QSSU-Technical Lead, Financial Inclusion

About this job

Q-Sourcing  Servtec is a manpower management solutions firm operating in the East African Region in the countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Sudan.

On behalf of our client Ripple Effect and its partners (DFCU Foundation, MUCOBADI, ACFODE), we are looking for a competent, skilled, and experienced Technical Lead, Financial Inclusion.

Job title	Technical Lead, Financial Inclusion
Department/Team	Programmes – Youth Economic Empowerment through Livestock Development (YEELD) Project
Job Family	PDD – Programme Delivery, Partnership & Development
Reporting to	Project Manager
No. of direct reports	N/A	Employer	DFCU Foundation
Location	Soroti  (1 Vacancy)
Travel Frequency	Frequent

 About the Project

The Youth Economic Empowerment through Livestock Development (YEELD) Program is a five-year initiative aimed at improving the socio-economic well-being and resilience of financially disadvantaged young people aged 18–35 years in the Teso, Bukedi, and Ankole sub-regions of Uganda through livestock value chains. The program seeks to create 250,000 work opportunities, including for 200,000 (80%) young women, 5% persons with disabilities (PWDs), and 3% refugees and displaced persons (RDPs). YEELD is being implemented across 20 districts in the three sub-regions through a consortium coordinated by Ripple Effect, dfcu Foundation, and Multi Community Based Development Initiative (MUCOBADI), and Action For Development (ACFODE) as a Gender and Social Inclusion partner, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

Role Purpose

The Technical Lead, Financial Inclusion will lead the integration of inclusive financial systems within the YEELD Program, enabling disadvantaged youth, especially young women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and refugees/displaced persons (RDPs), to access and use appropriate financial services. The role focuses on building partnerships, promoting inclusive financing models, and strengthening linkages between grassroots and formal financial systems as well as the wider ecosystem to support the growth of youth-led livestock enterprises.

The Technical Lead, Financial inclusion will provide strategic and operational leadership in designing and delivering inclusive financial systems that enable financially disadvantaged youth, particularly young women, PWDs, refugees, and RDPs, to access, use, and benefit from financial services within the selected livestock value chains. The individual will engage the relevant financial institutions and stakeholders to address systemic barriers such as lack of collateral, limited credit history, identification constraints, and geographic inaccessibility by strengthening grassroots financial mechanisms, advancing youth-centered financial products, and building strong linkages between informal and formal financial systems. 

Key Responsibilities           

Strategic Leadership and Financial Inclusion Design	Lead the design and implementation of a gender-responsive and youth-centered Financial Inclusion Strategy for YEELD  Co-create with financial service providers (FSPs) financing models tailored to livestock value chain finance, working capital, asset finance, insurance, and digital finance  Build and manage partnerships with key financial ecosystem players including commercial Banks, Development Finance Institutions, SACCOs, Fintech companies, and Mastercard Foundation financial inclusion programs  Ensure financial inclusion is embedded across program outcomes, especially enterprise growth and youth empowerment
Inclusive Finance Integration	In close collaboration with YEELD teams handling group formation, strengthen the integration of inclusive financial practices within VSLAs and savings groups by enhancing their capacity to effectively serve young women, PWDs, and RDPs, promoting accessibility, digital financial solutions, and linkages to formal financial systems.   Promote self-managed group guarantees and savings-led financing approaches   Promote use of alternative credit assessments (cash-flow-based lending, credit scoring, group guarantees)  Apply insights from gender and social inclusion analyses to refine approaches  Participate in the Community of Practice on Inclusive Finance to share as well as learn promising approaches in inclusive finance
Access to Finance Partnerships and Linkages	Facilitate partnerships with formal and informal Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to co-design and deliver tailored financial products, including working capital, productive credit/asset financing, and trade finance, among other products   Strengthen strategic linkages with FSPs, investors, and ecosystem partners to expand financing opportunities for youth-led enterprises   Support linkages between VSLAs and formal financial institutions (SACCOs, MFIs, commercial banks, and fintechs)  Leverage partnerships to drive uptake of innovative financing schemes available in the market   Leverage the YEELD Challenge Fund and Catalytic Fund to crowd in additional capital, de-risk investments, and support innovative, youth-led livestock enterprises to access and utilize blended financing opportunities
Digital Financial Inclusion	Promote adoption of digital  financial services in underserved communities   Support agent network development, with youth as agents, to expand last mile rural outreach Through partnerships with FSPs, Mobile Network Operators, fintechs and other ecosystem players, facilitate access to digital savings, credit, investment and insurance products
Capacity Building and Financial Literacy	Deliver financial and digital literacy and enterprise finance training for  youth and marginalized groups using appropriate training tools   Build capacity in digital and financial literacy for youth-led enterprises, VSLAs and SACCOs, YEELD staff and implementing partners   Build capacity of enterprises in investment readiness and financial management
Reporting, Learning, and Knowledge Management	Develop and track indicators on financial access, usage, and quality, including monitoring progress of Youth Producer Groups and MSMEs accessing and utilizing financial services  Provide technical input into the documentation of enterprise support activities, outputs, outcomes, and performance metrics to ensure accuracy and quality  Contribute to the preparation and review of monthly, quarterly, and annual narrative and results-based reports, ensuring clarity, rigor, and compliance   Support documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, innovations, case studies, blogs and success stories to inform learning, scaling, and policy influence   Contribute to learning events, reflection sessions, and internal knowledge-sharing forums to promote evidence-based program improvement.
Safeguarding & Inclusion	Ensure financial inclusion approaches are safe, inclusive, and do not expose beneficiaries to financial risk or exploitation.   Promote gender, youth, and refugee inclusion in financial systems   Incorporate consumer protection and awareness on redress mechanisms in trainings
Other Duties	Support programme reviews, audits, and reporting processes.  Carry out other related duties assigned by the Program Director
Key Result Areas	Functional and effective financial inclusion strategy implemented across YEELD.   Increased access to and use of financial services by youth, women, and underserved groups.   Strong partnerships established with financial service providers and market actors.   Financial products and models developed and scaled within livestock value chains.   Improved enterprise performance and investment readiness among programme participants.   Financial inclusion integrated across all programme components and regions.  Evidence generated to inform policy and practice in inclusive finance.

 Safeguarding

At Ripple Effect, we are committed to creating a safe and rewarding environment for all of our people, including staff, participants, partners, volunteers, children, and vulnerable adults. It is a shared responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated properly and protected from harm, exploitation, and abuse. To fulfil this commitment, we have established a robust Safeguarding Policy that everyone working with us is expected to follow, along with a confidential whistle-blowing procedure that allows individuals to raise any concerns they may have.

The Technical Lead, Financial Inclusion must ensure that financial inclusion interventions uphold principles of do no harm, informed consent, and protection from exploitation, particularly when working with vulnerable populations.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Development Studies, Agriculture, or a relevant field.

Desirable:

• Professional certification in financial inclusion, microfinance, or banking is an added advantage.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential:

• Minimum 8–10 years in financial inclusion, agricultural/rural finance, or MSME development
• Proven experience working with women, youth, PWDs, and/or refugee populations
• Proven experience working with financial institutions and developing inclusive financial products.
• Experience in market systems development or value chain financing.

Desirable:

• Experience in agriculture or livestock financing.
• Experience with donor-funded programmes (preferably Mastercard Foundation or similar).

Skills and Attributes

Essential:

• Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in enterprise development, SME support, financial inclusion, or related development programs.
• Demonstrated passion for entrepreneurship and enterprise growth.
• Proven experience in financial and market linkage development.
• Strong facilitation, coaching, mentoring, and advisory capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, communication, presentation skills, and influencing skills.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong expertise in financial inclusion models and rural finance systems.
• Ability to design innovative and scalable financial solutions.
• Strong partnership development and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with a systems thinking approach.
• Strong understanding of youth, gender, and inclusion dynamics.
• Willingness to travel frequently across programme regions.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of digital finance and fintech ecosystems.
• Experience in policy engagement and advocacy.

All candidates who meet the criteria outlined as above are encouraged apply under the job vacancy “QSSU-Technical Lead, Financial Inclusion”

Application Link:

https://jobs.qsourcing.com/jobs/Careers/735362000017915299/QSSU-RIPPLE–Technical-Lead-Financial-Inclusion?source=CareerSite

Note:
Deadline for applications is not later than 8:00am Tuesday 30th, June 2025

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Our client is committed to maintaining a transparent and ethical recruitment process. Please be advised that all applications and recruitment services are provided entirely free of charge. At no stage of the hiring process does our client request or accept any form of payment.

If you have any concerns, inquiries, or suspect any fraudulent activity related to this recruitment process, please contact our client directly at: uganda@rippleeffect.org

Q-SOURCING SERVTEC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ANY SOLICITATION WILL LEAD TO DISQUALIFICATION.