Finance Expert at Palladium

About the job
The consultants shall conduct a detailed study on current utilization of risk mitigation tools among selected financial institutions and end beneficiaries, barriers limiting the utilization, recommendations and a draft strategic approach to inform increased and sustainable utilization of risk mitigation tools for agricultural lending.

Scope of Work

• The consultants shall complete the following tasks for the assignment:
•  Review literature on utilization of risk mitigation tools in Ghana, identify challenges and success factors. 
•  Conduct risk mitigation tools utilization assessment among the key stakeholders. Develop assessment tools including individual direct interview, key informant interview and focus group discussion guides targeting different key stakeholders such as policy makers, financial institutions, risk mitigation service providers and end beneficiaries. 
•  The consultants shall submit interview guides to MFA for review, comments and finalization prior to implementation.
•  The assessment should help to identify the utilization level, barriers/challenges and opportunities. 
•  Again, the assessment should help to establish which RMTs are best suited for which type of FIs, end beneficiaries and recommend actions to address identified barriers to increase utilization. 
•  Organize agricultural lending risk mitigation roundtables with key stakeholders in northern and southern Ghana in collaboration with MFA team to validate findings of the diagnostic and integrate feedback into the RMT strategic approach for implementation. 
•  Develop a strategic approach to be implemented by the key stakeholders including policy makers, financial institutions and risk mitigation service providers to inform policy and product refinement/modification and expand marketing of products to potential users. 
•  Engage MFA’s transaction advisors to understand RMTs so that they can encourage FI integration of RMTs during loan application process and continue to raise FI awareness of the benefits of the RMTs.

Deliverables

•  Submit an inception report outlining, detailing and confirming consultant understanding of the research objectives, approach and methodology to be employed to achieve the overall objective. 
•  Submit field assessment report documenting key stakeholders engaged and findings including utilization level, barriers/challenges, opportunities and recommendations. 
•  Organize agricultural lending risk mitigation roundtables in northern and southern Ghana with relevant stakeholders 
•  Develop a strategic approach to inform policy and product refinement and marketing of products to potential users. 

Submit assignment completion report 

•  The assignment will be delivered by a team of consultants, including a Team Leader and Risk Mitigation Expert and a Finance Expert. This job announcement is for the Finance Expert position.
•  Degree in actuarial science, economics, finance, insurance, business administration or other relevant discipline; 
•  Minimum of 7 years of financial sector, insurance, credit guarantee and banking experience, particularly those related to MSMEs and agricultural lending, product development, risk analysis and pricing, credit guarantee, credit administration and analysis, loan portfolio management among others; Fluent in English (written and spoken) 
•  Fluent in English (written and spoken)