Job Vacancies Mercy Corps, December 2011

Job Vacancies Mercy Corps
Position: Manager – Institutional Financial Services
Location: United States of America ( The ), Portland
Closing Date: Sunday, 29 January 2012

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has an impressive record of founding, owning, governing and advancing innovations in microfinance, microinsurance and extending access to financial services to communities recovering from conflict and crisis. The institutions it has helped create have made a million loans, worth over a billion dollars, and extended insurance to underserved small businessmen and women. Today, Mercy Corps works via ten direct financial service providers, reaching millions of clients with $675 million in loans, microinsurance products, remittance/bill pay services, wholesale banking and a range of technology-based banking products and services. Institutional Financial Services (IFS) goes well beyond traditional microfinance initiatives. It has expanded its competency to include meso-level industry support institutions as well as pioneering IT solutions and back-office support via a wholesale correspondent commercial bank for the Indonesian microfinance industry, one of the largest in the world, and one of the first global-enabled parametric/indemnity hybrid catastrophic insurance companies serving Haiti. This contribution to extending financial services to the poor via innovative institutional structures is all the more impressive given that it has been made in the most difficult of environments – front-line post-conflict situations, transitional economies and post-disaster circumstances.

Included in the Mercy Corps network are: Bank Andara in Indonesia, Microinsurance Catastrophic Risk Organization (MiCRO) in Haiti, Tenger/XacBank in Mongolia, Partner Microfinance in Bosnia, AFK in Kosovo, IMON in Tajikistan, Asian Credit Fund in Kazakhstan, PATRA in China, and Kompanion in Kyrgyzstan, each of which has been recognized for extraordinary success in creating social and economic value for both investors and countries in which they operate.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
Manager of Institutional Financial Services
Mercy Corps seeks an exceptional and acknowledged leader in the arena of financial services for the poor. This individual will have the interpersonal skills, strategic instinct, and technical knowledge to leverage the agency’s past investments and success in institutional microfinance and microinsurance towards a path-breaking vision for the future. In collaboration with a matrixed team comprised of agency principals and technical specialists, the Manager of Institutional Financial Services will assist in crafting/implementing Mercy Corps’ financial services strategy; engage with the individual microfinance, microinsurance and other affiliates to further their objectives; facilitate investment and disposition strategies for its more mature MFIs; and evaluate our MFI’s for inclusion within the broader Mercy Corps strategy. S/he will possess the technical depth to navigate the challenges of operating in multiple and varied regulatory environments and to provide financial, banking and capital markets guidance. The position will require mentoring and support of the CEO’s of its various financial institutions. The Manager of Institutional Financial Services will assist in the coordination of Mercy Corps’ ongoing strategic assistance to its current portfolio of institutions as well as in the establishment of greenfield programs and de novo organizations in new countries in close collaboration with our Program and Technical Support Unit functions. S/he will understand standard financial services delivery systems and metrics, but will not shy away from experimenting with innovative systems and flexible products in a vulnerable environment context. This position will collaborate with Mercy Corps’ management and staff in sourcing, evaluating, structuring, and championing investment deals, in ensuring that post-investment responsibilities, including serving on Boards of Director, are fulfilled, and in assessing and recommending appropriate exit strategies.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
* Assist the VP of Institutional Financial Services in the ongoing development and coordination of a multi-faceted Institutional Financial Services strategy, focusing on opportunities to create ground-breaking innovations in financial services that enable access to underserved communities in countries in transition.
* Collaborate closely and serve as a technical support unit to programmatic initiatives to help design, build and govern financially-oriented institutions (companies, partnerships, local NGOs, trusts, innovative legal structures, etc.) that will greatly enable their mission and Mercy Corps’ mission.
* Coordinate and assist in the management and technical support that Mercy Corps provides to its existing portfolio of institutions, including high-level governance, technical financial guidance, participation in committee functions, etc. Liaison with the General Counsel’s office on commercialization efforts with various constituent MFIs and general institution building.
* Liaise and engage to provide institutional financial services support regional field teams to assist in identifying and capturing new programming opportunities.
* Nurture relations with potential and existing social investors, corporate partners, and new philanthropists in support of our current financial institutions and proposed financial services initiatives.
* Identify, document, and communicate the ideas, trends, and emerging capacities that fall in the intersection of Mercy Corps’ field-based vision and the interests of donors, philanthropists, and investors interested in institutional financial services, microfinance, insurance services, and related strategies. Emphasis is on building institutional capacity.
* Mobilize and coordinate agency resources – financial, administrative, leadership, and social capital resources — to support the design, implementation, evaluation and marketing of institutional financial services programming that deepen and expand our impact.
* Design and guide the execution of a brand strategy to position the agency as an innovator and leader in financial services in fragile and transitioning contexts.
* Liaise with Mercy Corps’ Communications and Web Marketing teams to articulate the results, challenges, and lessons of financial services initiatives.
* Represent Mercy Corps at conferences, meetings, and with external stakeholders to advance the agency’s reputation and positioning as a socially entrepreneurial and innovative agent for sustainable development with a particular focus on financial services
* Source and manage consultants as needed.
* Disseminate lessons learned and best practices.
* Other duties as requested and agreed upon.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:
VP of Institutional Financial Services

WORKS CLOSELY WITH:
General Counsel; Chief Financial Officer, Program Operations; Economic and Market Development Technical Support Team, Social Innovations, Resource Development, Regional Program Directors and Country Directors and country office teams

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
* MA/S in Finance or Economics; MBA preferred
* At least 8-10 years of design and/or implementation of financial services for the poor and other economic development programming. Commercial/investment banking experience highly desirable
* Proven track record driving innovations from development through early marketing, to successful market introduction and product commercialization
* Proven success in securing private equity or venture capital, especially in emerging or developing world markets, a plus
* Demonstrated success in fundraising (including attracting and securing debt and equity investment), business development and partnership development
* Demonstrated leadership in advancing organizational strategy and stated objectives
* Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational prioritization skills are necessary.
* Experience working overseas in relief and/or development context
* Experience with assessments, monitoring and evaluation and design
* Experience managing and working with diverse teams
* Fluency in English required; additional fluency in French, Spanish or Arabic desirable

SUCCESS FACTORS:
The Manager of Institutional Financial Services will combine exceptional analytical skills and experience in developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders across the social investor and traditional investment community. S/he should have high creativity and strong entrepreneurial skills to lead and support new opportunities, partnerships and the scaling up of proven interventions. Governance skillsets are a plus. Effective verbal and written communication, facilitation, participatory leadership and solid management skills are essential. In addition to these qualifications, we are seeking someone with a great attitude who is flexible, outgoing and thrives in evolving and changing environments. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability.

LIVING/WORKING/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
This position will be based in a US or UK office of Mercy Corps and requires overseas and domestic travel of up to 35%. Travel may be to insecure and/or remote locations with basic amenities.
Mercy Corps is an AA/EOE.

How to apply:
Please apply directly at:

http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjob&jobid=217857&company_id=15927&jobboardid=479




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