DIRECTOR OF KNOWLEDGE AND EVIDENCE

FSD Africa (FSDA) is a new regional programme that promotes financial inclusion by working with financial institutions (FIs) and markets across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to make a transformative impact on the reduction of poverty. FSDA’s initial funding is from the UK’s Department for International Development.

FSDA seeks a dynamic, highly qualified and high performing leadership team to manage significant budgets and develop ambitious new approaches to deliver FSDA’s Strategic Plan to make financial markets work for the poor. 

The role

Reporting to the Director of FSDA, the Director of Knowledge and Evidence will assume a wide range of responsibilities within the FSDA leadership team, overseeing the production of new research, supporting a wide range of knowledge-sharing activities across Africa and internationally, building market capacity to access and use information to spur both commercial innovation and policy change, and bringing rigour to the way financial sector programmes measure impact.

He/she will manage a committed, multimillion pound budget over 5-7 years, together with additional co-funding from financial institutions (FIs), financial sector deepening trusts (FSDs) and donors. He/she will lead all aspects of Pillar 2 of FSDA’s Strategy by investing in research to build cross-country comparisons to highlight regional differences, reveal advocacy opportunities and showcase innovation; providing support for research processes that enhance existing information products (e.g. FinScope) and stimulate the development of new analytical tools; overseeing information-rich, multi-year “learning programmes” in specific theme areas; and co-ordinating a consultative process to strengthen capacity for impact evaluation across the FSD network.

Key responsibilities

• Work with FSDs to ensure effective knowledge-sharing across the FSD network and to complement FSDs’ own research initiatives
• Engage with teams across other FSDA pillars, supporting their information and evaluation-related activities and ensuring that insights from these activities are captured and shared; conduct significant action research
• Collaborate closely with FSDA colleagues working to build services markets in data management and analytics
• Develop and curate an information portal which will become a major information resource for financial sector development in the region
• Support the Communications Manager to roll-out a communications strategy
• Build a small team of analysts and an impact evaluation manager

This role is based in Nairobi, Kenya, with extensive travel within SSA and occasional travel outside Africa.

Background and Qualifications

This role presents a unique challenge for an individual who would like to contribute to the early stages of an organisation that will deliver significant impact over the coming years, and who would like the opportunity to innovate and develop new ideas and ways of working. Over the next 5-7 years, the role offers the opportunity to be a central part of the dynamic FSDA working group and to engage with, and learn from, the community of FSDs and DFID.

The role will create a platform for the successful candidate to build extraordinary networks – with senior leaders within FIs across SSA, with policymakers and regulators, with global experts in financial sector consulting (especially in financial inclusion) and market research, with academics across the world and with the donor community, particularly DFID. 

The successful candidate will be a highly strategic thinker who is able to articulate why it makes sense to prioritise certain kinds of investment in knowledge over others, in pursuit of FSDA’s impact goals.  He/she will be very familiar with current research trends in financial sector development and well-networked with potential knowledge partners in SSA and globally.  Articulate and passionate, he/she will be a compelling presenter at international conferences but will also have the intellectual depth and curiosity to engage meaningfully with top-rated academics in the field. He/she will also have the commitment to manage less experienced team members with sensitivity and prioritise the delivery of high quality outputs on time.      

We are looking for “change-makers”. Applicants should have a strong strategic focus, be results driven, and committed to exceptional standards of performance, and to establishing and operating environment of the highest integrity. They must be comfortable with the start-up environment and with taking responsibility in an uncertain and evolving context. Whilst being strongly focused on clear deliverables, there will also be the freedom and operating latitude for team members to make their own unique contribution to initiate programmes and to stimulate genuine innovation. It is recognised that for some aspects of the leadership team roles and in particular for innovative projects, it may be some years before the full results of their work can be appreciated.

Essential

• Experience of designing and directing multi-country research programmes in policy and/or relevant academic areas
• Strong knowledge and understanding of research trends in financial sector development
• Good experience of working with one of the global players in financial sector development research, either as an employee or consultant
• Strong communication, influencing and engagement skills at global, regional and national levels
• Direct experience of working in Africa
• Track record of attracting funding and initiating intellectual or research partnerships
• Strong understanding of the different approaches to impact evaluation 
• Has published papers, articles etc. (both hard copy and on the internet)
• Understanding of, and commitment to, the delivery of a market building approach
• At least 5 years’ successful management experience
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets
• Strong project management skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage risk
• Excellent skills in written and spoken English

To apply

For a full role description, go to www.fsdafrica.org. To apply, please send a CV and covering letter to Warucu Itotia (info@fsdafrica.org) by 7 January 2014.

FSD Africa is an equal opportunity employer.