Technical Senior Manager, Financial Services

Lutheran World Relief (LWR), which is part of Corus International, has been present in Nepal since 2011. Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Our nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries include IMA World Health and its fundraising brand Corus World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Brands. In Nepal, Corus operates under Lutheran World Relief. Our more than 400 employees around the globe are experts in their fields and dedicated to helping the world's most vulnerable people break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives. Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org.

At Corus we believe that good only grows stronger and we reflect that belief in our workplace culture. We value every employee's specialized area of expertise and nurture professional growth. We promote an engaging and supportive work environment, where employees feel enabled and driven to innovate, learn and collaborate. And because our subsidiaries often function as partners, our employees have the opportunity to work across our enterprise family.

Reporting to the Chief of Party, the Technical Senior Manager (TSM), Financial Services, will be responsible for managing the technical delivery and activities on the project in supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to access financial packages that develop and grow their businesses and expand LWR/Corus' technical qualifications in programming to position LWR's technical work. The position will be based in Janakpur (Dhanusha district), Nepal.

Responsibilities:

Technical Delivery Services, Quality and Impact (60%)

• Conduct a financial sector assessment to map credit flows, savings groups, financial institutions (FI), micro-finance institutions (MFIs), insurance gaps, and fintech opportunities.
• Identify and implement appropriate financial services for MSMEs and apply innovative approaches and activities that support the implementation and monitoring of these interventions in alignment with the project goal and objectives, and donor standards.
• Manage, model and coach colleagues, including sub-recipient staff, on best practices in engaging with FIs, MFIs, fintech companies, and the use of digital payment networks.
• Identify and make use of grant fund opportunities that offer a return on investment (ROI) for the grantee and the donor, and track grantee delivery and performance.
• Work in partnership with project team and sub-recipients, LWR Nepal team, PBU EMEA, and headquarters/regional Technical Business Unit staff.
• Track progress of milestones, deliverables, and performance indicator targets, identifying issues/challenges that need to be addressed, and ensuring that technical reporting requirements are met in line with Project Management Manual as well as complementary tools, policies, and procedures.
• Provide input into budgeting and forecasting exercises related to technical activities spending within the fiscal year.
• Participate in forums that enhance financial sector knowledge to incorporate into technical activities on the project.

Coordination and Collaboration: (25%)

• Manage documentation of LWR and Corus' technical capacities based in the financial services sector and document project achievements in coordination with project team and in collaboration with Technical Business Unit (TBU) team.
• Contribute to the wider work of Technical Business Unit (TBU) through active participation in the achievement of the project deliverables, team meetings, Technical Business Unit (TBU) community of practice and the development and sharing of technical knowledge and resources.
• Assess and advocate for supportive policy reforms in the financial sector.

Data Management, Documentation, and Reporting: (15%)

• Contribute to the quality data reported into the project reporting system, in collaboration with the MEL team.
• Prepare high quality, timely technical content, including monthly and/or semi-annual performance reports, and other project documents under the guidance of the Chief of Party, with support from Program Business Unit (PBU), headquarters, and Technical Business Unit (TBU), as applicable.
• Apply knowledge of donor rules and regulations to monitor for technical and MEL compliance for various actions during project start up, implementation, and close out.
• Ensure data integrity and completeness by maintaining project documentation in electronic databases.

Supervisory:

• This position has no direct reports.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's with at least 7 years' experience in finance, banking, business, enterprise development, or social science or equivalent combination of education and experience; Master's desired.
• Prior experience working in the FI/MFI, or within the banking sector, preferred.
• Experience working with colleagues in a multicultural, multi-linguistic environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing terms and conditions as well as other international donors.
• Proven track record of developing and maintaining strong working relationships with target beneficiaries, private sector entities, as well as host country counterparts and NGO/FBO/CBO actors, preferred.
• Experience working with local and/or US-based and international partners (NGO/FBO/CBOs, universities and other technical institutions), desired.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of international development, development finance, and financial tools, product designs and literacy initiatives.
• Strong working knowledge of international donor funding mechanisms (including grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements), preferred.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills to communicate effectively and credibly, both verbally and in writing in Nepali and English, required. The ability to communicate in local dialects is an asset.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency in Office 365 applications including Word, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint. Experience with Salesforce a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical delivery, coordination of/collaborate on program implementation across multiple teams (between departments, between HQ and country offices, etc.).

Physical and Mental Requirements

• The physical requirements that may be needed to execute responsibilities may include bending, standing, and walking, etc.
• The mental requirements that are essential to satisfactorily executing the responsibilities outlined in this job description include, but not limited to: learning new tasks, comprehending, and retaining information, completing tasks independently, effectively communicating verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in using computer software to perform assigned tasks.

Other Duties:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Global positions that are bound by contracts will not be changed without notice and approval.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• LWR has an in-person work policy, with all employees reporting to the office Monday through Friday. The employee must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required.
• This position must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in different locations, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high-security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.
• If applicable, must have authorization to work in the country of assignment.

As a member of the Corus Family, each employee is expected to:

• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support employees' evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Corus family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.
• Follow Corus Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
• Adhere to the Organizational Core Values