Director Research, Marketing & Communications (RMC)

About Us

Karandaaz (KRN) believes that every Pakistani deserves to be Financially Included and Economically Empowered. Our mission at Karandaaz is to foster economic growth and create jobs through financial inclusion of unbanked individuals and unserved enterprises.

Karandaaz Pakistan is a not-for-profit organization, based out of Islamabad, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan under Section 42 of the Companies Act 2017. We are supported by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Karandaaz is governed by an eminent board who set the strategy of the organization and steer it towards achievement of its objectives.

Karandaaz Research

Research, Marketing and Communications (RMC) is one of the key intervention areas of Karandaaz. KRN has effectively used research and knowledge creation as tools to push the frontiers of financial inclusion, attracting development finance investments and creating innovative products or new delivery approaches to better cater underserved MSME segments.

Position Summary

Director RMC leads the function and independently interacts with industry leaders in the financial sector, academia, senior management of regulators, international SME finance research/knowledge outfits and donors. Further, Director RMC provides research leadership on all themes Karandaaz has active impact investments. These include microfinance, SME finance, digital finance, women entrepreneurship, green finance and private equity investments in specialized areas.

The position of Director RMC is highly visible across the financial sector and Karandaaz enters into implementation partnerships with donors and international organizations.

Job Description

Overall

• Design, develop and implement both long-term strategy and implementation systems for Research, Marketing & Communications at KRN.
• Act as an ambassador of Karandaaz at external platforms and represent the RMC stream in front of internal committees and the Board of Directors (BoD)
• Develop and manage teams for both verticals; Research & Insights and Marketing & Communications. Ensure all team members stay abreast with industry developments and remain committed to the vision and mission of KRN.
• Guide the development of the company’s internal and external knowledge goals, track progress against these goals and related timelines, and work with staff to regularly produce reports on the company’s activities and initiatives.
• Develop and sustain productive relationships with businesses, policy makers, donors, partners, and other organizations.

Research & Insights

• Lead the Research & Insights team to structure and deliver national-level policy dialogues/webinars on Karandaaz impact investments themes
• Ensure that collective knowledge capital is leveraged to support the company’s operations across all line of business by actively generating knowledge products that can guide the investment opportunities in SME finance and Digital Financial Services
• Collaborate with other team leaders across lines of business for identifying research and market scoping topics
• Work with staff across the company to develop knowledge infrastructure (KRN Data Portal) and implement systems and standards that enable fast, easy access to existing material, archived content, planning documents, etc.
• Develop meeting spaces and agendas that allow for regular sharing of information and strategizing on Karandaaz investment themes

Marketing & Communications

• Understand the brand identity of Karandaaz in collaboration with all internal departments and position KRN in the market to effectively reach its desired target audiences for all kinds of messages
• Manage and direct the company’s internal and external communications, and guide the creation of the company’s Marketing & Communication (Marcom) strategy in line with its knowledge goals.
• Work closely with the People Services team to position Karandaaz as an employer of choice
• Oversee development and deployment of all branding and marketing collateral
• Oversee the effective execution of all Karandaaz events, webinars and workshops, etc.

Eligibility

Education & Experience

• Master’s Degree in Economics, Business, Finance, or comparable academic qualification in areas related to KRN themes.
• 10–15 years of research/knowledge management and leadership experience
• Proven track record of conducting relevant research and analysis as well as producing useful outputs for the business community and policy makers.
• Experience of developing project/grant proposals in response to call for proposals and/or donor partnerships
• Experience in managing a brand and understanding of Marketing principles

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• In-depth understanding of the financial sector
• Understanding of how knowledge and research can be used as instruments for change
• In-depth knowledge of research questions and methodologies involved for research in key KRN themes
• Knowledge of strategic communications
• Skill to write project proposals for donor/international partnerships, research blogs and review of high-quality research outputs
• Knowledge and experience of working with content management systems and site platforms such as Mailchimp and familiarity with WordPress
• Knowledge of prominent design software and well-versed with Microsoft Office and Google-Suite
• Exceptional writing, proof-reading, editing and presentation skills in English and Urdu.
• Exceptional ability to analyze and synthesize information/report findings and present it using appropriate frameworks (infographics, insights, newsflashes, etc.)
• Ability to be entrepreneurial, energetic, creative and a strategic thinker who can get things done.
• Ability and interest to give room to others to take responsibility, take risks, and be creative.
• Ability to influence and inspire other team leaders in the company
• Ability to interact independently across the industry and create meaningful partnerships on behalf of KRN

Culture and Values at Karandaaz

Karandaaz Culture is guided by our values of Innovation, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Equity (ICARE). These values shape our choices on what we do and how we do it, both with colleagues internally and partners externally. We also believe that we are all responsible for creating a great place to work and are constantly looking to hire individuals who bring the same level of passion and commitment to the purpose of the organization.

If you believe in Karandaaz vision and values and feel excited about the work we are offering, please send us your resume for this position to careers@karandaaz.com.pk clearly mentioning the position title in the subject line.

Karandaaz is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications by all population groups