Opportunity Type: Job
Organization:Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
United States
About the Organization:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives.
In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. The foundation makes grants in three program areas: global development, global health, and the United States. Its financial services for the poor program is focused on supporting new products, technologies, and business models to make safe, affordable financial services, particularly savings accounts, much more widely available in developing countries.
About the Job:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is seeking a Program Officer (PO). S/he will provide technical and strategic input to help advance Financial Services for the Poor's (FSP) overall strategy. The position is based in Seattle, WA, US.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Develop and manage a portfolio of investments and grant-making activities in Tanzania foster the delivery of digitized financial products over new and existing platforms that dramatically reduce costs, increase client uptake, and incentivize a range of players to participate more fully;
- Foster innovative approaches to the development of financial services across agriculture value chains to reduce fragmentation in the market, improve efficiencies for all parties, and increase value for small holder farmers;
- Contribute to the development of best practices for delivering complex financial products through digital financial platforms, particularly mobile money platforms;
- Build strong relationships across the foundation's agriculture teams;
- Support the activities of other members within the financial services at scale team, as well as across FSP to maximize the potential of the entire team;
- Represent the foundation with external stakeholders including governments, regulators, grantee organizations, banks, mobile operators, universities, think tanks, and other value partners;
- Prepare briefings and organize visits to field sites for foundation staff and leadership.
Qualifications:
- Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance, International Development, or technical discipline. MBA or other advanced degree desired;
- At least 6 - 10 years' relevant work experience in roles responsible for developing, implementing, and managing projects/programs preferred;
- Strong understanding of the commercial challenges associated with building and managing digital payments systems, including regulations, distribution, marketing, and product design;
- Experience working with teams that have built, deployed, and scaled either mobile money systems – particularly in developing countries preferred;
- Knowledge of agriculture value and supply chains, commercialization of agriculture products, and small holder farmers;
- Innovative, out-of-the box thinker who is hands-on and willing to go as deep or broad as necessary to achieve outcomes;
- Exceptional results orientation combined with strong relationship management skills;
- Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic, and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people;
- Experience working in Tanzania preferred;
- Experience leading and working with a range of clients, colleagues, consultants, and other partners with a broad exposure to private and public stakeholders;
- Ability to question and challenge colleagues, including managers, in a constructive manner;
- Fluent in English with excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Other languages highly desired - Swahili or other East African language;
- Ability to travel up to 30-35% of time as needs dictate;
- Prior grant making experience preferred.