About Accion:

Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the nearly two billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build more than 235 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 75 countries, reaching more than 350 million people. More at https://www.accion.org.

About Accion Advisory:

Accion Advisory partners with a wide range of partners (e.g. financial service providers, corporates, Fintechs, etc) around the globe to better meet the financial and other needs of undeserved individuals and small businesses.  Leveraging innovations in technology and financial services, we provide strategic operational support to our partners to help them remain the providers of choice in their dynamic markets. 

Position Summary 

This position will work closely with the Managing Director (MD) on developing engaging collateral and presentations, supporting, and improving operational processes for the Advisory team, and planning and supporting team gatherings, also supporting the new business proposal process and technical initiatives. This position will support and develop strategies for communication, talent, and knowledge sharing and play a facilitator role within the Accion Advisory leadership team.

Accion Advisory is looking for a candidate who has a good understanding of inclusive finance as well as the broader consulting landscape. The candidate must be exceptionally organized and able to complete tasks with limited guidance, share knowledge and expertise with the team, and develop and evaluate systems for tracking Accion Advisory activities. The individual must have strong communication skills, excellent writing skills and have the desire to learn and improve project management skills. The candidate must be a strategic thinker, understand the consulting ecosystem and have some experience pushing forward project objectives. Since this position will be working on sensitive matters closely with the Managing Director, her leadership team and high-level stakeholders, they must have a superior political acumen, strong sense of discretion and good judgement. They must be highly motivated with a strong work ethic and the ability to juggle competing priorities. As a small organization, the candidate is expected to be a team player and contribute to evolving agendas.

This position will report into the Managing Director, Accion Advisory and participate in departmental meetings, be involved in planning, and coordinate closely with all teams across Accion Advisory and Accion.

Position Responsibilities

Thought Leadership
• Work with the MD on concept notes, blogs, desk research and other projects to support presentations, knowledge products, and other market intelligence for staying abreast of industry trends and developments, and the drafting and finalizing of blogs and other products.
• Support the MD and Management team in the development of the Accion Advisory Strategy; gather inputs from relevant stakeholders, create decks and other collateral to capture key messaging.
• Liaise with the Accion Advisory industry engagement lead on social media channels, including supporting the Managing Director on LinkedIn and other channels of importance to Accion Advisory.
• Serve as point person for external strategic communications and collateral.

Program Management
• Support the review of proposals, provide insights as needed.
• Participate in donor meetings with the MD as needed, take notes, and support follow up activities such as updating the Accion Resource Development and the Accion Advisory leadership team.
• Support the capturing, tracking, and communication of Accion Advisory impact monitoring and measurement work.
• Organize team meetings and retreats.
• Provide administrative support to the MD as needed.

Operations
• Develop and support strategies for improving Accion Advisory operations, including proactively identifying more efficient processes for internal and external communications, reporting and other stakeholder engagement.
• Actively participate in external and internal meetings; take notes and follow up with next steps as needed.
• Liaise with Accion stakeholders (such as Finance, Resource Development, and HR) to address issues, coordinate with Accion-wide planning processes and initiatives (i.e. budgeting, participation in organization-wide compliance activities, etc.) at the Accion Advisory level, and follow-up on Accion-related work delegated by the MD.
• Plan for and coordinate the completion of reports to the Accion Board, and other internal and external governance related reporting.
• Facilitate Accion Advisory onboarding.
• Support the creation, implementation, and monitoring/evaluation of the Accion Advisory induction program.

Events Management
• Monitor external and Accion activities and flag relevant events for Accion Advisory; support the MD in communicating and planning for event participation and session preparation.
• Support in the organization and planning of Accion Advisory retreats, leadership team meetings, regular team meetings, staff meetings and other important internal events.

Position Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field (e.g., economics, business, international development)
• Generally, 6+ years of relevant experience; business operations, consulting, or project management experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work across teams and communicate effectively with multiple teams at all levels of staff.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and diplomatic skills.
• Experience setting goals and overseeing results and ensuring goals are met.
• Ability to define metrics and monitor progress on achieving results.
• Highly organized, and strong attention to detail; excellent project management and event planning skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively, including strong writing skills, experience publicly representing organizations in speaking engagements or meeting with senior representatives.
• Proven ability to think strategically and rapidly analyze diverse information from varied sources.
• Ability to learn, adapt, and be innovative as new challenges arise.
• Ability to manage multiple demands effectively and prioritize strategically.
• Track record of getting things done in political multi-stakeholder environments while simultaneously strengthening stakeholder relationships and garnering their respect and trust.
• Professional-level fluency in English required; additional language skills highly desirable (preferable Spanish and/or French).

Accion is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Accion seeks qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, change of sex or transgender status, or any other basis protected by law. Accion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.