Research Director, Center for Financial Inclusion

1 day ago

Washington DC United States Accion Full time
Research Director, Center for Financial Inclusion

About Accion

Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the nearly two billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build 267 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 75 countries, reaching 440 million people. More at .

About CFI

The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) works to advance inclusive financial services for the billions of people who currently lack the financial tools needed to improve their lives and prosper. We leverage partnerships to conduct rigorous research and test promising solutions, and then advocate for evidence-based change. CFI was founded by Accion in 2008 to serve as an independent think tank on inclusive finance.

Our role in the inclusive finance space is to identify learning gaps that could advance financial health of low-income people and undertake research and pilot testing to advance our collective understanding of what would drive progress. In areas where there is clear evidence of what works, we collaborate with partners to advocate and embed learning into implementation and practices of partners. We partner with all types of stakeholders - donors, investors, policymakers and providers - both in its research and pilot testing work as well as during its advocacy phase.

Position Summary

The Research Director role contributes to CFI's research and policy influence work across four main areas of responsibility: the generation of insights, the communications of insights for impact, program management, and organizational culture.

The position reports to the VP of Research & Programs and requires leadership in the broader financial inclusion space as a thought leader and research lead with a robust knowledge product pipeline (that is focused on generating measurable industry behavior change), complete responsibility for their project portfolio, strong management of their team and stakeholder groups, and ownership for building an organizational culture of excellence across CFI.

Position Responsibilities

Insight Generation

  • Define areas of research that need attention and craft research questions within CFI that -if answered- will drive key financial inclusion stakeholders into making behavioral changes resulting in measurable impacts on financial inclusion.
  • Drive research that can answer those questions in a credible and methodologically sound manner.

Communication of Insights for Impact

  • Contribute to development of influence strategies and campaigns with the communications team.
  • Lead the development of a full suite of knowledge products and design of stakeholder partnerships that -aligned with clearly articulated influence strategies and theories of change -result in measurable shifts in industry dialogue, learning, and implementation.
  • Represent CFI as a thought leader at high-level industry convenings on broad financial inclusion issues.

Program Management

  • Oversee and cultivate project portfolio, teams, and stakeholder groups to reach ambitious results.
  • Support the overall management of CFI in collaboration with other senior staff members at CFI, including making substantial contributions to strategy, fundraising, internal knowledge sharing and cross-collaboration, budgeting and planning, and representation.
  • Actively contribute to corporate initiatives across Accion.
  • Participate as an active member of CFI's senior team and advise the Vice President, Research and Programs, Managing Director and others on the senior team on a wide range of organizational and programmatic issues.

Organizational Culture

  • Build and lead a culture that attracts and retains top talent, and ensures a high performing, respectful, and inclusive work culture; a culture in which all staff:
    • Reach their full potential as learners, unorthodox researchers, and thought leaders.
    • Work effectively with each other by sharing ideas, brainstorming, and co-developing knowledge products.
    • Feel accountable for results and impact.
    • Strive and achieve excellence.

Position Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of relevant experience in the financial inclusion space. Masters preferred.
  • Deep understanding of CFI's strategic focus areas (consumer protection, data, climate, gender) including a demonstrated track record of success within at least one of our thematic priorities and/or cross-cutting areas.
  • Proven financial inclusion research leader, able to design, implement and produce reports on emerging innovations and themes in inclusive finance using sound methodologies.
  • Demonstrated ability to think critically and communicate clearly externally and internally.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills.
  • Superior judgement/knowledge with the ability to lead a project from conception through to its end.
  • Demonstrates awareness of broader business, legal and reputational risks and acts to mitigate them.
  • Advanced project management expertise.

Travel Requirements

This job may require travel on an occasional basis (

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