(Senior Financial Advisor) at Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) :Deadline: Friday 02-07-2021

2.    SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR – REF

1.      Background Information

Job Title:  Senior Financial Advisor – REF

Department: SPIU

Duo Reports to: Functionally to REF Project Coordinator

                                   Administratively to Head of SPIU

Contract terms: 2 Years Consultancy on a full-time basis based in BRD HQ with possibility of extension

2.      Purpose of the Job

BRD would like to recruit for a Senior Financial Advisor to support the REF project implementation for all activities covered under the project and to support the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) capacity building.

The Senior Financial Advisor will focus on strengthening the capacity of the PIU and on providing financial and technical guidance in structuring REF project and its transactions.

The Senior Financial Advisor is also expected to advise the REF project implementation improvements and REF stakeholders management.

 The Senior Financial Advisor will ensure that all REF activities are executed in accordance to the REF Operations Manuals (OM), and the guidance provided by BRD management, the REF Steering Committee and the World Bank.

3.      Main Responsibilities of the Job

• To provide relevant assistance to the REF PIU in all aspects of project management and growth of business, to ensure the effective implementation of all financing windows under the project.
•  Advise the PIU on the engagement and relationship management with project stakeholders including; MINECOFIN, MININFRA, MINALOC, REG, EDCL, the World Bank as well as other project implementing partners (e.g Saccos, Banks, MFIs, OSCs, mini-grid developers), other development partners (e.g GIZ, ENABEL) and any other relevant stakeholders;
• Provide financing and technical advice by reviewing all REF loan & subsidy applications, he will support creditworthiness assessment of mini-grid/solar company/PFI and provide technical/financial appraisal of mini-grid/Solar company/PFI loan proposals by conducting risk assessments and other aspects of the due diligence processes on all relevant components of the applying businesses.
• Advising eligible beneficiaries to continuously adhere to the eligibility criteria, financing terms & conditions for borrowing.
• Conduct financial modeling analyses, both during company appraisal, during program design and during any project restructuring that might be needed.
•   Providing technical support in structuring REF business transactions.
• Support execution and supervision of subsidiary loan/subsidy financing agreements signed between BRD and eligible beneficiaries for direct lending, tranche based and back-to-back financing.
• Assist with the delivery of workshops and presentations aimed at sharing experiences among project beneficiaries and implementing partner
•  Assist with preparation and delivery of learning events aimed at sharing experiences among participating project beneficiaries.
• Conduct field visit to offices of participating entities and hold consultative discussions on terms and conditions of subsidiary financing to ensure the approved loan is used strictly following the guidelines in the operations manuals to avoid any ineligible expenditure.
• In collaboration with the REF Project Coordinator, support the World Bank supervision missions by providing all required documentation in respect to project implementation progress
• Advise and assist in drafting project implementation progress reports and ad-hoc briefing notes to MININFRA, MINECOFIN, EDCL, the World Bank or any other stakeholder.
•  Advise and assist in preparation of terms of reference for consultancy work planned under the project by supporting the review process with the World Bank and address any comments to the draft documents in order to receive no objections.
• Review and provide quality assurance of quarterly unaudited interim financial reports (IFRS) before their submission to the World Bank
• Provide technical back up to the REF team in the appraisal process of implementing partners participating in the implementation process of REF across all windows.
• Advise and assist with the preparation and monitoring of the annual work plan and budget as well as monitoring reports.
• Advise the REF team on strategies of pipeline development across all REF windows.
• Brief the Steering Committee on the project implementation progress, challenges and opportunities.
• Provide induction training to all project staff on project management life cycle as well as knowledge transfer along the implementation process.
• Advise and assist in the design tools for appraising the loan applications as well as tools for monitoring and reporting on progress towards achieving project objectives.
• Analyze and advise whether all REF activities are executed in accordance to the REF OMs, and in line with the guidance provided by BRD management, the REF Steering Committee and the World Bank.
•  Advise BRD’s management on improvement for project implementation.
• Rallying development partners’ support to the project.
•   Ensure adequate communication of the project to the various stakeholders.
•  Assist with supervision of various consultancy services to REF.
• Carry out any other assignment given by the BRD management, the REF Steering Committee and/or the World Bank.

Performance indicators

• Weekly reporting to supervisor
• Bi-weekly (every other week) briefing note outlining key issues for BRD Management attention.
• Quarterly progress reports to the REF coordinator describing major activities undertaken and tasks accomplished during the reporting period and challenges hindering implementation process.
• End of year performance report.

Working relationships

• All departments in BRD

Professional, academic qualifications and experience

• A Master’s degree in project management, economics, business administration, accounting, finance, or related discipline.
• A degree in electrical engineering or an extensive work experience in the off-grid energy sector and demonstrated knowledge in off-grid technologies, business models and sector policies and regulations.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in financial sector services, with at least 3 years of professional experience in project finance, energy finance and project management positions.
• Strong financial skillset, including investment analyses, risk assessments, conducting due diligence, deal structuring and performing financial modeling.
• Experience of working on projects specifically related with lending to off-grid solar and mini-grids will be an added advantage.
• Experience of working on projects funded by World Bank or other development partners will also be an added advantage.
• A track record of negotiation and underwriting skills.
• Exceptional communication, writing and analytical skills.
• Good organizational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Power point, Word, etc.);
• Proficiency in written and spoken English. Kinyarwanda is an added advantage.