FSD Ethiopia looks for eligible bidders to enhance the leadership competencies of women managers in Ethiopia's financial sector via training in gender-transformative leadership

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy Service to provide training on Gender Transformative Leadership

1. Introduction

While progress has been made, full realization of Ethiopia's financial sector potential requires greater focus on gender parity. Women continue to face obstacles impeding participation and career progression within financial institutions. Representations of females in leadership roles and board appointments currently fall short of the National Bank of Ethiopia's targets. This constrained representation curtails opportunities for women and undermines the overall efficacy and inclusiveness of the system.

Through its WE-FILL programme, the Financial Sector Deepening Ethiopia implements interventions to foster women's leadership. The programme aims to strengthen female leadership skills and influence the sector to champion career development through a gender- sensitive approach. Therefore, FSD Ethiopia is seeking a consultancy firm to provide training on gender transformative leadership. The firm will prepare and deliver a presentation and training tailored to women managers in Financial Service Providers.

2. About FSD Ethiopia

FSD Ethiopia is a development agency established in 2021 that aims to support accessible, inclusive and sustainable financial markets in Ethiopia. It works to identify factors contributing to financial system failures and enable participants to address constraints.

FSD Ethiopia provides technical assistance and research insights to policymakers, regulators and market actors. It partners with public, private and development stakeholders to facilitate change allowing effective, transparent, stable and inclusive financial systems. FSDE helps diverse stakeholders achieve their goals and intervenes to improve how Ethiopia's financial sector functions inclusively.

More about FSD Ethiopia's work can be found at www.fsdethiopia.org.

 3. Rational

The gender gap in leadership positions within Ethiopia's financial sector is significantly high. According to a 2024 World Bank study. while 26 of 30 commercial banks have at least one female board member, women hold only 15% of board positions and 12.5% of senior management roles on average. More broadly, women constitute 26% of the financial sector workforce but only 19% are in decision-making roles.
This underrepresentation indicates a need to address structural barriers preventing women's advancement. Raising women's voices. leadership, and representation helps advance financial inclusion. Evidence shows increased women's leadership builds sustainable, resilient systems and correlates with better performance and gender inclusivity. With women in decision-making, more inclusive decisions are made.
Therefore, equipping female decision-makers with gender-oriented technical and leadership skills is vital. Empowering women in these roles boosts confidence and ability to drive broader financial inclusion.

 4. Objective of the assignment

The overall objective is to enhance leadership competencies of women managers in Ethiopia's financial sector via training in gender transformative leadership.

Specific objectives:

• Equip female managers with skills in communication, negotiation, conflict management and public speaking to influence decision- making within their organizations.
• Raise awareness of gender challenges and develop strategies to overcome barriers, fostering a gender-transformative mindset.
• Provide tools to support driving organizational change towards greater gender equality and inclusivity.
• Establish an evaluation framework to assess the impact of training on participants' growth and ability to implement gender-sensitive practices.

5. Scope of work

The firm will deliver gender transformative leadership training in three phases to different groups: senior leaders, potential board members, and middle managers.

Task 1: Conduct pre-training assessments to identify skill gaps and tailor training.

Task 2: Develop presentations on topics like leadership, competencies, mentoring, and strategies for driving change.

Task 3: Deliver training focused on communication, conflict management, negotiation and public speaking. Address gender challenges, barriers and tools for change.

Task 4: Create an evaluation framework to assess growth in applying skills.

Training contents will include: defining leadership; competencies like confidence and decision-making; strategies for organizational assessment, policies and engaging allies; and addressing sexual harassment.

6. Methodology

The Consultancy firm should propose their methodology for this assignment in line with the expected scope of work and deliverables. The approach should be convincingly and clearly laid out in the bidder's proposal and must address the Scope of Work above.

7. Requirements of the Vendor's Technical Team

The vendor's technical team must meet the following requirements:

• Team Leader/Manager: Master's degree in fields like leadership, gender studies or organizational development. Minimum 10 years experience developing gender-focused leadership programs.
• Senior Trainer: BSc/BA in leadership or related field from a recognized university, with 5 years relevant experience.
• Experience developing and facilitating high-impact training for senior officials and management teams.
• Expertise designing and delivering curricula that address barriers and drive institutional change.
• Understanding of challenges and opportunities for women's advancement to leadership roles, especially in finance.
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation and knowledge management for leadership development.
• Gender balanced team composition is required.

8. Submission Requirements

FSD Ethiopia invites proposals from qualified service providers. Proposals should contain:

• Description of understanding of the assignment objectives and roles. Methods and contents for assessment and framework.
• Consultant qualifications and relevant experience, including a CV.
• At least 3 references highlighting experience relevant to this RFP.
• Expected remuneration including expenses and taxes.
• List of deliverables and any new inputs.
• Proposed timeline including milestones.
• Summary of how the provider meets skills and qualifications for this project, and experience working with FSD Ethiopia.

9. Financial Proposal

a. Itemized budget for fees and reimbursable expenses with rates, days, and expense details.

b. FSD Ethiopia will pay after tax withholding as required by Ethiopian law. The contractor is responsible for understanding applicable taxes.

10. Reporting
The consultant will report directly to the Gender Lead or designee, and to the CEO of FSD Ethiopia regarding the contract.

11. How to apply

Interested candidates must first review the Terms of Reference (TOR) available on the FSD Ethiopia website under procurement opportunities before submitting technical and financial proposals separately via email to bids@fsdethiopia.org  by 12:00 hrs East African Time (EAT) on October 13, 2024. The subject line should read "Proposal: Providing Training on Gender Transformative Leadership". Any questions or comments regarding these TOR should be directed. to bids@fsdethiopia.org .
The TOR can be accessed at: https://fsdethiopia.org/procurement-opportunities/