Refugee Investment Facility Coordinator

DRC Uganda is currently looking for a highly qualified and motivated individual to join our dynamic team as a Refugee Investment Facility Coordinator.

The overall purpose of the role:

The Refugee Investment Facility Coordinator supports the operationalisation of the Refugee Investment Facility (RIF), developed jointly between DRC and iGravity (a Swiss firm specialised in impact investment and innovative finance solutions).  The RIF offers impact-linked and concessionary loans to enterprises directly impacting refugees and host communities across four impact parameters: increased employability, increased decent and sustainable employment, increased access to services/products, and financial inclusion. In addition to offering patient investment capital, the RIF has established a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) to provide impact mentoring and advisory services to investees on maximising their social impact on refugees and host communities.

The Refugee Investment Facility Coordinator will lead on the RIF’s Technical Advisory Facility from within DRC Uganda, working alongside Innovative Financing Specialists at DRC Regional and HQ. This role involves support in identification and screening of high impact private companies for the RIF, leading on impact development and due diligence of potential investees from a refugee impact perspective, managing technical assistance to scale investees’ refugee impact, defining and monitoring the refugee impact of investees, and identifying potential links to DRC and other humanitarian/development programming. The Specialist will also work with DRC Uganda’s Economic Recovery team and the Regional Innovative Financing Specialist to identify and scope new private sector partnership and financing opportunities for refugee impact.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

1. Refugee Investment Technical Assistance

• Lead the scoping and development of technical assistance activities both prior to and during investment under the RIF, which seeks to offer patient investments of up to 5 years to local companies and start-ups that have the potential to positively impact refugees and host communities. This includes:

 Pre-Investment Technical Assistance

• Identify companies with potential refugee impact through networks and country programming and refer such to the RIF /iGravity Investment Officers for screening

• Lead on identification of potential enterprise impact within target displacement affected communities, aligning with community needs as part of screening of potential investees 

Investee Technical Assistance:

• Lead the design and defining of focus for technical assistance allocations for each investee, in line with the Technical Assistance Facility framework, and in cooperation with the DRC country teams, DRC RIF Global Lead, Regional Specialists and the RIF in-country Investment Officer
• Identify business capacity building needs, opportunities for impact and ways to further connect businesses to displacement-affected communities
• Identify key refugee impact metrics relevant for each company and define an impact framework for each investee
• Prepare and submit proposals for technical assistance grant allocations to the RIF Investment Committee
• Provide technical assistance and advice to investees on refugee impact, such as support developing impact management and monitoring systems, assistance engaging effectively with refugee communities and their needs, analysis of markets and ecosystems within refugee hosting areas to enhance business engagement, and support in development of best practice around refugee-inclusive business approaches
• Manage impact monitoring for RIF investees, through annual review of impact reports of investees, meeting with investee management teams, on-site monitoring, and on this basis make recommendations for strengthening the impact of investees
• Identify links between investees and DRC’s other economic recovery programming in country to build complementarity in approaches

Coordination and MEAL Activities

• Coordinate DRC RIF country activities and priorities with the Global DRC HQ RIF Lead and iGravity’s RIF Country Lead
• Support the development of learning and community impact monitoring alongside DRC’s MEAL teams, gathering data and feedback from communities on RIF impacts
• Support baseline, reporting and evaluation processes

2. Private Sector Partnerships and Innovative Finance Concept Development

• Support DRC Uganda’s work with private sector partners, including identifying and exploring partnerships with companies with potential positive impact on refugees and host communities, including job creation, employability and technical training, access to relevant services and products

• Support the Regional Innovative Financing Specialist’s work developing innovative financing approaches and investment partnerships to mobilize new types of capital for refugees and host communities, including idea and concept development, partner and donor outreach, proposal writing and external representation
• Contribute to business development processes

3. Finance and Administration:

• Ensuring that technical, financial, and administrative activities, including reporting are carried out accord Assume responsibility for the effective management of the programme’s budget. This entails regularly monitoring spending and ensure timely utilization of funds in accordance with agreed spending plans.
• Contribute to monthly Budget Review Meeting.
• Ensure Value-for-Money in decision makinging to DRC and donor policies and procedures and that deadlines are met

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you  to have at least five (5) years proven and successful track record engaging with businesses in refugee contexts or other similar contexts working with marginalized populations, and identifying impact measurement, with ideally some experience in the investment sector or from the non-profit or social enterprise sector working with private sector development approaches. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Masters degree in one of the following: International Development, MBA/Finance or International Relations
• Experience in social impact financing, implementing market systems development activities and fostering strategic private sector engagement;
• Experience in economic development, private sector development, economic recovery in humanitarian and/or emerging economy contexts, business strategy and business plan development, or similar fields with social impact focus
• Understanding of the refugee / host community context in country, including socio-economic challenges and opportunities and the role NGOs and private sector can play in addressing challenges and realizing opportunities
• Fluency in English
• Excellent communication skills
• High integrity and willingness to conduct her/himself transparently and open to scrutiny

Desirable

• Previous experience working in East Africa region
• Ability to communicate technical information in an easy to understand, informative and collaborative manner
• Good knowledge of the Core Humanitarian Standards or other accountability measures/standards

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: 

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

• Contract length: 12 months (renewable based on performance and funding)
• Band: G1
• Designation of Duty Station: Kampala
• Start date: As soon as possible

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national employees; please refer to our website.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 08.11.2024

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.