Job Description

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 33,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Key Responsibilities:

The role requires influence and must lead, guide and initiate processes for positioning VisionFund Zambia as a leading Christian MFI.

The role must create spiritually nurturing environments at head office and branch level that enable staff and leaders to successfully live out their vocational call and WV’s mission through providing guidance, pastoral support and fostering an environment of prayer. The role will keep VisionFund’ s commitment to wise stewardship in the forefront of the organization’s decision-making.

Some of the key measures of success in this role will be:

• Greater alignment and capacity to live out our faith in alignment to World Vision’s Our Promise, VisionFund International’s 2030 Strategy (particularly the areas of impact and Faith & Development), and VisionFund Zambia ’s strategic plan.
• Evidence of integration of our Christian faith and its impact in the way we deliver financial and non-financial services in the MFIs. Non-financial services extend to the way in which we work with clients, their families and communities.
• That VisionFund is recognized as a distinctive Christian microfinance organization within the (Country)n microfinance sector.

Because this role is the first in a pilot program to create this function within each microfinance institution in VisionFund, the role would also coordinate closely with the VisionFund International Faith & Development Director to provide support to other institutions, including strategy development, staffing decisions, and lateral learning and training.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategy and operational leadership to accomplish VisionFund (Country)’s full mission impact. –
• Advise the VisionFund Zambia senior management team to lead and guide accomplishment of Our Promise Strategic Imperative 1 (Living out our Christian faith and calling with boldness and humility) within the organization.
• Lead the faith & development function and the impact function within VisionFund Zambia to ensure that our work results in positive financial, social, spiritual impact.

• Participate in strategic planning, business development and fundraising to support our ministry work.

Develop staff capacity for accomplishing transformational development.

• Help shape and participate in recruitment processes to ensure new staff are aligned with VisionFund Zambia ’s full mission (financial, social, spiritual).
• Participate as a trainer in new staff orientation as well as ongoing staff development to inculcate in our staff the culture of bringing Christ to the centre of our work, including a focus on transformational development, stewardship, excellence in client care, operational excellence, and client protection.
• Conduct extensive field visits and shadow loan officers, supervisors, and branch managers to understand the realities on the ground. Provide coaching and mentoring to branch managers to establish a strong mission focus and a healthy organizational culture within each branch.
• Conduct the Mission Immersion Program (in collaboration with World Vision Zambia Faith & Development) for all VisionFund Zambia Staff.

Oversee training and program development in biblically Empowered Worldview, and embed this approach into the DNA of our operations. This will include working with VisionFund International (F&D and Training) and WVI to

• contextualize Empowered Worldview client training resources. This position will oversee piloting and then roll out of client training in VisionFund Zambia.

• Working with ADPs, identify viable value chains of focus for each ADPs.
• Conduct value chain analysis and design appropriate products for the value chains of focus;
• Identify appropriate partners (such as insurance providers, market, extension providers and BDS) outlets to ensure reduced risk in financing arrangements.
• Ensure the measurement of impact of the implemented initiatives on both clients and VFZ.
• Ensure adequate documentation of evidence of the implemented activities for future learning.

• Provide direction and management to impact monitoring and other holistic M&E activities-
• Supervise staff to ensure accurate and timely collection of impact-related indicators.
• Serve as on-site lead for the Holistic Community Assessment process (will receive training in this method, along with support of an international consultant)
• Provide pastoral care to VisionFund Zambia staff.
• Facilitate spiritually nurturing environments that enable staff and leaders to successfully live out their vocational call and World Vision’s mission through providing guidance, pastoral support and fostering an environment of prayer and spiritual growth.
• Provide support to other VF MFI Transformational Impact Managers.
• Support roll out of Empowered Worldview and Mission Immersion program globally through hosting field visits, supporting as a trainer in other countries, and participating in the VF F&D learning community.
• Perform any other duties that may be assigned to him/her by the CEO.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

List education, knowledge & skills, licenses preferred, and all experiences required to perform this position in a fully competent manner.

Minimum education, training and experience requirements to qualify for the position:

• Education at a minimum of bachelor’s degree level
• A proven strategic thinker
• Computer literacy; strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Excellent interpersonal skills and cross-cultural sensitivity
• Commitment and ability to develop others
• Ability to integrate teams of professionals around common goals.
• Strong presentation skills.

List additional work experience required as a minimum qualification for this position.

• More than 5 years’ work experience including experience in leadership and training.

• More than 5 years’ experience working (including unpaid work) in a church or other Christian faith community, demonstrating spiritual leadership to others, a prayerful approach to work and a commitment to own spiritual development and discernment
• Experience working in the development sector (e.g. NGO or missionary work) – with microfinance, banking or other business experience as an added advantage.

• Demonstrates Christ-centred life and work attitude/approach that speaks to a deep and personal commitment to Christ.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and listen deeply to people from high-poverty contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to work sensitively and effectively with people from different church backgrounds and cultural contexts and nationalities, and also with people of different faiths or those who may profess to have no belief system.
• Excellent training and coaching skills and ability to develop own training methods and materials
• Strong interpersonal, diplomatic and negotiating skills, ability to influence and exercise discretion
• A proven track record of building external relationships and negotiating mutually beneficial partnerships.

Applicant Types Accepted:

Local Applicants Only