Senior Manager Women Financial Inclusion (WFI)

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 Digital aims to catalyze the financial services industry towards greater financial inclusion by employing cutting-edge innovations and digital solutions for social impact. Karandaaz collaborates across the financial services ecosystem to maximize impact through improved access to digital finance for low-income, rural, and otherwise excluded population segments, especially women. Karandaaz Digital aims to work with all stakeholders to facilitate the digitalization of government and other payment streams and provide support to innovative digital financial service startups. The unit further aims to reduce the gender gap in financial inclusion by designing and implementing multiple interventions.

Position Summary 

The Senior Manager WFI is responsible for championing the idea of women financial inclusion in the ecosystem. This individual will be in charge of creating, guiding, and implementing a top-notch program aimed at guaranteeing that women reap the rewards of KRN’s initiatives. This role involves comprehending and then addressing the systematic and practice-related prejudices and limitations that hinder women from deriving complete advantages from financial services.

Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Mainstreaming

• Operationalizing Karandaaz Gender Strategy for DFS including design and implementation of gender inclusion projects with the private sector, creation and dissemination of information that supports and guides women to be financially included and integrating gender mainstreaming & gender transformative approach to existing programmatic work.
• Lead the gender inclusion strategy, implementation, evidence monitoring, impact and learning agenda.
• Lead KRN Digital’s understanding (supply-side and policy efforts, demand-side needs) on current engagements across all industry actors on gender in financial services
• Understand, integrate and develop tools to effectively monitor gender mainstreaming among KRN digital programs
• Provide support for gender review of internal processes and procedures of partner organizations/investee companies
• Participate actively in policy forums and platforms w.r.t. financial inclusion
• Make recommendations on changes on set strategies where necessary

Workplan Delivery

• Devise annual budgets for the gender financial inclusion interventions
• Manage the operationalization and execution of the gender financial inclusion-based interventions and deliver on both developmental and budgetary targets
• Develop tools to support gender integration within KRN and partner interventions
• Equip the staff and partner staff with gender analysis and assessment tools to enhance performance.
• Support the monitoring and review of gender work within KRN and partner organizations

Research & Thought Leadership

• Liaison with the research wing and lead the commissioning of demand and supply side studies/researches that directly investigate barriers and opportunities w.r.t. financial products for women and youth.
• Conduct proactive market analysis to identify case studies and examples of products and services that have effectively addressed the target segments
• Extend technical assistance and support to policy makers working to improve inclusiveness of policy frameworks
• Conduct periodic contextual analysis on women financial services to inform policy advocacy and programming
• Develop insights policy briefs, blogs and other relevant communication outputs for easy dissemination of research findings in conjunction with the communications team
• Ensure outreach and dissemination to relevant stakeholders to improve chances of uptake of the research
• Identify information needs/research gaps and develop gap filing strategies
• Liaison with other national and international women financial inclusion development partners to develop Pakistan specific case studies and insights

Monitoring and Reporting on Gender Work in Karandaaz

• Provide professional guidance to staff and partners on gender monitoring and evaluation.
• Ensure evidence-based reporting mechanisms for Sex and Age Disaggregated Data (SADD)
• Any other task necessary to optimize the gender agenda at KRN

Eligibility

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Development Economics, Business Management, Development Finance or a related discipline. Any additional training course on financial inclusion will be added advantage.
• At least 6-8 years of overall experience. 3-4 years of demonstrated experience in implementing and managing interventions for introducing/expansion of digital financial services.
• Demonstrated experience in either developing gender tools and frameworks and/or delivering these frameworks and tools (internally within the organization and externally with partners). In-depth experience with a gender portfolio, gender-related programming, financial product management for women segment(s) will be a plus.
• Experience of working with policymakers, regulatory bodies etc. will be an added advantage.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Understanding of a not-for-profit organization
• In-depth understanding of the gender agenda with an ability to demonstrate views on gender mainstreaming within programs
• Excellent skills Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Intermediate level skill in Google Suite
• Strong command over oral and written English. Should be fluent in Urdu.
• Exceptional communication skills
• Exceptional stakeholder management
• Exceptional analytical skills
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to work collaboratively as a team player with key stakeholder groups including other DFS team members, senior management and external partners
• Self-starter, motivated and a result-orientated individual who can work independently

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. The position can be upgraded and downgraded based on the candidate. 

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