Director of Disaster Recovery Financing Solutions, Inclusive Finance Group, VisionFund International at World Vision Kenya

Overview

VisionFund is World Vision’s microfinance provider serving vulnerable clients through loans, savings, and insurance. We enable families to grow their livelihoods in hard to reach, rural locations by operating financial institutions in 28 countries so that caregivers can create secure futures for their children.

We believe in brighter futures for children; empowering families to create incomes and jobs; unlocking economic potential for communities to thrive.

Join VisionFund as we seek to end intergenerational poverty through microfinance.

Job Summary

VFI, as part of its 2030 strategy, seeks to impact an additional 9 million children by enabling 3 million households to gain access to financial services outside of VFI’s present network of MFIs.  This work will be led by the newly created World Vision Inclusive Finance Group.

The Disaster Recovery Finance Director is one of the new positions within this group, and this person’s role will be to enable beneficiaries of World Vision’s humanitarian assistance (particularly cash transfers) to gain access to financial services.  The position will work directly with interested World Vision field offices, VF MFIs, and other partners to explore innovative ways to connect low-income households impacted by climate, conflict and other disasters in the pre and post emergency periods to gain increased access to valuable financial services.  The position will work closely with the WVI cash programming team and disaster response efforts, and candidates are expected to be innovative in supporting the implementation of pragmatic solutions as part of World Vision’s approach to resilience and recovery.

Millions of people, particularly the very poor and marginalized, are greatly impacted by disasters and emergencies every year.  As part of the organization’s response to these emergency situations, this position under the World Vision Inclusive Finance Group has been created to lead the design and implementation of innovative financial solutions that will increase access to financial services (savings, loans, transfers/remittances & insurance) and financial/digital literacy training for affected people, impacted by and recovering from disasters and humanitarian crises.

Key Responsibilities

Develop financial inclusion projects linked to cash transfers and other humanitarian responses and recovery efforts, as well as anticipatory action initiatives

• Initial project identification
• Co- write with Field Offices and GAM (Grant Acquisition Management) teams proposals for inclusion of financial services
• Negotiation with partners
• Ensure buy-in from partners and facilitate decision processes where needed

Project management and oversite of project components related to financial inclusion

• Supporting local response project teams in monitoring performance and delivery of agreed results
• Problem-solve when situations change, or project plans are not working
• Report on progress

Lead on recovery lending and other financial services developed in response to major climatic, conflict, and disaster events

• Conduct initial market assessments in the early days after a climate-related event
• Advise on criteria for appropriate loan/grant mix to different client segments
• Lead and manage on-site recovery lending & related responses post disaster
• Provide training on recovery lending
• Provide guidance and documentation on recovery lending

Lead on innovations for financial inclusion in emergency and post emergency/ disaster contexts

• Support the documentation of innovations within VFI and wider sector
• Identify opportunities to build on and scale up promising practices
• Present and share learnings within wider WV partnership and externally
• Engage with the climate team within WV on climate finance strategies.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

Required Professional Experience ​

• University degree
• A senior professional with at least 10 years of leadership experience in development work with a minimum of 4 years in emergency response or disaster recovery work (e.g. Cash/Voucher Assistance).
• At least 4 years working with a financial institution (bank, microfinance institution, or microfinance network).
• Experience conceptualizing and implementing projects and financial services adapted to specific markets and circumstances.
• Proven ability to think on their feet in challenging and difficult situations
• Works comfortably in diverse contexts and changing circumstances.
• Experience working in multiple countries
• Experience negotiating with and influencing high level executives and organizational decision-makers
• Ability to manage multiple stake holders, including through remote communications 

Preferred knowledge/qualifications for the role

• Master’s degree in a relevant field
• Experience writing grant proposals and reports to donors
• Experience of multiple emergency situations in different contexts (conflict and natural disasters) and different regions.
• Experience with mobile money and cash transfer mechanisms
• Experience working with savings groups
• Locations: a global, remote position that needs to be based in a country where WVI is registered

Travel and/or Work Environment

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel internationally, potentially 35% of the time.
• Able to work from home if required