Manager – Financial Inclusion

Position: Manager – Financial Inclusion

No. of vacancies: 1 (One)
Duration: One Year and Extendable
Location: Kathmandu
Reports to: Program Director
Field Visits: 40% travel to project areas

Core Function:
HFH Nepal’s strategy for housing market systems and housing finance in Nepal calls for an expanded role in market approaches to housing improvement for low-income communities. Reporting to the Program Director, the Manager- Financial Inclusion is responsible for developing and implementing the financial inclusion strategy for Nepal by working closely with the financial institutions and helping them develop/refine housing finance products. The position will also support a new and evolving work of the housing finance system while providing strategic leadership, management, and oversight of programs to expand Habitat’s work with housing market actors in the country. The position requires working with private sector firms, market system actors and other departments of the Nepal office.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Financial Inclusion and Housing Finance

• Guide the implementation of the Financial Inclusion Strategy in Nepal and provides inputs for further developing the strategy.
• Work closely with financial intermediaries (including microfinance institutions, digital platforms, FinTechs, NGOs, and banks) and help them develop/refine affordable housing finance and housing microfinance products by delivering a range of advisory services such as market design, process mapping, product design, pilot planning, and training, development of housing support services, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Work with the microfinance associations and identify the levers for system changes in the market including policy reforms, market infrastructure, etc.
• Work closely with the other departments on housing-related initiatives and embed financial services’ linkages.

Market Systems

• Support to design and implement innovative market system interventions to overcome the constraints of the MSMEs and private sector in affordable housing and construction sector.
• Lead and oversee technical services collaboratively with project teams, conducting market systems and value chain analyses for financial products/digital financial products to the clients.
• Engage with the service providers including Banks and Financial Institutions (BFIs) and help them to develop sustainable and affordable services and products responsive to the needs and characteristic of SMEs and communities in Housing sector.
• Explore opportunities to apply market system development approach across the strategic program areas of Habitat Nepal and explore opportunities for integration /synergy.

Project and Staff Management

• Manage the financial inclusion partnerships for Habitat Nepal.
• Implement and monitors key strategic metrics such as Standards of Excellence (SOE) and Global Matrix Tool (GMT) for housing finance.
• Assure quality for technical assistance and advisory engagements, including project resources and deliverables.
• Work closely with the international housing finance team, and adapt best practices, tools, and frameworks at the country level.
• Ensure compliance to donor and grant requirements and submission of high quality reports to Habitat entities and donors.
• Design and develop capacity-building work plan for staff and partners, and provide leadership to coordinate and manage the partnership.

Knowledge Management and Business Development

• Prepare technical briefs, reports, and presentations after synthesizing learnings from across the projects and help position HFH Nepal as a thought leader in the affordable housing finance space.
• Identify prospective donors and develop collaterals such as concept notes, proposals, pitch decks, etc., for donors and investors.

Partnerships, Networking and Representation

• Strengthen and build existing and new strategic partnerships through active networking, advocacy and effective communication of Habitat Nepal’s organizational strategies and program framework.
• Influence the sector to allocate more capital to housing by sharing learnings and experience from Habitat’s financial inclusion initiatives and represent HFHIN in relevant platforms.
• Work with various Habitat for Humanity entities to ensure alignment of program operations and cross learning among different entities
• Ensure that HFHI Core Values and Mission Principles permeate the organization at all levels, but especially at the local level with communities and families in need.

Safeguarding
In accordance with its foundational mission principles, Habitat for Humanity International is committed to the highest ethical standards and opposes all forms of discrimination, exploitation, and abuse. We intend to create and maintain a work and living environment that is safe, productive, and respectful for our colleagues and for all we serve.
We require that all staff take seriously their ethical responsibilities to Safeguarding (Child Protection, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Harassment and Abuse) our intended beneficiaries, their communities (especially children), and all those with whom we work. In line with the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, all staff must pass a thorough background screening, police check and will be held accountable to upholding our policies around ethical behavior, including safeguarding and whistleblowing.
Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct.

Education Qualification and Professional Experience

• Master’s degree in economics, business, finance, international development, or related field.
• Minimum five years of experience in microfinance, housing finance, digital finance or inclusive finance, have expertise in developing appropriate loan/savings product for financial institutions related business with progressively increasing responsibility;
• Experience developing and/or managing projects;
• Experience related to housing is strongly preferred; Asia experience or Nepal’s experience is strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with other departments, institutions, and across cultures. Actively listens and proactively communicates, shares knowledge, and applies innovation and creativity to problem solving.

Preferred Competencies in addition to minimum qualifications

• Sales: Demonstrates ability to package and successfully sell advisory services to market actors working with BOP communities and individuals. Capacity to write and oversee technical proposals for grants and/or contracts.
• Project Management: Demonstrates ability to define projects and initiatives and monitor implementation for effective realization of intended benefits and outcomes; Manage project budgets; and Deliver reports on time.
• Training skills: Capacity to lead training sessions, and the creation of training session materials. Good people skills with the ability to communicate cross-culturally and work in teams.
• Business Know-How: Applies a broad-based understanding of key business fundamentals including organization, strategic relationships, and the business/political environment. Uses a high-level understanding of finance, operations, marketing, information systems, and human resources to coordinate across departmental and functional lines. Evaluates and manages risks to the organization at all levels. Is a strategic thinker and can think globally/regionally and look at the macro, strategic issues to inform strategy choices and management process.
• Written Communication: Expresses ideas, thoughts, and concepts clearly and effectively in writing.
• English Language Proficiency: The ability to speak, understand and write fluently in English.
• Acts as a positive leadership role model contributing to team spirit and motivates, directs, and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Treats all individuals with respect, is a role model for diversity and inclusion.
• Upholds highest organizational and ethical norms and maintains high standards of integrity and trustworthiness.
• Effectively adapts own approaches to suit changing circumstances or requirements and has a consistent high-quality performance, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-driven, takes initiatives and actions to accomplish tasks