Program Manager – Technical Assistance and Change Management

Market Solutions Practice (MSP)

MSP corrects market failures by deploying Kifiya’s four core infrastructures—intelligent data & decisioning, intelligent financial services, digital agriculture, and smart mobility—to enable MSMEs, smallholder farmers, and low-to-middle-income individuals to access finance and markets. Our work drives job creation, social inclusion, and economic empowerment, making us a partner of choice for impact funders.

Program Overview: SAFEE Shared Facility

Under the Sustainable Access to Finance to Enable Entrepreneurship (SAFEE) program (a Kifiya–Mastercard Foundation partnership), the Shared Facility provides digital infrastructure and data-management tools to our Foundation partners. By unlocking $1.2 billion in liquidity through a 1:3 leverage model and declining guarantees, SAFEE empowers 477,861 youth‑ and women‑led MSMEs across Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Digital Entrepreneurship.

Position Summary

You will lead the design, coordination, and execution of comprehensive capacity building, technical assistance, and change management initiatives for our partner financial institutions—including banks, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), and FinTechs—and actively engage with the regulatory environment. You’ll be responsible for designing and delivering high-impact training on digital credit, credit scoring principles, and alternative data, leveraging both internal expertise and external networks.

A core part of your role involves leading change management and process transformation, providing hands-on support to help institutions reengineer policies and seamlessly integrate digital operations. Additionally, you’ll offer targeted business development services to FinTechs, guiding them on critical aspects like product-market fit and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Training Design & Delivery for Financial Institutions

• Design and tailor high-impact training modules for banks, MFIs, and fintechs on the concept, commercial case, and implementation pathways for non-collateralized digital credit, grounded in Kifiya’s market intelligence and product experience.
• Develop and deliver applied training on credit scoring principles, with a focus on alternative data and AI-driven models, leveraging both in-house capabilities and external experts to strengthen analytical acumen across institutions.
• Coordinate and lead immersive exposure visits and field-based learning to demonstrate operational, governance, and risk management models in uncollateralized credit, drawing from Kifiya’s partner networks and pilots.
• Manage a network of capacity-building consultants to ensure consistent delivery of modular, demand-driven training for partner financial institutions.

Change Management & Process Transformation

• Recruit, onboard, and supervise embedded change management advisors to support institutional partners through end-to-end digital lending transformation.
• Conduct in-depth diagnostics of participating institutions’ lending processes, policies, staffing structures, and decision-making workflows to identify priority areas for process redesign.
• Lead the co-creation and delivery of change enablement plans, including workshops, coaching, and simulation-based training tailored to branch-level realities and internal governance.
• Provide ongoing hands-on support to help institutions reengineer internal policies, automate workflows, and integrate digital credit operations into their core banking processes.

Targeted Business Development Services (BDS) for Fintechs

• Deliver bespoke advisory and technical assistance to fintechs entering the digital lending ecosystem, including guidance on product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, risk compliance, and technology integration.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to enhance Shared Facility tools with AI features (e.g., predictive partner risk flags).
• Pilot new digital solutions and incorporate feedback loops to refine workflows and partner experiences.

Regulatory Environment Strengthening

• Engage with relevant stakeholders to provide exposure to best practices of uncollateralized digital lending to inform and lead research and learning to provide practical learning that can support ongoing work to enhance the enabling regulatory framework in Ethiopia.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s/Master’s (preferable) in Business, Finance, Economics, Development Studies, or related field.
• 8–10 years’ experience in program or partnership management—ideally in digital finance, fintech, MSME, or development programs.

Technical & AI Skills

• Preferably experienced in advanced data analysis (SQL, Excel, BI tools) to interpret AI‑driven insights and support decision‑making.
• Proficient in leveraging AI/ML‑powered platforms for reporting, monitoring, and partner performance forecasting.
• Familiarity with digital partnership tools (CRM/PRM) and automated data‑integration workflows.
• Solid understanding of blended finance mechanisms and digital lending ecosystems.

Analytical & Data Skills

• Advanced capability to translate quantitative findings into strategic recommendations for diverse stakeholders.
• Comfortable using BI tools and data visualization to communicate AI‑driven insights.

Behavioral Competencies

• Team player, Strategic thinker with strong execution focus.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Collaborative leadership style, with a passion for innovation and financial inclusion.