Economic Recovery Specialist – Financial Inclusion & Market System Development – Danish Refugee Council

The Specialist will apply a Market Systems Development (MSD/M4P) approach to identify and address barriers to employment, apprenticeships, enterprise opportunities, financial services, and sustainable livelihoods. The role will also strengthen partnerships with employers, financial institutions, training providers, business development service providers, government counterparts, and other market actors.

Key Responsibilities

Economic Pathways, Counselling & Referral

• Lead the design and refinement of socioeconomic and skills profiling tools and individualized economic pathway methodologies.
• Establish technical standards and quality assurance mechanisms for economic counselling and pathway selection.
• Develop differentiated pathways covering employment, apprenticeships, enterprise development, self-employment, financial services, and skills development.
• Map livelihood, employment, apprenticeship, training, enterprise, financial inclusion, and reintegration services and opportunities.
• Strengthen internal and external referral mechanisms.
• Ensure economic pathways are protection-sensitive and do not expose participants to unsafe employment, exploitation, fraudulent recruitment, or other protection risks.
• Provide technical leadership for GreenHub economic pathway assessment, incubation, coaching, mentorship, and seed-capital models where relevant.
• Establish criteria for direct economic support, referral, market linkage, and other forms of assistance.
• Develop differentiated entrepreneurship support based on participant capacity, business experience, market opportunity, and access to finance.
• Lead financial literacy and access-to-finance approaches.
• Build partnerships with banks, MFIs, digital financial service providers, BDS providers, TVETs, and business associations.

Employment, Apprenticeship & Employer Engagement

• Identify high-demand sectors and occupations with realistic employment potential, including green and climate-resilient sectors.
• Design and oversee market-oriented paid apprenticeship models.
• Establish standards for employer selection, apprenticeship conditions, supervision, occupational safety, decent work, and transition to employment.
• Build relationships with employers, industry associations, and labour-market actors.
• Identify barriers affecting recruitment, retention, and advancement of migrants, returnees, and vulnerable youth.
• Develop approaches that encourage employers and market actors to contribute placements, supervision, expertise, resources, or other support.
• Develop and quality-assure employability preparation covering work ethics, communication, occupational safety, financial literacy, and employment readiness.
• Oversee employment and apprenticeship placement, retention, and transition analysis.

Integrated Economic & Labour Mobility Pathways

• Work with the Labour Mobility & Skills Recognition Specialist to connect local economic pathways with skills recognition and regular labour mobility pathways.
• Identify and refer participants who may benefit from formal skills recognition or regular labour migration.
• Contribute labour-market and economic analysis to identify viable local and international employment pathways.
• Analyse participant and labour-market evidence to determine appropriate local employment, enterprise, or regular labour mobility pathways.
• Maintain clear boundaries between economic counselling and formal labour migration advice.
• Strengthen relationships with BDS providers, training institutions, TVETs, employers, and industry associations.

Financial Inclusion & Economic Partnerships

• Lead the design of enterprise and self-employment pathways based on participant profiles, market demand, business feasibility, and available support services.
• Identify barriers to formal and digital financial services and work with relevant actors to develop feasible solutions.
• Engage financial service providers and enterprise support actors in adapting products, services, and delivery models where appropriate.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Relevant university degree and/or professional background in livelihoods, economic recovery, employment promotion, market systems development, entrepreneurship, skills development, labour-market systems, financial inclusion, reintegration programming, or a related field.

Experience

• At least 3 years of progressive experience in livelihoods, economic recovery, employment promotion, Market Systems Development/M4P, entrepreneurship, skills development, labour-market systems, financial inclusion, or reintegration programming.
• Experience in Market Systems Development/M4P and private-sector engagement is highly advantageous.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or quality-assuring market-oriented economic pathways, employment programmes, apprenticeship models, private-sector engagement, or financial inclusion interventions.
• Experience working with migrants, returnees, displaced communities, vulnerable youth, women, persons with disabilities, or crisis-affected populations in Ethiopia is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of mixed migration dynamics, returnee reintegration, and economic drivers of irregular migration in Ethiopia and the Eastern Route.
• Practical experience with skills assessments, counselling, referral systems, and case management.
• Knowledge of green and climate-resilient livelihoods.
• Experience engaging private-sector employers, financial institutions such as banks/MFIs, and government counterparts, particularly MoLS or similar institutions, is highly desirable.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of livelihood approaches, market systems, and financial inclusion.
• Full proficiency in English.
• Knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
• Strong understanding of financial inclusion and economic recovery.
• Market Systems Development/M4P expertise.
• Private-sector engagement and partnership-building skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to lead technical development and quality assurance.
• Commitment to ethical and professional conduct.

DRC Core Competencies

Candidates are expected to demonstrate:

• Striving for excellence
• Collaborating
• Taking the lead
• Communicating
• Demonstrating integrity, including commitment to safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

Employment Information

• Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Contract: 12 months
• Contract Type: National Contract
• Band: G2
• Start Date: October 15, 2026
• Salary: According to DRC's Terms of Employment for National employees

Required Application Documents

• Cover letter in English
• Updated CV in English
• CV must not exceed 3 pages

How to Apply

Applicants must submit their application through DRC's official recruitment process. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Application Deadline: September 24, 2026

Women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. DRC is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.

Official organization website: drc.ngo