About Accion:

Accion is a global nonprofit committed to creating a financially inclusive world, with a pioneering legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing. We catalyze financial service providers to deliver high-quality, affordable solutions at scale for the three billion people who are left out of — or poorly served by — the financial sector. For nearly 60 years, Accion has helped tens of millions of people through our work with more than 160 partners in 55 countries. More at http://www.accion.org. 

About CFI

Here at the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), we work to advance inclusive financial services for the billions of people who currently lack the financial tools needed to improve their lives and prosper. We leverage partnerships to conduct rigorous research and test promising solutions, and then advocate for evidence-based change. CFI was founded by Accion in 2008 to serve as an independent think tank on inclusive finance.

Why you should consider working with us:

• We tackle substantive research questions. We delve deep into wide-ranging issues, from how to make cash transfer programs more effectively empower women to understanding household demand for financial products that support adaptation and mitigation to climate change. Everyone on the team makes meaningful contributions to CFI’s impact on low-income people around the world.
• We do work that matters. Everything that we do begins with an understanding of customers, their needs and constraints, the change we want to see, and our theory of change. Our work drives the real-world decision-making of policymakers, donors, investors, financial service providers, and others working to advance inclusive finance.
• We get ambitious things done in a supportive environment. As a CFI’er, you’ll have an ambitious agenda, but you’ll get plenty of support from your managers and peers—we regularly host internal learning events, offer a professional development budget for each team member, and provide ongoing opportunities to collaborate with world-class researchers at CFI and our partner organizations.
• We appreciate each other as people. We know that to grow, personally and professionally, we need to surround ourselves with people who have had different experiences and backgrounds to ensure creativity of thought and constant learning. We celebrate originality and take time to reflect and learn from our mistakes. At CFI, we all have a seat at the table and opportunities to present and engage in meaningful discussion.
• We are part of a powerful network. CFI is an independent think tank housed within Accion, which provides a unique context for our research as well as opportunities for collaboration. Since 1961, Accion has helped revolutionized financial services for low-income people, including creating the world’s first regulated, for-profit bank for the poor (BancoSol in Bolivia), being a leading seed-stage investor for inclusive fintechs, and creating the world’s first global fintech fund for the underserved.

Position Summary 

The Senior Director, Learning and Strategic Communications will be CFI’s lead on the anticipated USAID Green Recovery Investment Platform (GRIP) project focusing on enhancing learning and capacity to address climate change through green investments. This position is contingent upon award. The GRIP project, to be awarded in the Spring of 2022, will be USAID’s signature program in support of the U.S. Government commitments to a green COVID-19 economic recovery.  GRIP will help USAID to attract, reduce real and perceived risks from, and mobilize private and public finance and private sector actions to meet immediate, urgent adaptation and mitigation needs while building the enabling environment to support net-zero commitments and encourage alternatives to investments that exacerbate existing structural inequities.

The GRIP project has three objectives; this position leads Objective 3.

• Objective 1: Develop and scale effective partnerships and solutions to achieve transformational change
• Objective 2: Foster an inclusive enabling environment to build shared vision and accelerate collective action
• Objective 3: Advance learning and development community capacity to mobilize catalytic private sector partnerships and finance

Position Responsibilities 

GRIP project leadership and management

• In partnership with CFI’s prime partner on GRIP, participate in the GRIP leadership team. The Senior Director will be housed in the GRIP implementation unit and will also participate in CFI managerial and operational processes. The Senior Director will devote approximately 90% of his/her time engaging directly on GRIP activities and 10% ensuring linkages and learning across CFI’s other programs.  This position will oversee several GRIP staff and will collaborate across other pillars of the program.
• Support a culture 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 and achieve excellence.
• Provide strategic guidance, vision, management, and criteria for successful learning and communication of the program and within the larger climate finance sector.

Knowledge management and content curation

• Working closely with knowledge producers, identify emerging and best practices that are relevant for USAID and GRIP to develop knowledge products and messaging that supports GRIP’s broader goals of leveraging private sector support to green inclusive finance.
• Oversee GRIPS’s knowledge product pipeline (blog posts, publications, events, etc.), including the end-to-end content production process.
• Beyond GRIP partners, work with networks of green inclusive finance partners to surface best practices and lessons learned, and drive knowledge-sharing and transfer.
• Support existing knowledge and learning networks or help create new ones as needed to fill gaps, including at the regional or national level.

Harnessing learning from GRIP M&E systems and across the industry

• The Senior Director will work across Objectives 1 and 2 to identify and curate learnings from project monitoring and evaluation of GRIP-supported activities, assessments of private sector partnership development or private finance approaches, and greater industry trends to determine best practices in green finance stimulation.
• Develop and synthesize lessons learned into publications, evaluations, seminars/webinars and other modes of communication, tailored to learning stakeholders at all levels 

Influence strategy and campaign development

• Craft creative and effective advocacy and promotional campaigns that optimize influence across key stakeholders including USAID missions, investors, policymakers, and other supporting organizations.

USAID staff and industry learning

• Design and work with partners, consultants, and staff to host evidence summits or learning events. This may include events tailored to USAID mission staff and industry stakeholders within a country or region, as well as contributing to and leveraging CFI’s learning forums such as Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) and the Responsible Finance Forum (RFF). Develop innovative learning tools and formats tailored to the needs of different audiences.
• Collaborate with USAID mission staff and industry stakeholders, such as business associations, to build their capacity to develop and expand access to finance and stimulate private sector investment.

Position Qualifications 

• At least 10+ years of relevant experience in a knowledge management, research or communications role at a think tank or other knowledge organization
• Knowledge of green inclusive finance and exposure to other adjacent topics (agricultural finance, women’s financial inclusion, data risks and opportunities, consumer protection) preferred
• Experience working with diverse groups of stakeholders to develop messaging and influence campaigns that drive policy and behavior change among policymakers, donors, investors and practitioners; knack for taking complex topics and distilling them into simple and actionable messages for stakeholders
• Track record of producing high-quality content on a deadline
• Demonstrated track record supervising teams delivering knowledge and capacity building services
• Demonstrated record of sound editorial judgement
• Trusted peer and advisor, able to guide and help shape the work of others
• Ability to lead projects from start to finish under tight deadlines, including those relating to high-quality content production and event management
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and WordPress
• Generally, 12+ years of development experience