Financial Sector Compliance Advisor - Retainer

1. Technical Advisory

• Serve as the principal technical expert on trade finance support and financial systems for the PSRP project.

• Provide expert advice and guidance to the Senior Programme Manager (SPM) and project team on relevant areas of the project.

• Contribute to the planning of knowledge generation activities and knowledge products to inform activities in support of financial sector in Afghanistan.

• Stay abreast of the latest developments, including regulatory changes at the global and national levels, relevant for financial sector development in Afghanistan.

2. Implementation Support

• Lead technical diagnostic reviews of the compliance architecture, risk-management systems, and AML/CFT controls of eligible Afghan FSPs and commercial banks.

• Design capacity-building plans to help domestic banks adopt international financial standards and safely re-establish international correspondent banking networks.

• Provide technical support and/or advisory to Afghan export firms, business chambers, and trade associations to navigate international payment compliance and trade documentation requirements.

3. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination

• Liaise and advise PSRP’s implementing partners on technical matters related to financial sector development.

• Under the guidance of the SPM, liaise closely with technical stakeholders in the World Bank and IFC (particularly the Task Team Leads or their delegated technical representatives) on technical matters. 

• Ensure the PSRP is adequately represented and contributes to wider discussions and working groups on financial sector development; engage in technical meetings and workshops with stakeholders and the donor.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration and project success.

• Work with financial service providers to identify obstacles to expanding foreign correspondent relationships and areas to support risk management processes.

• Coordinate with other project implementing agencies working on microfinance and credit guarantees to ensure complementarity and cross-component learning of activities.

4. Technical Review

• Review and provide technical input on terms of reference (ToRs), tender documents, and proposals for the procurement of specialized technical services.

• Review and provide technical input on terms of reference, evaluations and other technical documents related to the contract management of PSRP grantees.

• Review and provide technical inputs on deliverables from suppliers of specialised technical services contracted under the project, including but not limited to research and analysis work on Islamic insurance schemes (takaful), credit information sharing systems and digital finance expansion.

• Oversee, review, and guide the work of suppliers providing specialized technical assistance to financial service providers to improve financial integrity processes.

5. Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building

• Contribute to knowledge sharing and capacity building initiatives within UNOPS and with project partners.

• Develop and deliver training programs and workshops on private sector development topics.

• Document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices from the project, facilitate knowledge exchange and learning events among project stakeholders.

• Conduct field visits to project and partner sites to assess the effectiveness of interventions and provide on-site technical assistance.

• Support the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track project outcomes and impact.

• Contribute to the preparation of project reports, briefs, and presentations for internal and external audiences.

• Support the identification and assessment of potential private sector partners for project implementation.

• Provide technical input into the design of new private sector development projects and initiatives.

• Ensure gender and social inclusion considerations, and the adoption of sustainable and environmentally responsible practices, are integrated into all aspects of project design and implementation.