Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, May 02 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:

Summary
BRAC seeks an experienced consultant and/ or firm to refine existing and develop new financial products tailored to the needs of young women (aged 18-35). The consultant is expected to undertake in-depth market research using human-centred design principles to segment the market and develop key client profiles, identify financial needs of potential clients, provide solutions to addressing common constraints to accessing finance of the target segment, and suggest recommendations for refining existing products and services, as well as develop new product prototypes, to cater to the needs of young women.
Countries: Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. Interested consultants/ firms may choose to apply for this engagement across all target countries or may choose between the West African and East African markets.

Organizational Profile
BRAC was established in 1972 after the independence of Bangladesh and currently operates in all 64 districts in the country, providing services to millions. BRAC aims to achieve large-scale positive changes through economic and social programmes that enable men and women to realize their potential. It provides services in the areas of human rights and social empowerment, education and health, economic empowerment and enterprise development, livelihood training, environmental sustainability, and disaster preparedness.

Objective of the Consultancy
In 2021, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, BRAC launched the Mastercard Foundation Accelerating Impact for Young Women in partnership with BRAC (AIM) programme, targeting seven countries in East and West Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda). The programme aims at creating a positive and measurable impact on 1.2 million adolescent girls and young women and 9.5 million people in the next five years across these markets.


BRAC is thus looking for a competent consultant (individual or company) to conduct human-centred design (HCD) assessment and product design/refinement exercise in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda to:
1. redesign/refine elements/features of existing products to make these products more accessible and appropriate for young
women
2. for young women who cannot be accommodated even after refinements to existing products (as determined by the HCD assessment), develop 3-4 product prototypes that can be pilot tested by country entities
3. identify and make recommendations for additional financial/non-financial support necessary for addressing barriers that prevent young women in accessing financing



Scope of Work
The consultant will conduct a client-focused need assessment in order to refine existing offerings and/or design financial product prototypes through a variety of methodologies as needed, including focus group discussions and individual interviews in local languages/ dialects. The project will engage young women in multiple regions across rural, peri-urban, and urban settings. Research methodology (including indicative sample size) will be determined in consultation with BIHBV and country product teams.


The specific terms of reference for this assignment include the following The market and existing client profiles Refinement of existing credit products New credit products
1. Bundling
2. Savings
3. Organizational capacity Consolidated report
4. Deliverables and Key Timelines
The duration of the engagement is expected to be over 80 business days counted from contract signing, taking place between May and September 2023, delivered in two parts.

Qualification of the Consultant/Firm
1. The consultant/firm may apply to conduct this assignment across all five markets listed or may choose to apply only for the West African or East African markets.
2. Experience in conducting client-centered research/market assessments in financial services for the bottom of the pyramid. Previous experience in similar work in the specific markets that the firm is applying for is preferred but not required.
3. Deep understanding of issues around young women's financial inclusion, as well as broader issues that specifically affect young women living in poverty in rural areas
4. Preferably have experience in HCD approach (or other client-centric methodologies) to understand the needs, behaviors, and motivations young women, and to iteratively design product prototypes or redesign/refine existing products across the complete customer journey and product experience
5. Knowledge of digital financial services/ digital payment solutions and the
6. supporting infrastructure in target markets Knowledge of regulatory environments of the target markets
7. Strong analytical, research, and writing skills with expertise in survey and qualitative research in the form of interviews and focus groups with low- income communities (in local languages)
8. Knowledge of regulatory environments of the target markets
9. Strong analytical, research, and writing skills with expertise in survey and qualitative research in the form of interviews and focus groups with low- income communities (in local languages) Proactive project management skills with strong attention to detail. Experience working under tight deadlines with a multilateral team across time zones and managing a rigorous schedule of data collection
10. Fluency in English required


Education Requirement:No Requirements

Job Experience:No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Job application procedure

All proposals must be submitted by email to info.bimf@brac.net  no later than Tuesday, 2 May 2023 at 11.59pm East African Time (EAT). Any questions can be submitted to the same email address prior to the submission deadline. Visit the link for more information https://shorturl.at/gjrLV 


All Jobs

QUICK ALERT SUBSCRIPTION