Digital Financial Inclusion Expert

नेपाल अपाङ्ग महिला संघ 

Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA)

Kalopul, Kathmandu |www.ndwa.org

Terms of Reference (TOR)

1. Background

Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA) is a leading organization of women with disabilities in Nepal working to promote disability rights, inclusion, gender equality, accessibility, dignity, and social justice. NDWA has extensive experience in inclusive education, economic empowerment, advocacy, research, humanitarian response, and disability-inclusive programming across Nepal. 

Through the project "Strengthening Disability-Inclusive Digital Financial Services for Women with Disabilities in Humanitarian and Development Contexts in Nepal," funded by UN World Food Programme (WFP), NDWA aims to improve the accessibility, inclusion, and usability of digital financial systems for persons with disabilities, especially women and girls with disabilities. In its Digital Financial Inclusion (DFI) initiative, NDWA seeks to leverage digital payment systems and financial tools to expand access to economic resources for vulnerable populations, including those receiving Cash-Based Transfers (CBT).

Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and their caregivers face compounding barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance including physical, informational, communicative, and attitudinal barriers. Ensuring meaningful inclusion of PwDs in digital financial systems requires dedicated technical expertise, intentional program design, and continuous engagement with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), government counterparts, and financial service providers (FSPs).

NDWA is therefore seeking a Digital Financial Inclusion Expert to lead the DFI initiative and ensure all related activities together with Disability Inclusion Expert.

2. Purpose of the Assignment

The Digital Financial Inclusion Expert will lead disability-inclusive digital financial inclusion initiative by analyzing Nepal’s DFI ecosystem, shaping inclusive solutions that works for Persons with Disabilities within Cash Based Transfer (CBT) and broader Digital Financial Service channels, and converting evidence into actional programme design, guidance and practical literacy materials ensuring that all analysis, design, engagement, content, and dissemination are accessible, inclusive, ethical, locally contextualized, and technically sound. The Expert will collaborate closely with OPDs, financial service providers, CBT actors, and government counterparts to guarantee meaningful participation and ownership, while also managing planning, implementation, coordination, documentation, and reporting. The Expert will lead the project activities with technical leadership of Disability Inclusion Expert in the matters related to disability inclusion.

Key deliverables will be the technical design and implementation of a disability-inclusive digital financial inclusion assessment, including survey tool development, data collection, and validation to generate reliable evidence for actionable program design, guidance, and practical literacy materials. The Expert will analyze barriers, risks, opportunities, and enabling factors in digital financial services for persons with disabilities and translate findings into actionable programme design. They will also support the development of accessible and practical digital financial literacy tools and guidance materials aligned with national and international standards. Ultimately, the Expert will promote barriers free meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in digital financial systems and humanitarian cash-based programming in Nepal.

3. Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

3.1 Evidence Generation 

• Lead the Digital Financial Inclusion workstream within the DFI initiative.
• Conduct a comprehensive context analysis of Nepal’s digital financial inclusion landscape, with particular focus on accessibility, usability, and inclusiveness of digital financial services (DFS), including cash-based transfers (CBT) working closely with the Disability Inclusion Expert.
• Apply inclusive and participatory research approaches, ensuring active engagement of persons with disabilities and OPDs to capture the lived experiences of persons with disabilities in accessing, understanding, and utilizing digital financial services.
• Identify systemic, institutional, operational, and behavioural barriers that limit equitable participation of persons with disabilities in digital financial ecosystems, including regulatory, technological, and service delivery constraints.
• Map key stakeholders and existing initiatives in digital finance and disability inclusion, analyzing gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for strengthening inclusive practices.
• Synthesize evidence into actionable recommendations to guide the design of targeted, contextually relevant interventions that address real-world challenges faced by persons with disabilities.
• Ensure that all evidence generation processes are inclusive and participatory, engaging Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and diverse disability groups throughout the research process.
• Produce high-quality analytical reports that clearly articulate findings, barriers, opportunities, and strategic entry points for advancing inclusive digital financial services in Nepal.
• Ensure all recommendations are practical and actionable for cash-based transfer programming including other  humanitarian actors, and relevant government institutions.

3.2 Development of Actionable Action Plan for Inclusive Digital Financial Programme 

• Develop an Actionable Activities Matrix that outlines prioritized interventions, clear implementation pathways, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and measurable indicators to operationalize disability-inclusive DFI.
• Formulate concrete, context-specific recommendations for designing and delivering inclusive digital financial services (DFS), including cash-based transfer (CBT) mechanisms, tailored to the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
• Identify strategies to strengthen enabling environments, including policy, institutional, technological, and partnership dimensions that promote accessibility, usability, and equity in digital financial ecosystems.
• Facilitate participatory validation of the action plan with key stakeholders, including Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), service providers, and implementing partners, to ensure relevance, ownership, and feasibility.
• Represent NDWA in relevant digital financial inclusion forums at local, provincial, and national levels.

3.3 Capacity Strengthening 

• Co-develop clear, accessible guidance for conducting FGDs and KIIs with persons with disabilities and OPDs ensuring all engagement processes adhere to ethical standards, safeguarding principles, and inclusive practices. 
• Integrate accessible communication methods and inclusive facilitation techniques in all data collection tools.
• Codesign tailored financial literacy content for persons with disabilities and their caregivers, addressing diverse needs and barriers. 
• Ensure materials are accessible (e.g., simplified language, audio-visual formats, assistive technologies) and culturally appropriate. 
• Propose inclusive delivery mechanisms, including community-based and accessible digital platforms where feasible. 
• Ensure that programme design integrates universal design principles and accessibility standards, embedding inclusion across the full programme cycle—from outreach and enrolment to service delivery and grievance mechanisms.

3.4 Stakeholder Engagement and Dissemination

• Design and conduct structured consultations with government agencies, financial service providers (FSPs), OPDs, and implementing partners to gather inputs, validate findings, and foster dialogue.
• Integrate inclusive and accessible approaches in all engagement processes, ensuring persons with disabilities can participate effectively through appropriate accommodations and communication methods.
• Lead the presentation of key findings and proposed recommendations, ensuring they are clearly communicated, contextually relevant, and refined through stakeholder feedback.
• Plan and facilitate a dissemination event at federal level to share results, promote discussion, and build consensus on priorities for advancing disability-inclusive digital financial inclusion.
• Support alignment of stakeholder priorities, encourage shared accountability, and document commitments to advance a coordinated and forward-looking roadmap for inclusive digital financial ecosystems in Nepal.

3.5. Coordination, Documentation and Reporting

• Lead the planning, coordination, and implementation of all assigned activities in line with agreed workplans, timelines, and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain detailed implementation plans, activity schedules, and keep track of progress. 
• Regular coordination with NDWA focal point, as well as WFP focal point, to ensure integrated implementation.
• Produce Case Studies/ Testimonies, consisting of anonymized narratives illustrating lived experiences, opportunities, and barriers related to digital financial inclusion.

4. Qualifications and Experience

4.1. Education

• Master’s degree in disciplines: Development Economics, Finance or Financial Information Systems, Digital Innovation / Digital Technologies, 
• Financial Technology (FinTech), Computer Science, Data Science and Analytics, Quantitative Economics & Financial Engineering, Law and Financial Regulation, and Behavioral Finance, Management and Information System or related field.

4.2. Work Experience

• At least 6 years of work experience in Digital Financial Inclusion with good understanding of broader digital financial service channels and that work for persons with disabilities in terms of access, usability, affordability and accountability.
• Demonstrated knowledge and operational experience in implementing protection programming, disability-responsive programming, or equivalent.
• Experience working with UN Agencies and/or humanitarian/development programs is a strong added value.
• Practical experience in Cash-Based Transfers (CBT) and/or digital financial inclusion programming is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with financial service provider landscapes, digital payment systems, or fintech ecosystems in humanitarian/development contexts is an advantage.

4.3. Technical Competencies

• Strong expertise in Digital Financial Services (DFS) including mobile money, digital payments, agent banking, and fintech ecosystems.
• Experience integrating disability inclusion into digital systems, including use of assistive technologies and disability-disaggregated data tools (e.g., Washington Group Questions). Ability to design and deliver accessible financial and digital literacy initiatives
• Capacity to produce technical guidance, tools, and training materials on inclusive DFS.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards and universal design principles (e.g., WCAG) and application to digital platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct needs assessments, barrier analyses, and design inclusive program frameworks.

4.4. Core Competencies and Skills

• Strong analytical and report-writing skills with the ability to produce high-quality outputs for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and negotiation skills across diverse actors (UN, government, civil society, private sector).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, complex humanitarian environment.
• Strong planning, coordination, and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Commitment to the rights-based approach and humanitarian principles, with sensitivity to the needs of marginalized groups.

4.5. Languages

• Fluency in both Nepali and English (written and spoken) is required.
• Proficiency in the local language(s) of the duty station is a strong advantage.

5. Working Conditions and Ethical Standards

• The Expert is expected to adhere to NDWA's Code of Conduct, humanitarian principles, and the UN system-wide standards on disability inclusion.
• All activities shall be conducted in a manner that respects the dignity, autonomy, and rights of Persons with Disabilities and their caregivers.
• Do No Harm principles must be embedded in all engagement with PwDs, OPDs, and other vulnerable groups.
• Data collected on and from PwDs must comply with NDWA data protection and privacy policies and applicable national legislation of Nepal.

6. Application Requirements

Interested candidates should submit the following:

• Updated curriculum vitae (CV) detailing relevant experience.
• Cover letter (maximum two pages) demonstrating suitability for the role, highlighting disability inclusion expertise and DFI/CBT experience.
• Submission of at least two relevant writing samples (previously completed or published as analytical/research reports, policy and operational documents, guidelines, or assessments reports etc) demonstrating similar work, particularly in the area of digital financial inclusion, will be considered an added advantage. Contact details for at least three professional references.

NDWA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage applications from women with disabilities, persons with disabilities, and individuals from underrepresented communities. NDWA has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.