Somalia: Consultants for Central Banking – Customer Identification Systems Procurement and Implementation

Position: Consultants for Central Banking – Customer Identification Systems Procurement and Implementation

Location: Mogadishu, Somalia

Salary: $100,000 for a period of 6 months in-country

The Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) is seeking a highly motivated consultant with bank examination experience for program work in Somalia. FSVC is developing a two-year technical assistance program focused on strengthening the capacity of the Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) to examine and supervise banks and money transfer operators (MTOs), and helping to build the foundation for future anti-money laundering (AML) programs. A key component of this program is to support the Somali financial sector in adopting customer identification systems to verify and record the information of individuals conducting transactions into or within Somalia. To do so, FSVC will hire a consultant to:

1) Assess the needs of the CBS and local financial institutions in the area of customer identification; and

2) Assist the CBS in the procurement and selection of a national IT or data system that can verify the identity of customers conducting transactions.

This position is based in Mogadishu, Somalia, but may involve some travel to Nairobi, Kenya. This position reports to the FSVC Regional Director for East Africa based in Nairobi. Housing and transport will be provided by a U.S. Government-approved compound at the Mogadishu airport (if necessary). Should the hired consultant meet expectations, they could be offered the opportunity to implement Phase II for an additional 6 months, during which the consultant will train the CBS, MTOs and other local financial institutions in how to implement the selected customer identification system.

FSVC is a not-for-profit, private-public partnership whose mission is to help build sound and effective financial sectors in emerging market countries. The premise of FSVC’s work is that sound financial infrastructure, together with the rule of law, is necessary to mobilize domestic savings, attract foreign investment, deepen international trade linkages, and create conditions that promote lasting economic opportunity.

Key job functions include:

• Conduct assessments over a six-month period, which will include in-person, one-on-one consultations with representatives of the CBS, the Somali Special Task Force on Remittances (STFR), the Somalia Bankers Association, banks, MTOs, government agencies and ministries, and other relevant stakeholders;
• Support the development of an assessment report with a gap analysis and benchmark performance data, which will outline strategies to improve the capacity of the CBS and STFR, and provide recommendations on how to improve customer due diligence (CDD) and customer identification practices, standards and reporting of banks and MTOs;
• Develop and support a results-based work plan, implementation plan, procurement plan and timeline for a customer identification system;
• Support the development of a defined business concept and accompanying analysis;
• Assist in the selection of a set of business requirements for a customer identification system, and gather support from/agreement of relevant financial sector stakeholders; and
• Support and guide the overall procurement process for a customer identification system.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master’s degree in finance/economics, computer science or other program-related field;
• Experience in leading and supporting large scale government technology deployment;
• Strong understanding of central banking practices;
• Experience in conducting assessments, gap analysis and baseline studies of national customer identification system capabilities;
• Experience in developing procurement requirements, and a selection and award process for customer identification systems or technology, particularly for government agencies;
• Ability to lead and support procurement teams;
• Excellent English speaking and writing skills; fluency in Somali preferred;
• Work experience in Somalia preferred;
• Experience working in conflict-affected countries;
• Excellent multi-tasking and organizational skills; and
• Ability to work independently.

For consideration, please email a cover letter and a resume to hr@fsvc.org and include “Short Term Consultant/Customer Identification-Somalia” in the subject line.

Submission Deadline: February 12, 2016