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 230 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

The Accion Advisory team combines decades of on-the-ground experience with insights into new technologies to help our partners become more sustainable and scalable. We work with a variety of organizations focused on serving the financial needs of low-income people and businesses in emerging markets. With a presence in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, our team provides strategic and operational support to strengthen our partners and maximize their impact on underserved customers.

Our team is comprised of Regional Program Managers (RPMs) and their teams who are responsible for driving new business, bringing local context and hands on experience to meet customer needs; and Practice Area Leads who are technical area experts responsible for building the Advisory team’s expertise in core areas, driving execution excellence, and capturing synergies across technical practice areas and regions. The Practice Area Leads seek to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the execution of our engagements and to develop reusable tools and collateral for specific areas of expertise that Accion Advisory brings to all of our clients.

Position Summary 

We are looking for a senior associate who has a passion for developing and scaling responsible financial solutions for underserved people globally. If you have experience in executing projects on the ground, working with financial institutions/financial product providers to develop, deliver and manage financial product delivery for low income and underserved customers, then you might be the perfect fit for Accion Advisory.

As a Sr. Associate, you will work on projects that aim to enhance the financial inclusion and resilience of customers through innovative approaches. You will help our clients, who are mainly financial service providers that serve underserved, low income and new to credit customers, to design and implement customer-centric financial products and services that address their needs and preferences. Your role would be to support various programs that Advisory is implementing and collaborating with multiple stakeholders such as financial institutions, platforms, program sponsors/donors and internal stakeholders to design and deliver financial solutions.

You will support program leads and other team members in developing Accion's strategy to execute and implement delivery of financial products under various programs. Your role would entail conducting market research, building partnerships, developing knowledge products, identifying new business opportunities, supporting proposal development, and supporting project related documentation.

To succeed in this role, you should have a strong understanding and working experience in financial products development, implementation and management either directly with Financial Service Providers (FSPs) or consulting organizations that support and work with FSPs or new age fintech companies that provide innovative and scalable solutions. You should also have strong analytical skills and business acumen, as well as excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You should be willing to travel within and outside the Asian region as required by the project.

Fluency in English is a must.

This position is set to be performed in a hybrid mode from Mumbai

Position Responsibilities

Project Management and Execution

• Getting familiar with program and funding partner requirements and ensuring alignment with Accion and sponsor requirements to lead projects effectively
• Coordinating with relevant stakeholders, both inside and outside the organization and ensuring alignment of goals and deliverables across complex programs with multiple stakeholders.
• Execute projects on the ground – from understanding the customer needs and preferences to design and implementation of innovative financial products/solutions with partner organization/s and Accion.
• Applying theoretical, managerial, and technical skills to fulfill identified objectives and deliverables
• Ensuring the scope and schedule of projects are achievable within the given time and budget
• Undertaking periodic reviews to make sure that projects are on track
• Updating project documentations on a consistent basis and supporting reporting requirements to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Support defining the structure of a project, its goals, and resource requirements
• Support managing project risks, contingency and mitigation plans
• Identify opportunities to develop and showcase learnings, insights, and innovations from all projects.
• Other related projects and learning opportunities as assigned.

 Business Development

• Identify and pursue opportunities with current and new institutional partners for enhancing their financial inclusion and access solutions for underserved customers. Focusing on those with demonstrated potential to build Accion’s key strategic focus areas.
• Establish and nurture partnerships with various potential partners, such as FinTech, FSPs, platforms, aggregators, to have a robust pipeline of potential partners to engage across multiple programs.
• Lead in identifying and pursuing new funding relationships in coordination with senior managers and other internal departments.
• Contribute in developing and presenting project proposals to clients and/or donors, including support to overall scope development, pricing, and negotiation.

Position Qualifications

• Experience of 5+ years in a reputed FSP, consulting organization, or Fintechs.
• MBA or equivalent with a background in or inclination toward infotech, financial services, or social sector is preferred.
• Proven project management skills.
• Hands-on experience working in the design and implementation of financial solutions/services.
• Innovative mindset and fresh perspective to the design and development of new and existing business models to support clients in achieving breakthrough results.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to create and share project management related documentation including comprehensive and appealing presentations to partners.
• Ability to study and quickly understand business processes, team dynamics, and customer needs.
• Ability to structure and scope complex problems and apply various analytical tools to develop solutions.
• Curious mindset & demonstrated initiative to learn the developments in fintech and financial inclusion domain, an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Excellent people skills and experience with multi-cultural environments are preferred.
• Proven multi-tasking skills with a positive, can-do attitude and an approach of “every job is important.”
• Team player who enjoys working in a semi/unstructured environment.
• Interest 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. 

Travel Requirements

• Travel up to 30% domestically and occasional international trips.

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.