Abuja Current Vacancies for Financial Non-governmental Organisation

Talentstone Finance – Our client is a financial sector non-governmental body. It seeks to support increased access to financial services by making the market for financial services work better for the poor, and by improving regulation in Nigeria.

Background
Seven out of ten Nigerian adults are unbanked, and nearly half of the adult population is considered financially excluded. Some banking clients have to travel long distances to reach a branch, resulting in the travel cost sometimes being higher than the amount the client wanted to deposit on that day.

Digital Financial Services (DFS) has the potential to expand the delivery of basic financial services to the poor or underbanked through new technologies like mobile phones, computers, electronic money and new channels such as retail agents.

To further achieve the aforementioned objective, our client has identified the urgent need to recruit competent and suitably qualified individuals to fill the specified position below:



Job Title: PMU Project Manager
Ref: PMU-16-03
Location: Abuja (Candidates must be willing to relocate. Relocation will be covered by the client)
Role Summary 

• The Project Manager will be responsible for managing the planning and execution of projects and activities supporting the deployment of Digital Financial Services (DFS) platform initiative.
• This will include the successful digitization of multiple priority payment streams with accompanying payment system changes, critical to driving overall financial inclusion in Nigeria.
• The Project Manager must coordinate contributions from many participants to ensure projects deliver the expected scope and business value, are completed on budget and on schedule and are delivered with quality.
• Because not all of the key deliverables will be created under the direct supervision of the PM, it will be important that the PM is able to build strong, mutually respectful partnerships with stakeholders, manage expectations, and ensure the appropriate level of communication for multiple audiences.
• The PM understands the initiative environment and shares stakeholder perspectives with the project team.

Responsibilities

• Develop and coordinate project tasks, manage timelines, maintain project plans to meet implementation goals and communicate status of project work streams;
• Work closely with program managers and project teams within relevant public and private sector institutions, reviewing key deliverables in line with approved project plans;
• Coordinate with people managers, partners, vendors and project sponsorship to ensure projects are appropriately resourced and/or tools are effectively managed to achieve project objectives;
• Champion the need for and share best practices for change and change management approach, including identification of interdependencies and impact;
• Facilitate meetings and communications throughout the project lifecycle to build project momentum and ensure transparency of relevant project information to appropriate audiences. Establish and nurture relationships with project stakeholders and sponsors;
• Responsible for detecting potential issues, escalating and implementing solutions at the project level when there are issues that may delay the timeline, impact budget or outcomes;
• Provide support to DFS platform team effort to extract learnings and deliverables for use by broader audience;
• Liaise with Project sponsors and Project Secretariat to facilitate development of grants and contracts needed to drive projects.

Competencies & Skills Requirements
Core Knowledge and Skills:

• Understands the business benefits of the project and the linkage between the project/program goals and organizational strategy and drivers;
• Experience working in developing economies and managing complex technical projects essential;
• Understanding of mobile payment solutions, especially in developing markets, and payment system actors, infrastructure, and regulations;
• Solid knowledge and expertise utilizing project management and change management frameworks for successful project delivery across the project lifecycle;

Communication skills:

• Effective as a collaborator in complex internal and external organizations. Strong at synthesizing and presenting complex information for a variety of stakeholders;

Internal & External Contacts:

• Manage day to day relationship with internal and external colleagues, grantees, and close partners. Identify and develop relationships in support of program work;

Problem Solving:

• Problems are often complex and require research and careful review of options and communication.

Qualification and Experience

• Minimum of a First Degree and/or professional certifications in relevant technical fields or other social science disciplines from a reputable institution;
• Minimum of Ten (10) years’ cognate work experience within the financial or technology sector, seven (7) of which should be in a similar function at senior management level;
• Demonstrated proficiency managing analytically rigorous initiatives;
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office tools e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.

Compensation

• This position attracts a competitive compensation and benefits packages.
• The position is for a 2-year initial contract period, renewable subject to the project’s life cycle and per candidates’ performances.

Job Title: Digital Financial Services (DFS) Platform Program Manager
Ref: PMU-16-01
Location: Abuja (Candidates must be willing to relocate. Relocation will be covered by the client)
Role Summary 

• Reports to – Head of Project Management Secretariat
• This position will be responsible for leading a diverse set of projects and stakeholders from initiation through closure to achieve the DFS Platform Initiative’s strategic objectives and benefits. These include the successful digitization of a core set of priority payment streams, with accompanying payment system changes, critical to driving overall financial inclusion in Nigeria.
• The DFS Platform Program Manager (PM) is expected to align and shape organizational and strategic decisions at the senior management level that affect initiative goals, including senior leaders and executives within government, commercial parties, and large non-profit organizations that assist the poor with the overall objective of financial inclusion. This position will manage resources, budget and key relationships and partners needed for success.
• This role manages people and is responsible for supervising the Program Management Unit within the Project Secretariat, managing employee engagement, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, integrating project and change management, measuring progress and holding team accountable.

Responsibilities

• Work with national stakeholders to create and implement an implementation roadmap to strengthen existing platform or deploy a newly designed platform or components that enable digital financial services that work for poor people and are secure, robust and effective;
• Manage initiative related work in line with project budget, available resources, and contracts. Lead future efforts to refine and update country roadmap;
• Identify and mobilize national stakeholders who may be of strategic or tactical importance to the success of the initiative. Represent the importance of the initiative and related work efforts to the overall financial inclusion objectives. This role is responsible for high quality interactions and clear and consistent communications with grantees and partners;
• Create and leverage strong relationships and networks both in-country and regionally. Manage country efforts with cultural acuity;
• Orchestrate Initiatives execution that includes multiple strategic project teams;
• Responsible for initiative team management; identifying and on-boarding staff, assessing staff capacity and capability needed to support strategic priorities, monitor staff deployment and workload across the country initiative team.
• Provide integrated view of all initiatives.
• Oversee team budget, including forecasting and reporting activities;
• Serve as thought partner to national stakeholders and global sponsors of the DFS initiative. Stay abreast of and share developments in country that may impact initiative activities or outcomes;
• Identify and resolve major deployment issues, represent these issues and recommended solutions to the Head of the Project Secretariat;
• Builds a peer support and strong internal-company relationships with other key management personnel;

Competencies & Skills Requirements
Core Knowledge and Skills:

• Demonstrated record of success managing team with diverse skills on highly complex and risky, business critical problems in developing economies;
• Excellent analytical, writing and verbal skills for communicating and influencing a broad and diverse audience;
• Strong understanding of mobile payment solutions, especially in developing markets;

Communication and Collaboration Skills:

• Effective as an executive facilitator in complex internal and external organizations. Proficient at capturing and understanding stakeholder needs and expectations, analyzing the impact of the program on stakeholders, gaining and maintaining stakeholder support, managing stakeholder communications, and mitigating / channelling stakeholder resistance;

Decision-Making:

• Individual will be required to prioritize the critical and complex issues, work and activities that the Program Management Unit team needs to focus on.
• Navigate a variety of work environments, cultures and challenges that arise in working across key stakeholders.
• Build trust of stakeholders, grantees and partners to ensure alignment;

Internal & External Contacts:

• Manage day to day relationship with internal and external stakeholders, grantees, and close partners. Identify and develop internal relationships in support of program work;

Problem Solving:

• Problems are highly complex and require research and careful review of options.

Qualification and Experience

• Minimum of a First Degree and/or professional certifications in relevant technical fields or other social science disciplines from a reputable institution;
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years’ cognate work experience within the financial or technology sector, ten (10) of which should be in a similar function at senior management level;
• Demonstrated proficiency managing analytically rigorous initiatives;
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office tools e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.

Compensation

• This position attracts a competitive compensation and benefits packages.
• The position is for a 2-year initial contract period, renewable subject to the project’s life cycle and per candidates’ performances.

Job Title: Communications & Reporting Manager
Ref: PMU-16-04
Location: Abuja (Candidates must be willing to relocate. Relocation will be covered by the client)
Reports to: Head of Strategy Co-ordination Office
Role Summary 

• The position holder will support the Secretariat in developing and managing the communications strategy for the Project.
• This includes engagement with relevant internal and external stakeholders to develop and execute appropriate flow of information on financial inclusion and progress towards project goals and targets.
• The Communications & Reporting Manager will deploy different channels including creating viable social media presence and leverage print and electronic media to promote the project among diverse audience.
• The position holder will also anchor the publication of stakeholder implementation initiatives as well as bi-annual and other periodic reports on the project.

Responsibilities

• Design and manage appropriate communications strategy for the Project Secretariat to support implementation and sustain the engagement of internal and external stakeholders to the performance of their roles and responsibilities;
• Perform the communications function for the Project Secretariat including strategy status updates, press releases, and meeting outcomes;
• Facilitate the organization of stakeholder engagement events, leveraging appropriate tools to create required publicity on project initiatives;
• Establish and maintain close working relationships with the communication arms of stakeholder institutions, influencing the delivery and adoption of financial services among various segments of the population, in support of project objectives;
• Coordinate closely with the Program Management Unit to extract key learnings and project milestones for dissemination to broader audience;
• Coordinate closely with the Data Management Office to develop relevant publication of bi-annual data and other periodic reports on project implementation

Competencies & Skills Requirements
Core Knowledge and Skills:

• Understands the strategic benefits of the project and the linkage between the various stakeholders, their goals, organizational strategy and drivers;
• Strong knowledge and proven track record in the financial services sectors such as Microfinance, SME Financing, Retail Banking and Mobile payment solutions, especially in developing markets;
• Hands-on experience in developing and launching communications campaigns using multiple channels including social, print and other electronic media;

Communication skills:

• Must be able to communicate large and complex ideas and recommendations to a diverse set of stakeholders including highly technical and non-technical issues on the project.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to mine data insights from multiple sources (local and international) is essential;

Internal & External Contacts:

• Manage day to day relationship with internal and external colleagues, grantees, and close partners.
• Identify and develop relationships in support of overall project implementation;

Problem Solving:

• Problems are often complex and require research and careful review of options and communication.

Qualification and Experience

• Minimum of a first degree in Mass Communication, Public Relations, Social Sciences or other relevant field, from a reputable institution;
• Minimum of Ten (10) years’ cognate work experience within the financial or technology sector, Seven (7) of which should be in a similar function at senior management level;
• Demonstrated proficiency managing analytically rigorous initiatives;
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office tools e.g. Word, Excel, Power Point etc.

Compensation

• This position attracts a competitive compensation and benefits packages.
• The position is for a 2-year initial contract period, renewable subject to the project’s life cycle and per candidates’ performances.

 
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download a pre-interview questionnaire and send the completed questionnaire with a copy of their updated resume in Microsoft Word format to:research@talentstonefinance.com cc: hello@talentstoneafrica.com quoting the Job Title and Reference Code for the position in the subject.

Click Here to Download Pre-interview Questionnaire

Note: Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Application Deadline  9th May, 2016.