Financial Literacy Officer

Position: Financial Literacy Officer

Location: Nakapiripirit, Uganda

Job Summary:

The Financial Literacy Officer will support the implementation of financial literacy and basic financial inclusion interventions under the emergency Food Security project. The position will strengthen the capacity of targeted households, particularly vulnerable women and other at-risk groups, to make informed financial decisions, manage household resources, plan expenditure and use financial services safely and responsibly.

The Officer will facilitate practical financial literacy sessions and provide follow-up support to beneficiaries to promote responsible use of cash assistance, household financial planning, savings practices and improved financial decision-making. The position will work closely with the Emergency Project Manager, Cash Assistants, MEAL team, community structures and relevant financial service providers.

A. Financial Literacy Planning and Delivery

• Support the development of a practical financial literacy implementation plan aligned with project objectives and beneficiary needs.
• Facilitate financial literacy sessions for targeted households and community groups.
• Deliver training on household budgeting, expenditure prioritization, savings, responsible borrowing and basic financial planning.
• Promote informed decision-making on the use of cash assistance, taking into account household priorities and protection considerations.
• Adapt training approaches and materials to local languages, literacy levels and community contexts.
• Use participatory and inclusive methodologies to encourage the active involvement of women, men, youth and persons with disabilities.

B. Household Financial Planning and Behaviour Change

• Support beneficiaries to develop simple household budgets and expenditure plans.
• Promote responsible saving habits and practical approaches to managing irregular household income.
• Strengthen beneficiaries' understanding of the benefits, costs and risks associated with financial products and services.
• Promote safe and responsible use of mobile money and other available financial services, where applicable.
• Encourage equitable household financial decision-making and constructive dialogue between women and men on the use of household resources.
• Provide follow-up guidance to beneficiaries to reinforce the application of financial literacy knowledge in daily household decisions.

C. Financial Inclusion and Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and maintain working relationships with relevant financial service providers, savings groups and community-based structures.
• Support beneficiaries to understand available formal and informal financial services and the requirements for accessing them.
• Promote awareness of financial consumer protection, fraud prevention, transaction safety and responsible borrowing.
• Identify barriers preventing vulnerable households from accessing financial services and share recommendations with project management.
• Refer beneficiaries to appropriate financial service providers or support structures where relevant and appropriate.

D. Training and Capacity Building

• Identify financial literacy training needs among targeted beneficiaries.
• Prepare training schedules, participant lists and session materials in coordination with project teams.
• Facilitate training for community groups and relevant local structures.
• Support the capacity development of Cash Assistants and community facilitators on basic financial literacy messages, where required.
• Conduct follow-up visits to assess beneficiaries' understanding and application of financial literacy concepts.

E. Monitoring, Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate records of training sessions, participants, topics covered and follow-up activities.
• Track progress against agreed financial literacy indicators and targets.
• Collect beneficiary feedback and document emerging challenges, success stories and lessons learned.
• Prepare timely activity reports and contribute to project progress and donor reporting.
• Coordinate with the MEAL team to monitor changes in beneficiary knowledge, attitudes and financial management practices.

F. Accountability and Safeguarding

• Ensure financial literacy activities are inclusive, gender-sensitive and accessible to vulnerable groups.
• Maintain confidentiality of beneficiary information and financial records.
• Promote awareness of available complaints and feedback mechanisms.
• Adhere to organisational safeguarding, PSEA, anti-fraud and code-of-conduct policies.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are not pressured to join savings groups, take loans or use specific financial products.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Financial Inclusion, Development Studies, Community Development or a related field.
• At least three years of relevant experience in financial literacy, community development, financial inclusion, savings group programming or livelihoods interventions in Karamoja.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating community-based training and adult learning sessions.
• Knowledge of household budgeting, savings, responsible borrowing and basic financial services.
• Experience working with vulnerable households, women and community groups.
• Experience in cash-based assistance or humanitarian programming is an added advantage.
• Fluency in English and knowledge of local languages spoken in the project area is desirable.

• Strong facilitation, training and communication skills.
• Ability to translate financial concepts into simple, practical messages.
• Good interpersonal and community mobilization skills.
• Strong organisational and reporting abilities.
• Gender-sensitive and inclusive approach to community engagement.
• Integrity, confidentiality and commitment to accountability.