The USAID’s Kenya Investment Mechanism (KIM) is looking for a Gender Finance Consultant to support its Women’s Economic Empowerment. Specifically , to conduct a Gender Opportunity Assessment (GOA) developed by Palladium with two (2) partner financial institutions. The GOA is a data-driven assessment of the business case for financial institutions to expand their focus on W-SMEs. The assessment benchmarks the FI’s gender performance against peer institutions and identifies opportunities to better serve W-SMEs. The assessment evaluates strategy, leadership and employees, marketing and analysis, and services to women clients.

The findings of the assessment will enhance the financial institution’s strategy so that the institution can increasingly expand their client base, while also addressing the unmet demand for finance for W-SMEs. During the GOA the consultant will conduct interviews with the leadership, hold focus group discussions with existing and prospective female clients, and conduct a strategy co-creation workshop with each financial institution.

Participatory engagement by the financial institutions with the consultant, using the tool, will yield a series of recommendations and follow-on technical assistance to enable the financial institutions to reach W-SMEs and help establish proof-of-concept.

 Objectives

The objective of the Gender Opportunity Assessment is to assist KIM’s FI clients to understand the business case for serving women-led enterprises and corporates, and support them in the development of customer-centric strategies, business models and delivery mechanisms to target W-SMEs more successfully. Resulting recommendations will guide the institutional strengthening of the FIs and the development of new or adjusted non-financial products.

Tasks

The consultant is expected to:

Conduct the Gender Opportunity Assessment (GOA) using the tool developed by Palladium, which includes:

a.       Coordinating all data requests and necessary background research prior to the assessment

b.       Conducting a kick-off meeting with financial institution leadership using Palladium’s tool

c.       Conducting key informant interviews with bank leadership

d.       Conducting focus group discussions or key informant interviews with the bank’s clients and non-clients

e.       Planning and leading a participatory strategy co-creation workshop to discuss and iterate on the initial findings and the proposed recommendations: includes preparing a PowerPoint on key findings and preliminary recommendations for the meeting.

      ii.            Prepare the  findings and recommendations report- integrate all proposed recommendations in a 15- to 25-page strategy document that includes both quick wins and more comprehensive changes that can be made over the medium to long term. The report may be delivered in either PowerPoint or Word depending on the preferences of the participating FI and the format will be agreed upon with KIM and FI.

    iii.            Based on the recommendations to  facilitate  implementation  of  priority recommendations, provide the FIs with the needed Technical assistance for (a) immediate actions/activities and (b) follow-on medium to long term technical assistance  to enable them to better reach W-SMEs and help establish proof-of-concept.

Deliverables

The Gender Finance Consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

i)        Report on:

a.       Background/ desktop research

b.       Kick-off meetings

c.       Key informant Interviews with FI staff

d.       Focus groups and client visits

e.       In-person workshop to engage with assessment results and recommendations. Including a power point presentation with initial analysis of findings  and the proposed recommendations:

ii)      Findings and recommendations report in a 15- to 25-page strategy document with publication-ready visuals.

iii)    Technical assistance provided to the FI given the strategy and recommendations for the most effective and efficient next steps to capture the W-SMEs market clustered into immediate actions, medium and long term activities

To apply please visit: https://palladium.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/2/home/requisition/11392?c=palladium