BACKGROUND: The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) Uganda’s apex body for the private sector is collaborating with the MasterCard Foundation (MCF) to co-implement Young Africa Works in Uganda – Enhancing Lead Firm Structure for Youth Employment Program. The Intervention’s ultimate goal is to create dignified and fulfilling work for young women and men and contribute to the effort to lifting Ugandans out of poverty.

The intervention focuses on creating, maintaining and sustaining growth in job markets through strengthening the capacity of actors to efficiently produce and sell their goods and services in expanded markets, developing new diversified financing mechanisms as well as growing the capacity of business leaders and their support service providers to manage and expand their enterprises.

This transformative intervention will also transition Micro Enterprises to Small Enterprises. PSFU wishes to recruit capable, experienced and passionate Ugandan for the position of Investment Specialist/Finance.

INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE: Under the overall responsibility and technical supervision the Project Director, the Investment Specialist/Finance (IS/ Finance) will coordinate the project’s activities and interventions for financing of business entities participating in project activities, especially Lead Firms and SMEs including building linkages between project beneficiaries and financial partners.

He/she will be responsible for designing rules of engagement including needed preparations that MSMEs & Lead Firms will require to qualify for financing by the financial partners, assessment of processes, and subsequently documenting all aspects relating to financing of private sector enterprise grants under the project. The IS/Finance will also spearhead the project’s finance related capacity building activities.

He/she will assess and document the ability of prospective recipients to receive, perform and achieve the objectives of the project awards in accordance with PSFU and MCF rules, regulations and cost principles. The IS/Finance will report to and be guided and supported by the Project Director .

FUNCTIONS:
• The specific duties of the IS/Finance will include: to
• Review suggested capacity building activities and BDS to ensure they
• include suitable financial literacy elements to enable beneficiaries qualify for funding by financial partners
• Continuously propose ways to de-risk borrowers to increase opportunity for financing LFS actors
• Draw up and regularly review for approval by the Steering Committee the
• eligible areas the project may support for funding and prepare guidelines for the information of stakeholders,
• Lead the project’s intercession activities with financial partners in the
• project; and in this respect work with the financial sector partners to design systems for how and on what terms firms and financial sector partners will interrelate;
• Secure needed information to monitor the utilisation of resourcesreceived by firms from the project’s financial partners and ensure their proper application. In collaboration with financial partners analyse repayment trends and advise through periodic reports the Project Director and the Steering Committee on how scheduled repayments are progressing; Lead the technical effort towards setting up and operationalising the Private Sector Catalytic Fund. This will involve working with the identified consultants to conduct the in time the activities towards the realisation of the fund
• In collaboration with the project Business Environment team, identify,
• process and prepare positions papers needed to engage policy makers to
• address challenges encountered in the financing MSMEs in Uganda
• Periodically make reports to the Project Director and Steering Committee on the operations of the catalytic Fund.
• Supervise the Investment Officer/Finance

Desirable Attributes:
• A good command of the English language.
•  A passion for youth – men and women;
• A commitment to the protection of youth and children.

QUALIFICATIONS:
The IS/Finance will be recruited competitively and must have the following qualifications:
• A Master’s Degree in Business, Management, Finance, Administration, or
• other related field.
• At least 5 years’ relevant experience in the finance sector particularly in
• the areas of financial product/business development, MSME financing lending operations or portfolio performance monitoring. Demonstrated
• experience in BDS facilitation to beneficiaries will be an added advantage.
• An appreciation of the workings of the Uganda economic/finance/trade
• policies as well as a good understanding of private sector operations
• and concerns;
• Overall knowledge of the economic and market environment in which the
• private sector is operating, including the wider East and Central African
• region;
• A good understanding of private sector development issues and
• appreciation of the role the private sector can play in economic
• development;
• An appreciation/understanding of the extent and effects of youth
• unemployment; and of the social (especially gender and youth)
• dimensions of development;
• Good interpersonal skills with experience in networking with different
• partners including those in the private sector and a local community level;
• Experience working with private sector organisations or in international
• and donor organisations with implementation of participatory projects;
• Demonstrated written, analytical, presentation, reporting and computing
• skills and familiarity with modern communication systems internet,
• worldwide web, email etc.);
• Ability to work unsupervised and under tight schedules;
• Ability and readiness to work in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary
• environment;

Job application procedure
Send your applications online to [email protected]  not later than 25 February, 2021
Executive Director Private Sector Foundation Uganda Plot 43 Nakasero Hill Road P. O. Box 7683, Kampala

NOTE: The detailed job profiles can be accessed on www.pstuganda.org.ug
Only short listed applicants will be notified, female candidates are encouraged to apply. Canvassing will automatically disqualify any candidate