Research Fellowship : Women's World Banking

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: 

Women's World Banking is the only microfinance network explicitly focused on supporting women. Headquartered in New York City, Women’s World Banking supports the needs of 26 million clients, 80% of whom are women, through a network partnership of 38 microfinance institutions in 28 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Women’s World Banking works with these institutions to design financial products and services that fulfill the needs of our clients. The mission of the Women’s World Banking is to expand the economic assets, participation and power of low-income women and their households by helping them access financial services, knowledge and markets.

Women’s World Banking’s approach to product design always starts with in-depth research – understanding the lives of women so they can design products that meet the needs of women while being sustainable for the financial institution. They work with the financial institution to ensure the institution’s leadership and infrastructure can support both new product introductions and a potentially new market segment. Once a product is launched, Women’s World Banking leverages the lessons learned to successfully introduce and replicate the product to other institutions in other parts of the world. With this global reach, they are able to greatly increase the number of women who can build a stronger financial future for themselves and their families.

ABOUT THE JOB: 

The Women’s World Banking Fellowship Program enables future global leaders in financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment to experience the challenges and rewards of contributing to an organization that works diligently to create financial opportunities for low income women.   Fellowships strengthen the capacity of professionals to identify, investigate and address financial needs of low-income women through rigorous research and evaluation of program and product development. 

Fellows will be based in our New York City office starting in late 2015. Travel in the field may be required. Women’s World Banking will give preference to those with demonstrated abilities to tackle the type of work required to best support the needs of our clients in developing countries.

Recent studies indicate that more than 1.3 billion women worldwide still remain outside the formal financial system. Beyond reaching the largest number of un- and under-banked women, and ensuring they are served well, Women’s World Banking also seeks to better understand the financial and social outcomes for women who have accessed financial products and services. Under the Research, Monitoring & Evaluation program, we are looking to study new areas related to gender and financial behavior, monitor the results of existing programs, evaluate outcomes for low-income women, and synthesize and disseminate findings from these initiatives.

As the authoritative resource devoted to giving low-income women access to the financial tools they need, Women’s World Banking has worked for more than 35 years to get a clear picture about the needs of women, as expressed by the women themselves. We work directly with financial institutions to show them the benefit of investing in women, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods. This research includes analysis of the ways gender shapes women’s financial lives with respect to family responsibilities, cultural norms, and self-image. By combining this gender analysis with the findings from our additional qualitative and quantitative market studies, we have gained rich insights into women’s financial behaviors, the life experiences that shape those behaviors, and thus the financial products with the greatest potential to help women achieve success. It is these insights that financial institutions need to serve this growing and profitable market.

Research Fellows will have the opportunity to:

• Participate in the design/implementation/management/analysis of research projects with direct interaction and impact on low-income clients
• Conduct quantitative/qualitative research in the areas relates to women’s access to finance and  financial empowerment
• Design/carry out case studies and research briefs
• Analyze/translate data and partner with others to develop recommendations and presentations
• Collaborate on report development and presentation of findings
• Unique opportunity to contribute to the field of financial inclusion by using research insights to enhance financial products and services for women.

Qualifications needed and more can be found in the original job posting.

HOW TO APPLY: 

Please include the following items in your submission online via the Original Job Posting link:

1. A current resume;
2. A one-page cover letter articulating why you will succeed at Women’s World Banking;
3. An individual writing sample, 10 pages or less.

Original Job Posting