Enterprise Diagnostics & Access to Finance Expert

Enterprise Diagnostics & Access to Finance Expert
Support Strategies for Scaling Ukrainian Refugee-Owned MSMEs in Poland
Location: Poland
Status: Proposal

Please note: Candidates must be authorized to live and work full-time in Poland

Project Info:

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is seeking consultancy services to support refugee-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) established in Poland by Ukrainian nationals displaced since the full-scale invasion of February 2022. The assignment will deliver entrepreneurship education, mentoring, business development counseling/coaching, and business matchmaking to a minimum of 300 beneficiary enterprises, to drive measurable growth outcomes – increased turnover, job creation, market penetration, digitalization, compliance, and integration into EU and Ukrainian value chains. IDG is assembling a core team – comprising, at minimum, a Team Lead and an Enterprise Diagnostics & Access to Finance Expert – to deliver this program under a Framework Agreement with EBRD.

The Position:

The Enterprise Diagnostics & Access to Finance Expert leads diagnostics of beneficiary enterprises' financial maturity and financial management for growth and drives delivery of access-to-finance and grant support – including practical tools and templates and one-to-one investment/loan-readiness coaching. This role works closely with the Team Lead and directly with MSME owners/managers to convert diagnostic findings into prioritized, actionable growth and financing roadmaps.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Financial and enterprise diagnostics: Conduct structured MSME diagnostics across business model, operations, financial performance, market positioning, and digital maturity to identify key constraints to growth.
• Financial management training and advisory: Deliver training and advisory on financial management, unit economics, cash flow forecasting, budgeting, working capital, pricing, and profitability improvement.
• Diagnostic-to-action translation: Translate diagnostic findings into clear, prioritized, and practical recommendations, supporting enterprises to define realistic improvement and growth roadmaps.
• Access to finance support: Support MSMEs to access commercial bank finance (loan readiness, documentation, credit story), microfinance/leasing and alternative finance (including crowdfunding where relevant), and grant applications (narratives, budgets, eligibility, compliance).
• Tool development: Build practical tools such as financial model templates, grant budget templates, lender checklists, and pitch-deck structures for beneficiary use.
• Ecosystem engagement: Engage banks, microfinance institutions, and leasing companies, and facilitate introductions between beneficiary enterprises and finance providers.
• One-to-one coaching: Deliver 1:1 finance coaching to MSME owners/managers, with strong facilitation skills and confidentiality/data discipline; challenge assumptions constructively and present conclusions clearly in written reports and verbal briefings.
• Reporting: Contribute financial and diagnostic inputs to periodic evaluation reports and the final report, in coordination with the Team Lead.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience: 10–15+ years in SME finance, banking (SME lending), investment readiness, corporate finance, or advisory; at least 5 years supporting MSMEs with funding applications and financial planning.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct structured MSME diagnostics across business model, operations, financial performance, market positioning, and digital maturity.
• Practical experience supporting MSMEs to access commercial bank finance, microfinance/leasing, alternative finance, and grant funding.
• Strong familiarity with creditworthiness assessment and the typical constraints faced by refugee-owned businesses (limited credit history, documentation gaps, language barriers).
• Proven ability to engage effectively with MSME owners/managers, facilitate discussions, and present diagnostic conclusions clearly in written and verbal form.
• Ability to build practical financial and access-to-finance tools (templates, checklists, pitch-deck structures).
• Experience engaging banks, MFIs, and leasing companies, and facilitating introductions on behalf of client enterprises.

Required Language Skills:

• English: C1/C2.
• Polish: B2–C1 preferred (ability to navigate the local finance ecosystem is valuable).
• Ukrainian: B1–B2 desirable (for 1:1 finance coaching and trust-building with beneficiary entrepreneurs).

Additional Desirable Skills:

• Strong 1:1 coaching skills, with attention to confidentiality and data discipline.
• Familiarity with the Poland/EU regulatory and tax environment as it affects MSME financing decisions.
• Experience working with displacement-affected or migrant entrepreneurs.