Change Management Advisor

Change Management Advisor

Background  

The USAID Caribbean Business Enabling Environment Reform Activity (CBEE-R) is a three-year regional project in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean (ESC) that aims to assist 10 ESC countries to develop an improved enabling environment for resilient business and investment and engage the private sector in policy assessment, development, and implementation.  Those 10 ESC countries include the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Research has shown a positive correlation between access to finance and economic growth. Where firms have access to finance, they are better able to expand their activities, create jobs and innovate. However, entrepreneurs and businesses' access to finance hinges on a myriad of investment climate factors, including those related to business’ suitability for accessing credit. 

Access to finance in Grenada is likely to be positively impacted by the establishment of a secured transaction framework, inclusive of a collateral registry.  The ECCB is spearheading the implementation of a Secured Transactions Framework across the ECCU region.  Via a cabinet decision in March 2024, the Government of Grenada approved a proposal from the Ministry of Finance to implement a STF in Grenada.  The reform is intended to improve access to finance by providing the legal basis on which financial institutions can accept moveable property as collateral for loans and other lending instruments.  For entrepreneurs and small businesses, the lack of immovable property such as land and buildings hindered access to finance.  Beyond this, a STF allows financial institutions to better assess the risk of extending credit to a wider range of clients and offers increased transparency as they can verify whether moveable assets have been pledged against debts and have concrete information on the order of priority of claims. 

USAID CBEE-R is supporting Grenada with the development of secured transactions policy and legislation.  As with any reform, it is expected that the reform will have consequences for different key stakeholders.  These stakeholders will be among the first to use the new secured transactions registration system and will have a keen vested interest in the process.   Additionally, through their actions, they will have significant capacity to facilitate implementation of the secured transactions registry system. Ensuring that these key stakeholders are well-informed regarding the process and the potential benefits to them; and that they are among the first to know of the changes, will help instill an ownership of the process and foster acceptance and support for the system. 

Objective

The Change Management Advisor will work with the Ministry of Finance to deliver change management communications interventions to raise public awareness, and elicit support for the key issues, principles and objectives of this financial sector reform in Grenada; cultivate an understanding of the need for improved access to finance, which is crucial for economic growth and advancing public and private sector development; and foster acceptance of the new secured transactions registry system. 

These change management interventions will take the form of workshops/ awareness sessions which aim to ensure that the end users of the secured transactions registry system understand the benefits of the new system, how they will be impacted by the reform and the mitigation measures to ensure that any potential negative impact of the reform is minimized.

This position is short-term, and the level of effort will be 30 days within a six-month period. The Change Management Advisor will report to the CBEE-R Chief of Party.

Job Description: 

The Change Management Advisor will:

    a. Review the secured transactions policy to understand the main changes that will be occasioned by the reform and identify the key stakeholders that will be affected by the reform and in what ways; 

    b. Develop a change management plan to support the STF reform process;

    c. Deliver stakeholder workshops to key stakeholders to explain the rationale and benefits of the proposed changes and address any concerns or resistance to change.  These stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

        ◦ Banks;

        ◦ Credit unions;

        ◦ Leasing companies

        ◦ Micro-finance agencies;

        ◦ The legal fraternity;

        ◦ Private sector associations

    d. Contribute to the planning of stakeholder workshops; and

    e. Undertake any other assignments as required to successfully achieve the deliverables.

Qualifications

The candidate shall have the following experience and qualifications:

    • Bachelor's degree in business, organizational behavior, or a related field; 

    • 3+ years of experience in change management, communications, or a related field;  

    • A track of success in being able to communicate with government officials and the public in town hall style meetings and roundtable discussions; 

    • Knowledge of change management methodologies, tools, and techniques; 

    • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a track record of success in the ability to effectively engage with government officials and employees at all levels of the organization; 

    • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; 

    • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail; 

    • Proven communication and presentation skills; and 

    • Ability to handle multiple tasks, coordinate effectively with others, and meet time-driven deadlines. 

Deliverables:

    • Inception Report detailing the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, approach to the assignment and timelines for completion;

    • Change Management Plan;

    • Stakeholder awareness workshops and events;

    • Brief Final Report which identifies the interventions delivered; remaining areas of concern, if any, and any recommendations on further work to be undertaken.