Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)A (least hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONS Local
Target Start Date2025-09-01
Deadline for ApplicationsAugust 11, 2025
Terms of ReferenceTERMS OF REFERENCE FOR Financial Literacy Training Consultant
Organisation: UNHCR
Location: Tirana, Albania
Type of Contract: National Consultancy (Individual Contract)
Duration of contract: 6 days in a timeframe of 1 month
Tentative starting date: 01/09/2025
Title: Financial Literacy Training for refugees and asylum-seekers
GENERAL BACKGROUND
About UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1950 with the mandate to protect and support people forced to flee their countries. UNHCR works to ensure that refugees, as well as vulnerable groups in host communities, have access to affordable and suitable financial services. And that responsible financial service providers are delivering such services. It also works to build awareness of the business potential in serving refugees and to overcome policy constraints that hinder refugeesโ access to financial services.
Many refugees have no access to banks and other mainstream financial services. This creates an enormous hurdle on their way to self-reliance and economic independence because without a bank account, they lack a safe place to save and receive money, have much fewer options to make payments or access loans. In short, without such services, they can't fully participate in a countryโs economy or build a stable life for themselves and their families.
UNHCR promotes access to financial services for refugees and other vulnerable groups in host communities. It works to build awareness of the business potential in serving refugees and to overcome policy constraints and access barriers (https://www.unhcr.org/).
OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING
Training Rationale and Objectives
For refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, constant change is omnipresent. This is equally true for their financial situation. Refugeesโ financial needs evolve over time, depending on their displacement phase, ranging from survival cash at the time of arrival, to more comprehensive services such as savings, payments and credit during a more stable and protracted phase. In between these situations, plenty of other factors might play a role, for example, the vulnerability they experienced, their human and social capital and their plans.
Therefore, the primary objective of this consultancy is (i) to develop a comprehensive standard financial literacy training tailored to the needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in Albania and (ii) improve access of refugees and forcibly displaced persons to financial services, leading to improved livelihoods and better management of personal and family finances decision-making, and overall economic wellbeing.
PROJECT RELEVANCE
This training will be developed under the EU4Migration project, which aims to support Albania in establishing effective, efficient, and EU-aligned standards for international protection and integration. A key focus of the project is the implementation of the National Strategy on Migration (2024โ2030) and its Action Plan (2024โ2026), both of which align with Albaniaโs EU integration objectives. The consultancy aims to strengthen refugees' and asylum seekers' access to their rights and ensure that they are included in social services and economic programs. Particular attention is given to the rights and needs of asylum seekers and persons with specific needs, ensuring that human rights standards and legal guarantees are respected and upheld throughout the integration process, in line with international and EU norms.
The UNHCR is committed to fostering inclusive financial ecosystems that enable refugees and vulnerable groups within host communities to access affordable, appropriate, and responsible financial services (FSPs). UNHCR works to ensure that financial service providers (FSPs) are equipped and incentivised to serve these populations, while also addressing policy and regulatory barriers that hinder financial inclusion.
To support this goal, UNHCR actively promotes the following activities:
โข Advocacy and awareness-raise,
โข Collaboration with a wide range of partners on market assessments and technical linkages with FSPs.
โข Establishing partnerships with development finance institutions, to explore opportunities for refugee financial inclusion through targeted research.
โข Providing logistical support and socio-economic data related to refugee population.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant will be responsible for the following:
Needs assessment: Conduct a thorough needs assessment to identify the financial literacy gaps and priorities of refugees and asylum-seeker in Albania.
Curriculum development: Develop a comprehensive financial literacy training curriculum based on the identified needs, aligning it with national financial literacy frameworks and best practices.
Training material development: Create a user-friendly and culturally appropriate training presentations/handouts incorporating the developed training curriculum and other materials related to Financial Education, using simple language and relevant examples.
Develop a detailed action plan and training methodology.
Deliverables (report and materials)
โข Develop an action plan and training methodology.
โข Review the existing financial products and services of the banking and microfinance sector.
โข Review the existing legislation and gaps in delivering financial products and services to refugees and asylum seekers in Albania.
โข A well-structured and visually appealing training presentations.
โข Prepare and deliver training sessions (a course of six days) for refugees and asylum-seekers to improve their access to financial products and services.
โข Final narrative report including training methodology, tools used, a summary of the training sessions, and recommendations for further action and improvements.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF CONSULTANT
The interested consultants should meet the following criteria:
โข Proven experience in developing training materials and conducting financial literacy training programs.
โข Excellent knowledge of local employment and skills development actors, environment, challenges, and opportunities, including for marginalized and underserved groups.
โข Have experience, 3 years minimum, in assessment, HR consulting, and career advising.
โข Experience in analyzing training needs, developing, and implementing in-person and online individual and group training and coaching sessions.
โข Knowledge of adult learning principles and effective training methodologies.
โข Advanced university degree in economics, business administration, business management, social sciences, or any other field related to the requested services.
โข Very good communication and report-writing skills.
โข Very good command of the English language and proficiency in Albanian.
โข Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
EXPECTED TIMETABLE
This consultancy duration is 6 working days and is expected to last up to one (1) month and be implemented between the period of 1-30 September 2025, with the final deliverables submitted by 30/09/2025
SUPERVISION/REPORTING LINE
The consultant will report directly to the Protection Associate.
TORS AMENDMENT
UNHCR and the consultant may amend certain parts of the present Terms of Reference (ToRs) to ensure deliverables that better align with the context. The final report will reflect the amendments agreed upon. The amendments must be signed by both parties at the beginning of the consultancy.
PROPOSED TIMEFRAME
01/09/2025 โ 30/09/2025
PAYMENT MILESTONES
Payment will be made as per the proposed working plan and deliverables, and will be specified upon contracting
PRE-SELECTED CANDIDATES
UNHCR Albania will pre-select between 3 to 5 candidates. Interested candidates should present the following:
โข CV & Letter of interest
โข 2 References from previous collaborators
โข Detailed draft proposal with the budget and the work-plan for this consultancy (make sure to include breakdown of the consultancy costs).
Interested external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) should visit https://www.unhcr.org/careers and create a new account (โSign Inโ on the top left corner >> Create account). Once successfully registered, you can start filling in your data and apply for vacancies. Sort out by location (Albania). In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to Global Service Desk at hqussd@unhcr.org.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages Albanian
,English
,
Desired Languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
RemoteNo