FSD Africa is a £30 million financial sector development programme based in Nairobi, funded by the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID). It aims to reduce poverty across sub-Saharan Africa by building financial markets that are efficient, robust, and inclusive. The Manager, Research and Data works with the Principal, Innovation for Resilience within the context of FSD Africa’s strategy and the Adaptation & Resilience Pillar’s focus, ensuring that the programme results in meaningful real-sector outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy and Programming
- Lead in scoping research market studies and user research in each country to inform value chain prioritisation and programme targeting.
- Design and implement strategies to map, access, and optimize national agricultural, climate, and demographic datasets relevant to AFIYA.
- Share learnings associated with strategy development and programming with the broader FSD Africa organisation and partners.
- Work collaboratively with the Development Impact team to devise and manage results measurement and learning frameworks that will yield important insights.
- Participate actively in strategy formulation sessions, contributing technical expertise and innovative solutions.
- Responsible for translating ecosystem gaps into actionable research programs and data partnerships.
- Identify and prioritise research agendas aligned to insurance innovation, climate resilience, and agricultural risk transfer.
Research Management
- Coordinate development of data sharing agreements, APIs, and batch repositories with government data owners and implementing partners.
- Identify and prioritise use cases for data-driven product design, risk pricing, and regulatory reporting.
- Work with technical teams to strengthen sex-disaggregated data collection, access, and sustainability through partner capacity-building.
- Develop results measurement frameworks to track research and data ecosystem progress and influence.
- Contribute to organisational learning by synthesizing research outcomes and translating them into strategic recommendations.
- Prepare partner reports, internal briefs, and presentations for board or external stakeholders.
- Prepare briefing documents and data-driven reports for leadership and key stakeholders.
- Identify trends, capture lessons learned, and recommend course corrections to optimise implementation outcomes.
Influencing and Communicating for Impact
- Map stakeholders and devise strategic communication plans to influence key actors and advance project goals.
- Create visualisations (e.g., dashboards, charts, graphs) to clearly communicate key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Partner with the Communications team to integrate advocacy into project plans, driving stakeholder engagement effectively.
- Develop impactful content and materials for advocacy efforts, supporting visibility and strategic communication objectives.
- Represent FSD Africa professionally in public forums, enhancing its credibility and influence among stakeholders.
- Monitor communication efforts, adjusting strategies based on effectiveness and stakeholder responses.
Relationship Management
- Manage multi-stakeholder workshops and stakeholder consultations to synthesize insights across insurers, regulators, fintechs, aggregators, and young women Smallholder Farmers (SHFs).
- Foster collaboration across organisational pillars, identifying opportunities for synergy and coordinated actions.
- Respond effectively to stakeholder information needs, organising targeted capacity-building events or knowledge dissemination.
- Manage consultants and teams through motivational leadership, ensuring high performance and effective project outcomes.
- Engage continuously with stakeholders to nurture relationships, ensuring ongoing collaboration and support for projects.
Risks & Resources Management
- Develop project plans, budgets, and forecasts to ensure optimal resource utilisation and compliance with organisational policies.
- Ensure rigorous due diligence and risk assessments are conducted, ensuring thorough analysis without impeding partner operations.
- Liaise internally to manage financial resources effectively, ensuring compliance with statutory and partner regulations.
- Regularly analyse portfolio performance for value-for-money, adjusting strategies to enhance development impact.
Requirements
Qualifications and Education
- Master’s degree and 6 years of experience or Bachelor’s Degree and 8 years of experience in Actuarial Science, Data Science, Research, Statistics, or Computer Science.
- Relevant postgraduate qualifications preferred.
- Excellent skills in written and spoken English.
Essential Experience, Knowledge, and Skills
- At least 6 years of professional experience in leading research-driven ecosystem development initiatives to promote sustainable finance and climate resilience across multiple countries and financial institutions in Africa.
- Experience working in a complex and pioneering environment.
- Track record of managing relationships and influencing stakeholders in the financial sector in Africa; good influencing/interpersonal skills.
- Excellent grasp of key principles of Project Cycle Management; proven track record of adaptive management.
- Track record of effectively managing people; including ability to motivate and coordinate teams.
- Ability to engage & influence convincingly at a senior management level.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to FSD Africa on fsdafrica.seamlesshiring.com to apply.
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