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I. Job Summary

CARE began its operations in Pakistan, as a multi-mandate organization, working for both longer-term development opportunities as well as supporting the most vulnerable communities in times of humanitarian crises. Since its establishment, CARE International in Pakistan (CIP) has worked across all parts of the country- from the hardest to reach areas to urban metropolises. CARE engages with private sector partners, government, and local communities to promote women’s economic empowerment with a particular focus on entrepreneurship development, financial inclusion, strengthening inclusive value chains, and increasing employability skills. Our approach goes beyond a singular focus on income generation to holistically promoting empowerment by focusing on strengthening women and girls’ education, confidence, negotiation skills and fostering an enabling environment that is free from gender based violence (GVB) in the world of work (especially sexual harassment and other gender biases. 

In light of the entrepreneurial milieu in Pakistan, CIP aims to support striver entrepreneurs (businesses with at least 3 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. In order to implement this project, amongst other positions, CIP is seeking a financial sector expert with a strong background in managing digital financial projects to undertake all aspects of project management including donor reporting. The selected individual will lead the interface with partners, vendors and key stakeholders to produce research, define infrastructure requirements, manage product development, and develop strategies to communicate the importance of financial inclusion to selected beneficiaries, with an overall aim to help them grow. The individual will serve as an in-house technical expert on the project and will be expected to shape, implement and influence the project activities and deliverables.  Furthermore, the individual will support the senior management in identifying and developing local technology collaboration and partnerships that will be critical in shaping the team’s understanding of financial inclusion landscape and adoption of credit tools by strivers in Pakistan.

II. Job Description

  • Undertake effective project management and timely collaboration between IPs, vendors and various internal stakeholders; ensuring end-to-end implementation and deployment of financial services solutions for strivers.
  • Spearhead strategy development and utilize managerial tools and frameworks to improve the ability of the team to successfully and sustainably achieve project goals.
  • Provide day-to-day leadership to team: hiring, setting and tracking objectives, obtaining resources, overseeing task completion; and reporting progress, accomplishments and hurdles for successful implementation of the project.
  • Oversee and manage project’s budget and performance to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of funds.
  • Facilitate the development of the project’s evolving theory of change, oversee the implementation of the work plan, and track progress towards core indicators and learning objectives.
  • Work with partners for design, development and help implement financial inclusion focused interventions.
  • Coordinate research initiatives involving the adoption of financial tools by low and middle income groups.
  • Oversee analysis of the collected data, and address emerging questions, deriving insights that are relevant to market development of the financial products.
  • Anticipate, define and help capture opportunities for CARE to partner with local companies or other external entities to drive financial inclusion focused solutions.
  • Cultivate relationships with local incubators, accelerators, investors, entrepreneurs, and possible mentors to develop in-depth understanding and expertise of the entrepreneurial landscape of digital finance related businesses.
  • Work with SMEs to achieve tangible accomplishments – growth indicators.
  • Provide thought leadership in development and scaling up of credit products for MSME.
  • Ensure that GEDI is a crosscutting theme in the project lifecycle.
  • Establish and maintain close working relationships with organizations and individuals that influence technology innovation, delivery and adoption of financial services in Pakistan; advocate for digital platform design and technology principles among project beneficiaries. 
  • Commission specific research and knowledge products; coordinate joint work with other external partners; ensuring that all outcomes align and serve CARE’s vision of women economic empowerment.
  • Research policies to see what changes could be advantageous and which trends might negatively impact digital finance goals in the future.
  • Maintain updated technical knowledge of developments in areas relevant to the digital financial service platform, including payment switching, mobile wallets, and alternative currencies.  Be able to communicate this information to a range of technical and non-technical audiences, mainly the strivers.
  • Lay out, track and communicate a learning agenda of how CARE and the industry can better unlock access to formal financial markets for entrepreneurs in the communities we serve.
  • Work closely with the M&E team, technical advisers and other staff to develop tools and systems for knowledge management that support program quality and learning; coordinate the preparation and publication of periodic papers that highlight the experience and learning in these areas.
  • Focus on delivering the core grant and working with business development teams to look for opportunities to replace and expand the portfolio

III. Job Specifications

Relevant Education & Experience:

  • Master’s degree in Business Management, Banking, Finance, Economics, International Development, or comparable academic qualification; PMP certification is a plus.
  • 6-10 years of work experience in an entrepreneurial ecosystem, MSME financing and providing business advisory services in a development context; relevant experience in banking technology is desirable.
  • Project management skills (e.g. high level planning, organizational and time management skills, including flexibility, attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure to meet changing deadlines).
  • Experience developing system architectures particularly in the mobile banking technology space.
  • Passionate about entrepreneurship and market-based solutions to financial inclusion.
  • Demonstrated track record in delivering SME growth in emerging economies.
  • 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 for 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.

Technical Skills:

  • Knowledge in the following thematic areas: banking products and services (savings, loans, insurance, digital, Fintech, etc.), microfinance, access to finance, entrepreneurial ecosystems, adaptive management/CLA, and business advisory services.
  • Subject matter expert in financial inclusion, especially in fin-tech, payment systems, and innovative delivery models.
  • Proven understanding of digital financial solutions and digital tools.
  • Demonstrated understanding of SME growth in emerging economies.
  • Ability to interface with and manage stakeholders at senior level in banks, telcos and regulatory bodies.
  • Experience with financial services and prior experience developing financial projects and service development with a range of industry stakeholders.
  • Experience or familiarity with international donor agencies promoting financial inclusion will be an added advantage.

CARE International in Pakistan is an equal opportunity employer; only individuals who are shortlisted will be contacted for an interview.

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.