Advisor –Digital Financial/ Banking Products and Services

CARE International in Pakistan

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Posted date	13th September, 2024	Last date to apply	24th September, 2024
Country	Pakistan	Locations	Islamabad
Category	Development Sector
Type	Contractual	Position	1

CARE is a leading global humanitarian and development organization. Since its establishment in 2005, CARE Pakistan (CP) has been responding to major disasters and undertaking an array of development projects. CP works through its local partners and a range of stakeholders for development, as well as emergency response-related interventions, which makes collaboration a key component of its work, across the country.

Job Summary

To unlock the power of entrepreneurs worldwide, CARE and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (the Center) launched the Ignite program in 2020 with funding from the Mastercard Impact Fund. This global partnership dramatically accelerated the growth of enterprises while advancing financial security and promoting inclusive growth. Recognizing that female entrepreneurs represent one of the most powerful – and one of the most constrained – groups of entrepreneurs, Ignite prioritized actions that helped women thrive with resounding success.

Identification of proven model that delivers meaningful financial inclusion for Women-led Micro and Small Enterprises (W-MSEs), which aligns with Financial Services Provider (FSP) incentives and drives sustainable business outcomes, CARE and the Center are well positioned to deepen and scale impact through the next phase of programming called Strive Women.

The program will directly improve the financial health of W-MSEs by increasing business growth and financial resilience while also catalyzing replication of the model through strategic engagement and influence. CIP aims to support striver entrepreneurs (micro and small businesses with at least 2 employees) by improving their access to finance and encouraging them to use digital tools such as mobile wallets, and marketing platforms to grow their businesses. The program is anticipated to be implemented in Punjab, KP, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan.

In order to implement this program CIP is seeking a Advisor –Digital Financial/Banking Products & Services with a strong background designing digital financial products and services. The selected individual will play key role of technical expert on digital financial inclusion and will support the Senior Project Manager in different program activities leading towards supporting women entrepreneurs through digital financial inclusion initiatives. The Advisor –Digital Financial/Banking Products & Services will work together with a highly motivated program team with 5-7 other members contributing to connected program areas on enterprise development, research and communications.Incumbent must have understanding of the methodology of women centered product design and can facilitate the workshops with FSPs.

The position will be based at CARE Country Office Islamabad with frequent travel (30%) to the field. The position requires working outside of business hours to coordinate with colleagues in other countries and across time zones.

Job Responsibilities and Tasks

1 - Technical Support and Guidance: (70% of Time)

Conduct mappings of the current market in Pakistan for financial products and services (credit, savings, insurance and other types) to understand the availability and usage of financial products and services and gaps in serving women entrepreneurs.
Identify market entry points for financial products to better serve women-led micro and small enterprises (W-MSEs).
Well aware of Women Centered Design methodology and can facilitate the workshops with FSPs.
Collaborate with leading and innovative Financial Service Providers (FSPs) and explore partnerships options.
Collaborate with FSPs to co-design (ideate, prototype and implement) tailored products and services specifically targeted at women entrepreneurs, considering digital solutions.
Lead meetings and facilitate workshops with FSPs using a women-centered design approach to provide advisory services for FSPs to optimize their portfolio design to effectively serve the W-MSE segment and adapt or develop new financial services and products.
Work closely with FSPs to monitor and analyze the delivery of new and adapted financial products and services, including their promotion.
Run experimental trials of product innovations on childcare and green business and document insights and learnings.
Engage in activities with FSPs and other stakeholders to create an enabling environment for the growth and success of W-MSEs.
Stay updated with industry trends and best practices to continuously improve digital financial services for W-MSEs, including payment switching and mobile wallets. Communicate this information to a range of technical and non-technical audiences.
Contribute insights to Strive Women Program team on behavior change campaigns to address barriers such as limited access to childcare, environmental insecurity, climate change, and restrictive formal or informal rules that hinder the autonomy of women leading MSEs.
Work with communication team to develop a suite of resources, including media and marketing materials, to enable replication of successful models by FSPs, W-MSEs, and other stakeholders.
Represent the project in key stakeholder events and platforms to enhance the visibility of project performance and evidence.

2 - Reporting and Resource Mobilization: (20% of Time)

Work in close coordination and provide support to Senior Project Manager in maintaining updates on program implementation, in particular through updated and accurate monthly progress reports as required by CARE.
Provide support to Senior Project Manager by writing technical reports according to government requirements and requirements of the donor.
Contribute and provide insights into fundraising efforts related to the scope of economic empowerment.
Regularly coordinate with partners, visit partner office and program sites on monthly basis (additional visits as essential) and conduct partners’ review meetings on quarterly basis.

3- Other responsibilities as assigned (5% of time)

Any other tasks or responsibilities based on organizational and programming needs as assigned by the Line Manager.

A) Qualifications (Know How)

Required

5- Other responsibilities as assigned (5% of time)

Any other tasks or responsibilities based on organizational and programming needs as assigned by the Line Manager.

A) Qualifications (Know How)

Required

Degree in business management, Banking, Finance, Economics, International Development, or comparable academic qualification; Product development and design thinking training is strongly preferred.

B) Experience/ Technical Skills

8 years plus experience working with FSPs, MFBs and MFIs in the digital financial services and products departments.
Diverse experience of designing solutions for social and financial inclusion for the underserved and unbanked segments of populations, especially women. Key areas include product development, innovation, experimentation, market-based research and policy recommendations.
Passionate about entrepreneurship and market-based solutions to financial inclusion and entrepreneurship.
Demonstrated experience championing gender equality.
Understanding of donor financial management and compliance requirements.
Strong management and communication skills: must be able to provide clear direction and feedback to team; must be able to establish realistic objectives, know how to measure them and set/corrective course as needed.
Strong research, analysis, and presentation skills.
Fluency in written and spoken English.
Pro-active attitude with a proven ability to engage with multiple teams.

CARE participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from the candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Note: Individuals can apply using Brightspyre or send their resumes directly to [email protected] clearly mentioning the position title in the subject line of the email, before the stated deadline. Please share your current as well as salary expectations along with the CV.