Refugee Impact Advisory Coordinator Danish Refugee Council

DRC Uganda is looking for a highly qualified Refugee Impact Advisory Coordinator. The Coordinator will support operations of the investment initiative called the Refugee Investment Fund (RIF), developed jointly between DRC and iGravity (a Swiss firm specialized 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 investment capital, the RIF has established a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) to provide impact mentoring and advisory services to investees on maximizing their social impact on refugees and host communities. The Refugee Impact Advisory Coordinator will lead on the RIF’s TAF from within DRC Uganda, working alongside Innovative Financing Coordinators 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.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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:
1. Identify companies with potential refugee impact through networks and country programming and refer such to the RIF /iGravity Investment Officers for screening
2. Lead on identification of potential enterprise impact within target displacement affected communities, aligning with community needs as part of screening of potential investees
3. 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
4. Identify business capacity building needs, opportunities for impact and ways to further connect businesses to displacement-affected communities
5. Identify key refugee impact metrics relevant for each company and define an impact framework for each investee
6. Prepare and submit proposals for technical assistance grant allocations to the RIF Investment Committee
7. 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
8. 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
9. Identify links between investees and DRC’s other economic recovery programming in country to build complementarity in approaches
10. Coordinate DRC RIF country activities and priorities with the Global DRC HQ RIF Lead and iGravity’s RIF Country Lead
11. Support the development of learning and community impact monitoring alongside DRC’s MEAL teams, gathering data and feedback from communities on RIF impacts

Private Sector Partnerships and Innovative Finance Concept Development
1. Support DRC Uganda’s Economic Recovery team’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
2. 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

Experience and technical competencies:
1. Minimum, Masters degree in International Development, MBA/ Finance or International Relations, or other relevant field from a recognied institution
2. At least 5 years of proven and successful track record engaging with businesses in refugee contexts or other similar contexts.
3. Experience in social impact financing, implementing market systems development activities and fostering strategic private sector engagement;
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Previous experience working in East Africa region.
7. Ability to communicate technical information in an easy to understand, informative and collaborative manner.
8. Good knowledge of the Core Humanitarian Standards or other accountability measures/standards.

Education:
Masters degree in International Development, MBA/Finance or International Relations, or other relevant field from a recognized institution.

Languages:
Excellent Communication skills in English required.