IT Expert, Capital Markets, Accra at Palladium Group 152 views0 applications

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.

Project Overview and Role

The USAID Financing Ghanaian Agriculture Project (USAID FinGAP) addresses a key constraint to the development of commercial agriculture and obtaining full food security in Ghana, access to finance necessary to enable investment in agricultural value chains. USAID FinGAP uses a comprehensive approach to facilitate agriculture related investment, engaging a broad range of Ghanaian Financial Institutions (banks, private equity firms, leasing companies, investment funds, etc.) in providing agricultural oriented financing, in partnership with strategic investors and buyers of rice, maize and soya in Northern Ghana. USAID FinGAP will also facilitate investment in the agriculture sector in Ghana that will complement other Government of Ghana (GOG) and donor programs aimed at expanding commercial agriculture.

Since being selected as a Partnership for Growth (PFG) country, the Government of Ghana (GOG) has engaged in extensive analysis and consultations with the U. S. Government (USG) in developing a Joint Country Action Plan (JCAP) to assist Ghana to sustain and broaden its economic growth by addressing two key constraints that inhibit private sector development and participation in the Ghanaian economy ? an unreliable and inadequate supply of electric power and lack of access to credit.

The two main goals of the PFG JCAP are to:

1. Strengthen the power sector; and
2. Increase access to credit (especially for the SME sector) and strengthen the financial system.

A Joint Steering Committee, composed of members of the GOG and the USG, oversees PFG activities and monitors progress against the JCAP. Technical Working Groups (one on credit and one on power) organized by lead GOG and USG agencies are responsible for developing and implementing specific action plans and strategies to meet the goals set out in the JCAP. USAID is the USG agency primarily responsible for oversight of these Technical Working Groups.

The PFG Technical Working Group on Increasing Access to Credit (also known as the PFG ?Access to Credit Team?) has five overall goals:

1. Reduce government engagement in the banking sector;
2. Strengthen Financial Sector regulation and supervision;
3. Develop the Financial Sector infrastructure;
4. Broaden and deepen the financial sector; and
5. Encourage development finance and support SME access to finance.

In December 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Ghana (SEC), requested USAID support in furtherance of Goal 2 above, Strengthening the Financial Sector Regulation and Supervision as well as in other areas of IT and HR. By default, Goals 3-5 above were positively facilitated through this support. Specifically, the SEC requested:

1. Implementation and guidance as follow up activities related to the recently (USAID-consultant) drafted manuals and practices, including risk based supervision (RBS) and surveillance;
2. Human Resource (HR) assessment and manual; and
3. IT assessment for the SEC, Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), and Central Securities Depository (CSD).

The Human Resource assessment has been completed, and the IT assessment is almost complete.

This last SOW was completed earlier this year, mostly related to Risk Based Supervision, Phase II.

Responsibilities

Deliverables

The Consultants will produce the following reports and deliverables:

1. A working, interim pilot RBSD Solution designed to electronically collect, maintain, and provide access to RBS data acquired from broker dealers and investment advisory firms (IT/REG);
2. Recommend data, reports, and submissions required from other licensed entities and individuals; and issuers of listed securities on the Ghana capital markets (REG/IT);
3. Conduct a working pilot test to capture basic broker dealer/investment advisory firm compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Officer (AMLRO) Officer contact data consistent with recommendations made in the 2017 RBS IT Assessment (IT/REG);
4. Develop e-Forms to capture Core RBS Data Metrics, to include:
5. The development of more advanced, complex e-Forms, and data capture methods will be left for future post-RBSD Pilot phases (IT/REG).
6. Implement RBSD data analytic, visualization and reporting tools (IT/REG);
7. Develop basic RBSD data analytics, dashboards, alerts and reports for Core RBS Data Metrics (REG/IT);
8. The identification of business, technical, software, equipment requirements, and estimated costs required to:
9. Roll-out the RBSD Solution to all broker dealers and investment advisory firms (REG/IT);
10. Integrate the RBSD Solution with a future-state EDM system (IT/REG).
11. The identification of RBSD Solution training objectives, requirements, and user documentation requirements for SEC staff, broker dealers, and investment advisory firms (REG/IT);
12. A RBSD Solution ?roll-out? strategy plan — identifying and sequencing necessary implementation activities, including technology upgrades, training, and testing before ?going live.? Broker dealers and investment advisory firms should be brought on-line in manageably sized groups, and prioritized using RBS factors, e.g., firm activity, number of client accounts, assets under management, etc. (REG/IT);
13. A Draft and a Final Report on RBS Pilot Activities, together with physical deliverables. The Draft Report shall be submitted to USAID FinGAP two weeks prior to the final day of the assignment; this report shall be reviewed by USAID FinGAP who may seek review and comments from other stakeholders in the capital markets. The Final Report shall be edited to include and address edits and comments on the Draft Report. Both Reports shall include:

? Executive Summary

? Overview of Findings/Observations/Recommendations

? Summary of Tasks/Results Achieved

? Summary of All Trainings and Deliverables Produced (attached also as Exhibits)

? Identified Challenges to SOW Execution

? Lessons Learned

The Consultant(s) will be responsible for responding to comments and edits from USAID and the SEC, and incorporating same into the Final Report with support from USAID FinGAP. The consultants shall determine who is responsible for what section; delivery of Final Report shall be a singular report. The Regulatory Consultant has overall responsibility of this Final Report as well as for this SOW; the Regulatory Consultant is the Team Leader.

Post of Duty

The international consultants will work from his/her home office for trip preparation purposes, up to 5 LOE days (approx.), and will undertake up to three roundtrips under this scope of work to Ghana, where he/she will work from the offices of the SEC, and otherwise, from the USAID FinGAP office in Accra.

Period of Performance

Up to 85 LOE days, up to 3 trips, for each of the international consultants, from approximately August 15, 2017 to January 15, 2017. (If and when a local IT consultant is added in a separate SOW, LOE is estimated at 45 days, i.e., the last 2 months during the same period. This addition of a local IT expert will add value to the sustainability of this work.)

Level of Effort

The LOE required is estimated to be 85 days for each of the international consultants (and possibly up to 45 days for the local IT consultant). A 5-day work week is allowed; 6-day work week when traveling internationally; international travel days are included in LOE. Billing of seven consecutive work days is not allowed.

Requirements

? MBA

? 10 years + of International Capital Markets Regulatory experience (outside of Africa); preferably international;

? 5 years + of experience working in Africa

? 5 years + of work in the capital markets, outside of regulation desired

Details

Experience:

Senior Level

Sector:

Location:

Accra, Ghana, Ghana

Closing date:

31 August 2017