Alternative Finance Expert

Company Overview:

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact - the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.

For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved - and is committed to continuing to improve - economies, societies and most importantly, people’s lives.

Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.

Activity Overview and Role:

USAID CATALYZE is a global project designed to facilitate partnerships and craft solutions to mobilize $2 billion in blended private sector and other financing to USAID partner countries. The program can work in any development sector or region, enabling USAID Bureaus and Missions around the world to efficiently facilitate investment solutions that respond to the needs of specific sectors, issues, and geographies and leverage private sector financing to achieve development objectives.

Palladium seeks an Access to Finance Administrator for the USAID/Engines of Growth (EoG) Activity, a buy-in program under USAID’s global CATALYZE Blended Finance Mechanism. The purpose of the EoG Activity is to facilitate Western Balkan1 small and medium enterprise (SME) growth and productivity by improving their access to and utilization of finance. EoG will help mobilize capital to SMEs in order to sustain viable SMEs and jobs in the wake of COVID 19, and later anticipates facilitating growth financing to SMEs in the long term.

The Access to Finance Administrator will work the Engines of Growth team to implement Objective 1 of the activity in Serbia, and potentially in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro. Under Objective 1, EOG will Mobilize capital and/or restructure debt to otherwise vulnerable SMEs which have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 in order to sustain them, retain/rehire workers, and preserve capacity for future growth. The position will be based in Serbia (work from home) but is expected to work with stakeholder partners in Serbia, B&H and Montenegro.

Specific responsibilities of EoG’s Access to Finance Administrator include, but are not limited to:

• Implement Window I activities in Serbia, B&H and Montenegro
• Regular communication with facilitators and companies (verbal and written communication) including sending information related to project updates, upcoming events/workshops, collecting statistical data for facilitators and their clients
• Reviewing Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) applications review and preapproval forms, document assessment and data entry
• Managing the pipeline of companies
• Data analysis and preparation of various data reports and spreadsheets for reporting to EoG management
• Due diligence on companies/beneficiaries entered in the pipeline
• Calculation of business BASP’s success fee forms and preparing monthly fee utilization reports
• Monitoring contract limits (CM Tracker), preparing contracts and amendment forms
• Analysis of US Palladium exchange rate and providing inputs for FF monthly invoices
• Data collection from appropriate systems (ex. TARGET Group) for all companies/consultants which will enter in the pipeline and MEL
• Supporting organization of events organization - workshops, conferences, as well as matchmaking events (save the date, invitations, agenda etc.) in the three countries
• Support drafting of success stories
• Document’s administration and archiving
• Register all incoming invoices from BASPs in the three countries
• Preparation of PAFs forms
• Support BASP Lead to periodically monitor implementation of activities
• All other duties deemed necessary, including support to the Access to Finance Lead and Team Lead as required
• Travel periodically to monitor activities
• Reference: J-hL9rGGysZsOIDaIAVB-GXzTe29O6fiTJt980D8fU0.

Requirements

The position of the Access to Finance Administrator requires significant knowledge of the financial sector in the Western Balkans, including alternative finance options available and the potential and constraints to develop alternative finance. The minimum qualifications are as follows:

• Bachelor degree
• 3+ years experience working in donor projects or the financial sector
• Highly organized and efficient with excellent time management skills
• Ability to work independently
• Excellent skills in Excel
• Proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, as well as negotiation skills

Through the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and possibly beyond that period, applicants should have the ability to work remotely as public health restrictions demand. Palladium will provide reasonable accommodation (equipment, phone/internet reimbursement) as appropriate to selected applicants.

All interested applicants should send their CV and cover letter in English language not later than 10.08.2021.