Senior Director of Operations and Stakeholder Relations, Center for Financial Inclusion

About Accion:

Accion is a global nonprofit committed to creating a financially inclusive world, with a trailblazing legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing. We catalyze financial service providers to deliver high-quality, affordable solutions at scale for the 1.8 billion people who are left out of, or poorly served by, the financial sector. For more than 60 years, Accion has helped tens of millions of people through our work with more than 200 partners in 63 countries. More at http://www.accion.org.

About Center for Financial Inclusion:

The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) is an independent think tank housed at Accion that works to better serve, protect and empower clients. We learn, test and share insights; promote concrete solutions; and advocate for inclusive, responsible finance that helps individuals. We focus on four thematic priorities (climate resilience and adaptation, women’s financial inclusion, consumer data opportunities and risks, and consumer protection), and collaborate with stakeholders globally to achieve our goal of enabling three billion people who are left out of – or poorly served by – the financial sector to improve their lives.

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Operations and Stakeholder Relations, leads CFI’s operations and functions to ensure the organization is stakeholder-focused, continually learning, and efficiently run. CFI comprises of a team of 16 staff and many extended-term consultants. This role is an exciting opportunity to help shift CFI’s organizational DNA to elevate it’s impact, sustainability, and partnership. Our external stakeholders include policymakers, donors, investors, research partners, and our Advisory Council. Our internal stakeholders include our Accion colleagues, CFI staff, and network of consultants. The Senior Director oversees a team of five and reports to the Managing Director.

We are looking for a specialist who has a track record of empowering their teams, a knack for driving results and simultaneously juggling stakeholder needs, a strong sense of political acumen, the ability to dive deeply into a broad set of topics while maintaining the big picture, and an instinct for collaboration.

Position Responsibilities

Finance and business operations (~45%)

• In collaboration with Accion’s Finance team, facilitate CFI’s fiscal planning and budgeting processes, and help teams establish strong financial management practices that include budgeting, tracking of expenditures, and forecasting.
• Support the Managing Director (MD) to plan and deliver on key financial decisions and investments to support the healthy development of CFI’s resources and assets.
• Review and provide guidance on improving CFI’s business processes, including project reviews, proposal development, and events planning, among others.
• Support the MD to manage CFI governance structures. This includes:
  • Managing CFI’s relationship with its Advisory Council (AC)—including the coordination of and quality around regular meetings; overseeing the production of pre-reading materials, AC reporting, and meeting minutes and ensuring timely engagement with AC members.
  • Identifying a pipeline of Advisory Council members, including periodically reviewing the technical skills and the profiles of the Advisory Council and making recommendations to the MD and to the AC Chair on renewal of the AC.
  • Advising the MD on other governance-related issues to ensure CFI’s independence and fundraising priorities.
• Streamline and lead CFI’s donor reporting function in collaboration with Accion’s Resource Development team.
• Manage a senior operations specialist.

Talent management and organizational culture (~45%)

• Drive CFI’s talent management practices in collaboration with Accion’s Human Resources team, including managing talent reviews, the recruitment of new CFI staff and professional development.
• Lead, with strong support from CFI’s senior team, the building of a work environment that attracts and retains top talent, and ensures a high performing, respectful, and inclusive work culture; a culture in which all staff: 1) reach their full potential as learners, unorthodox researchers, and thought leaders 2) work effectively with each other by sharing ideas, brainstorming, and co-developing knowledge products 3) feel accountable for results and impact, and 4) strive for and achieve excellence.
• Participate as an active leader on CFI’s senior team and advise the Managing Director and others on the leadership team at CFI on a wide range of organizational and programmatic issues; participate as an active leader in Accion.
• Ensure CFI team is strategically aligned by a) building practices to integrate learning and reflection processes throughout the year and the project lifecycle and b) evaluating solutions and making recommendations regarding monitoring & evaluation, knowledge management and learning systems and processes.
• Manage a monitoring & evaluation subject matter expert.

Communications (~10%)

• Manage a communications team of three staff and supplemental resources: an editorial committee and a roster of consultants (copywriting, graphics, and event management).
• Oversee and support the communications team, as needed, to ensure there are strong processes and practices for communications strategy development, management of outreach platforms (e.g., website, blog, social media, newsletter, etc.), knowledge product development and event management (including CFI’s annual Financial Inclusion Week and Responsible Finance Forums).
• Support the team, as needed, to help ensure all knowledge products developed by CFI are in alignment with established branding and quality standards.

Position Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Advanced degree in appropriate technical or functional field is a plus, not required.
• Successful track record of 12+ years in program management, operations, and driving results in complex stakeholder environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing budget processes, overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets, and experience liaising with finance personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead staff and drive results through others, developing talent and influencing positive team engagement.
• Ability to dive deeply into a broad set of topics while maintaining the big picture.
• Ability to take direction and work under pressure due to time constraints as necessary.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills internally and externally.
• Strong presence, maturity, and judgment; proven leader of teams and/or functions that have high-performing, respectful, and inclusive work cultures.
• Interested in our mission and working globally.
• Willingness to embody our values of excellence, respect and passion for social change.
  • Excellence: Accion staff should always put forth their best effort in all activities, strive for high quality of collective and individual performance; and demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times while in the workplace and while working on behalf of the organization.
  • Respect: Accion staff should value one another’s roles and responsibilities as much as their own, be encouraging, and value the diverse and unique perspectives of colleagues. They should honor obligations and commitments to each other and to external partners.
  • Passion for Social Change: Accion staff should be committed to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, value the greater good of the organization over personal gain, and promote a productive workplace by acknowledging the accomplishments of others.
• This job may require travel on a regular basis (<25%).