HOPE International

MFI Project Management Specialist

Application deadline: February 15, 2023

The microfinance project management specialist is responsible for supporting project management as a discipline with the HOPE microfinance department and managing strategic projects at the department and network-levels. This role liaises with different departments and stakeholders within the US and field-based microfinance teams to complete projects that contribute to the MFI team’s strategic objectives.

Location: Lancaster, PA; Kigali, Rwanda; Nairobi, Kenya; remote considered,

Level: Senior Professional

Type: Full-time

Department: Operations

Reports to: Director of Microfinance Support Services

RESPONSIBILITIES
Promote and fulfill the mission and vision of HOPE International
Project Management
Manage large microfinance projects with an emphasis on network and department-level support, including network expansion and new partner exploration activities; merger, acquisition, and integration activities; and internal working groups for strategic initiatives ranging across multiple MFIs
Assist team leadership to ensure smooth team operations; maintain accurate vision across departmental project workload, proactively raising concerns as needed
Act as the liaison between project requestors and the microfinance department and coordinate with interdisciplinary and cross-cultural distributed teams including internal IT, finance, and field program resources
Employ HOPE’s project management software (Wrike) to facilitate a smooth project process and track projects to completion in a timely manner, with use of other tools as needed
Champion the use of technology systems throughout the MFI team, train new staff, and provide updates on new features of existing systems
Stay up to date on industry research and best practices in project management, especially for international organizations, and raise recommendations for ongoing improvement
Prepare and present project updates to a range of stakeholders, including executive leadership
Reinforce a culture of sharing learnings from projects in the MFI network
Other
Champion and facilitate lateral learning between MFI programs and partners
Champion HOPE International’s culture of P.A.S.S.I.O.N. (Prayer, Allegiance, Service, Stewardship, Innovation, and Optimism)
Liaise between microfinance field staff, US based MFI team, and other US based HOPE teams

QUALIFICATIONS
Personal confession of Christian faith and commitment to the mission and vision of HOPE International
Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, international development, international business, or other relevant field
5+ years of professional experience related to project or program management, mergers and acquisitions, economic development, financial services, or other related field
Exceptional project management skills, including coordinating the full project cycle from identification of business requirements to design and implementation of solutions, including assessment of the project outcome
The ability to work effectively with others, including motivating and holding distributed/remote teams accountable to goals and timelines
The ability to think critically, anticipate needs, and proactively improve processes
An intentional, effective, and encouraging style of communication, regularly building those up around them, while managing a variety of tasks
Demonstrated ability to work independently with the ability to problem-solve with minimal oversight
Experience or certification in project management frameworks such as Agile, Scrum, or Lean, a plus
Microsoft Office computer proficiency, with an emphasis in Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel, Wrike, or other project management software, a plus
International experience and cross-cultural skills, particularly in cross-cultural communication, preferred
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 75 days per year
A working knowledge of language(s) spoken in HOPE’s programs, preferred, like French, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Spanish, Swahili, and Ukrainian