Job Purpose:
Lead strategic engagement and implement regional initiatives for AFI members, prospective members, observers, prospective observers, and partners in the Arab region, to deliver AFI knowledge products and services, and meet financial inclusion objectives in the Arab region and globally.
Accountabilities / Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and implement short- to long-term engagement plans to drive engagement with members, prospective members, and partners in the Arab region.
- Provide technical and secretariat supports to members and partners in the Arab region to ensure implementation of the regional Financial Inclusion for the Arab Region Initiative (FIARI) annual programmes.
- Lead projects and coordinate across multiple AFI units or other internal stakeholders to serve members’ needs and priorities as well as to implement initiatives or programmes in the Arab region.
- Evaluate, design, test, implement, and scale high-quality tailored membership services in the Arab region, including virtual peer advisory services, capacity building, knowledge content and other innovative approaches that enhance AFI’s values to members.
- Maintain, systematically update, and leverage data on each member’s financial inclusion policy priorities in the portfolio; to deliver values and align AFI offerings with members’ evolving interests and priorities.
- Secure and support high-level engagement or In-Country Implementation (ICI) missions for the Executive Team and other senior management team members with leaders of members, prospective members, and partners in the Arab region.
- Monitor and forecast geopolitical developments that may impact members in the Arab region or AFI Management Unit’s engagement with members, with a view to both opportunities and risks.
- Develop periodic engagement & research reports and present regional needs, trends & specific member priorities to the Executive Team and other senior management team members, for effective implementation initiatives or programmes in the Arab region.
- Develop a pipeline of prospective members and focus on member acquisition to expand membership network in the Arab region.
- Work closely with Policy Programs & Implementation and Donor Relations & Global Partnerships teams on engagement, strengthening of funding and intellectual / technical collaborations in the Arab region.
- Lead author of contents specific for the Arab region and learnings captured from the Arab region to update partnership implementation status with Multi-Donor Financial Inclusion Policy Implementation Facility (MD-PIF) funders (through semi-annual MD-PIF progress reports) and other donor partners.
- Prepare budget and financial estimates as well as monitoring expenditures for member engagement, retention, and acquisitions, as well as Regional Initiative activities.
Qualifications & Experience:
- Master’s Degree or equivalent degree in Finance, Business, Management, Economics, Law, Communication, or International Trade & Development
- Minimum 15 years of working experience and 5 years of managerial experience in financial regulation or development policy, financial inclusion policy or related field, preferably in financial policymaking / regulatory institutions or international / development organizations.
- Experience in member engagement / members relationships including high-level stakeholder management for member-based organizations / institutions, would be advantageous.
- Management of a broad range of activities dealing with various international organizations and related institutions.
Technical & Behavioral Skills:
- Excellent project, program, and portfolio management skills
- Sound understanding of financial inclusion policy and regulatory environment
- Able to capture technical needs of members and ensure appropriate technical supports provided through the AFI Management Unit
- Strategic thinking and analytical skills
- Excellent writing skill
- Strong knowledge of regional issues and contexts affecting AFI and members
- Proficiency of relevant languages apart from English is an advantage
- Strong member focus or relationship skills
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
- Diplomacy, negotiation and influencing skills
- Stakeholder management skills
- Team player & able to build collaborative partnerships
- Creative and innovative decision maker
- Proactive, self-driven and resourceful
- Result- and solution-oriented
- Strong attention to detail and quality
- Flexible, adaptive and multi-tasking
- Culturally sensitive and intelligent
- Appropriately inquisitive
Key Challenges:
- Assessing member needs and matching them with AFI’s mandate, scope, technical capabilities within the realm of topics / issues related to financial inclusion.
- Managing internal stakeholders’ expectations and requirements in line with the member context, needs, priorities and expectations.