Gender (Finance) Expert

Project title: Morocco—Decarbonisation and Climate Resilience Framework

Morocco Decarbonisation and Climate Resilience (MCDR) Framework works to provide financing for on-lending by participating financial institutions to small, medium-sized, and larger enterprises seeking to finance sustainable energy, resource efficiency, and climate resilience technologies.

MDCR consists of two facilities—Morocco GEFF III and the Morocco Mid-size GEFF (MidGEFF)—which provide financing of up to €150 million and €250 million, respectively. GEFFs, or Green Economy Financing Facilities, are European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) facilities dedicated to providing financing for banks, microfinance institutions, leasing companies, and other institutions that will in turn use that funding to finance investments in green tech and services supporting the green energy transition.

The MDCR Framework expands on earlier EBRD programs in this space—such as MorSEFF, GEFF II, and the Morocco Green Value Chains Project—by including initiatives such as water saving, desalination, circular economy, biomass, and green buildings. The MidGEFF Facility will also extend the reach of financing to larger Moroccan businesses and clients, supporting individual projects of up to €15 million or 20 MW.

Activities

• Build financial institutions' training capacity in gender-responsive green economy investment.
• Assist financial institutions in promoting the Framework and maximizing number of sub-loans and other green finance operations.
• Strengthen financial institutions' capacity to appraise larger projects for MidGEFF; support the preparation and financing of these projects.
• Develop a green finance product tailored to the financial institution client base.
• Create and deliver training for women-led businesses on financial literacy and green finance and technologies.

Job title: Gender (Finance) Expert

DAI is looking for Gender Experts in Morocco, specialised in working with financing institutions and women-led and owned MSMEs to enhance financial inclusion within the scope of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Green Economy Financing Facilities (GEFFs), aimed at financing renewable energy, energy and resource efficiency technologies.

The gender-responsive GEFF Framework's approach to fostering green economy investments acknowledges that women play a pivotal role in driving change while recognising that the disproportionate barriers women face hinder their effective participation in climate solutions. In Morocco, women are marginalised within a handful of select sectors where they rely almost entirely on self-financing and access to bank loans is not readily obtainable. To address this, the programme will build PFIs' capacity on gender-responsive green finance and engage with potential Sub-borrowers to raise awareness and knowledge of green finance and technologies.

The Gender Expert will work to implement and lead the gender mainstreaming activities as part of the programme, in close coordination with the rest of the team.

Key activities include:

• Conduct a country-level gender baseline assessment, including primary and secondary research, on women and men's:
• (a) awareness of climate change risks,
• (b) differentiated needs, priorities, vulnerabilities to climate change as well as coping strategies, including a selection of energy efficient technologies; and
• (c) obstacles to access finance for the adoption of energy efficient technologies, both, with a focus on accessing finance as well as non-financial needs such as knowhow, networks and other key barriers (such as technological, sectoral or geo-graphical barriers) this group might face when looking to invest into green technologies;
• Mainstream gender in the marketing, communications, and awareness raising activities of the programme to ensure equitable access to climate finance;
• Develop and deliver select trainings to participating financial institutions and potential women sub-borrowers;
• Promote the gender activities within the facility at select events and workshops.

Key qualifications for the gender experts include:

• Strong knowledge of inclusion and gender issues related to financial inclusion and non-financial services and product innovations, policy regulatory frameworks;
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience working on gender issues ideally on women's entrepreneurship and women's access to finance, climate change, development, microfinance or SME finance;
• Experience in business advisory, capacity building and training programme development with a focus on entrepreneurship and inclusive MSME;
• Experience in the EBRD's projects with local financial institutions would be an advantage;
• Fluent English and French language skills.

Interested candidates should apply by 22 September 2025.

Candidates will be reviewed on rolling basis until suitable profile is identified.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted by email to discuss the assignment in more detail.