Insurance Business Development Manager - VisionFund Ghana

VisionFund International (VFI) is the world’s largest Christian microfinance network. For more than a decade we have been improving the lives of children across the developing world, as we provide small loans and other financial services to families struggling in poverty.

As the microfinance subsidiary of World Vision, the world’s largest Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation, we work in 28 countries through our network of affiliated microfinance institutions (MFIs) located across the globe in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. We have an outstanding loan portfolio of nearly US$429 million, serve over 1million active borrowers and impact the lives of over 3.4 million children each year.

Sharing the same vision as World Vision, VFI aims to provide ‘life in all its fullness’ to children as their parents receive small loans, improve their businesses and increase in ability to care for their children as family incomes multiply..

Purpose of the Position:

VisionFund commenced a strategic initiative to use insurance tools and techniques to help create financial safety nets for the poor. This then prevents them from falling back into poverty when shocks occur. This role is set to ensure the delivery of our insurance operations in our network.

The work will involve strong project management and co-ordination of many stakeholders as well as highly technical design of insurance solutions. The successful candidate will drive pragmatic implementation of insurance solutions into VisionFund’s operations to create affordable financial safety nets for the borrowers. This role is proactive, making sure results are achieved as per the defined plan in our MFIs and developing plans in the others.

Major Responsibilities:

Insurance Business Development:

• Put together measures that would coordinate the analysis of the insurance client needs in the branches in order to define products that will serve their needs.
• Enhance awareness of potential for all insurance products within the whole network through the development (with the MFI) of a clear insurance ambition for each country that combines impact potential and financial income.
• Drive business case analysis for different insurance product types within MFI.

Integration of Insurance within MFIs:

• Develop and then ensure a smooth implementation and integration of the insurance activities into VisionFund’s existing operations.
• Advise and specify teams’ skills for all kinds of insurance business management.
• Make the case for change to senior stakeholders and take staff and clients along the implementation journey to make the offering of insurance products cost effective and efficient, leveraging the existing administrative processes in the MFIs.

Insurance Product Development:

• Ensure insurance product design activities within VFI bring to a practical and cost effective conclusion by gathering qualitative and quantitative data.
• Ensure inputs from other specialists is driven towards practical solutions that will work for VisionFund and for the poor.
• Interact effectively with a very diverse range of stakeholders serving to deliver insurance products.

Training and writing of SOP:

• To conduct and deliver trainings for MFIs staff who deal with Insurance.
• To identify talent and potential successors for this role, among MFI staff.
• Coach them and identify right trainings and stretch assignments for their development.
• To contribute and provide inputs for training curriculum for MFI staff for them to raise awareness of insurance among clients and be able to sell insurance products.

Reporting:

• Reports for VisionFund global, regional.
• Assist local management to report to their boards on key insurance projects.
• Be responsible for quality reports for Insurance program implementation within MFI and VFI.

Critical Knowledge, Technical Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of work experience: at least 5 years of experience in business development in SME/ micro-banking, insurance or microfinance.
• Some experience in partnership distribution is required. And minimum of 5 years experience in developing countries of managing insurance projects (client engagement, implementing insurance operations in partnership (bancassurance), designing clear plans for countries, and getting results in different contexts).
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Hands-on, “can do” approach. Someone who gets things done and has a track record of achieving results through others via remote calls.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills including cross-culturally.
• A clear communicator with excellent presentation and negotiation skills.
• Proven ability to work in cross-functional teams of experts and influence and collaborate with multiple stakeholders at all levels in an organization.
• Must be client-centric and business minded, and committed to creating sustainable microinsurance products to serve uninsured, low-income people.
• Bachelors degree in business administration, economics, international relations, accounting or other relevant subject.
• Technical insurance qualifications are a significant added plus.
• Experience in health insurance company would be a clear asset.
• Masters or MBA preferred.
• Ability and willingness to work with the remote team members working in multiple different time zones
• Travel to the field may include remote rural locations.
• Requirement for Spanish and/or French, in addition to excellent verbal, written and presentation skills in English.

Work Environment:

• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20% of the time.