Programs and Fundraising Lead, South Asia

POSITION OVERVIEW

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Summary:

Women's World Banking is seeking a Programs and Fundraising Lead, South Asia to join a forward-thinking, high-performing, and collaborative team dedicated to delivering innovative customer experiences, banking services, and products that create value for businesses and low-income women. This role operates at the intersection of strategy, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery, requiring a professional who excels in relationship management, strategic thinking, communication, and execution.

This is a dynamic and demanding role that spans multiple sectors and business lines. The Program and Fundraising Lead is responsible for driving end-to-end development initiatives with strategic partners and donors across South Asia. The position combines concept development, stakeholder engagement, and program execution to deliver innovative proposals and funding solutions aligned with Women's World Banking's mission. Acting as a consultative relationship manager, this person synthesizes inputs across teams, ensures strategic alignment, and manages projects from ideation to execution.

The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to engage with external stakeholders, such as funders, lead strategic projects, manage communication effectively, and deliver assignments aligned with organizational goals and stakeholder expectations. They will play a key role in shaping the team's strategic priorities, fostering external partnerships, and driving impactful initiatives with measurable outcomes.

Candidates with a background in financial services or consulting are preferred. The role requires a strategic thinker who can see the big picture, identify and develop opportunities for engagement. This role is ideal for someone who thrives on cross-functional collaboration, excels in managing multiple priorities, and is passionate about driving meaningful change through strategic partnerships and innovative solutions.

Responsibilities:

1) Strategic Initiatives

• Collaborate with internal teams to conceptualize and develop funder- or partner-facing initiatives, such as new program concepts, proposals or strategic engagements aligned with organizational goals and target audiences priorities. Provide strategic insights and recommendations to project teams, senior leadership and organizational learning and impact teams based on market research and stakeholder feedback to inform decision-making.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for partnerships, funding, and expansion in alignment with organizational strategy.
• Assess and integrate opportunities for AI application within emerging initiatives and partnerships, ensuring new concepts leverage technology for greater reach and efficiency.
• Shape and refine the organization's value proposition, crafting strategies to communicate it effectively to varied audiences through impactful narratives.

2) Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders, including funders, partners, and key industry players.
• Lead external stakeholder communications efforts by crafting compelling proposals, reports, notes, and presentations that convey strategic concepts and partnership value propositions.
• Contribute to fundraising efforts by engaging across varied models, including but not limited to fee-for-service arrangements, localized philanthropic partnerships, and emerging financing structures, to advance organizational priorities and scale impact.
• Serve as a bridge between stakeholders and internal teams, ensuring transparent and meaningful communication.

3) Growth of India Operations

• Drive new institutional concepts and strategic projects that strengthen Women's World Banking's presence in India, including emerging areas such as gender-intentional credit, digital financial infrastructure, and climate-linked financial inclusion.
• Explore intersectoral linkages across livelihoods, health and climate resilience through a gender lens, translating these insights into actionable and scalable program initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure timely and successful execution of projects.

Required Qualifications:

• MBA or Master's degree in related field
• 7+ years of experience in financial services, consulting or other relevant role.
• Proven experience managing relationships with funders, institutional partners, or high-level stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills with a demonstrated ability to deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of sector trends, stakeholders, and funding landscapes.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to create compelling presentations and reports.
• Ability to think strategically while paying attention to detail.
• A proactive, collaborative mindset with the ability to manage cross-functional remote teams and work independently when needed.
• Interest in the field of women's financial inclusion and economic empowerment
• Must be willing to travel extensively within India for on-site presence when required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in financial inclusion, women's empowerment, or development finance.
• Familiarity with development organization ecosystems, including funders and other strategic stakeholders
• Familiarity with AI-driven insights and emerging agentic AI tools to strengthen analytical workflows and inform strategic decision-making.
• Demonstrated success in securing funding or building strategic donor partnerships.

Success within the first 75 days:

• Embrace Women's World Banking's values: Think Big, Own and commit to it, Smarter together
• Take full responsibility for portfolio areas or projects, with clear progress against a 75-day work plan and milestone tracker.
• Establish strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Complete onboarding and training on Women's World Banking systems, templates, and processes, achieving proficiency in documentation, reporting, and knowledge management tools.
• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the India portfolio, funder landscape, and strategic priorities, contributing at least one actionable idea or improvement to ongoing initiatives.
• Demonstrate measurable progress in the core areas of concept development and partner engagement, evidenced through tangible outputs