

Deadline for applications: 28 September 2022

Ref.: VA No. 179013

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

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