Shelter & Settlements Intern Career Opportunity in Kenya

Job Title: Shelter & Settlements Intern 

Career with BRAC International

BRAC International is a leading non-profit organisation with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Founded in 1972, by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, BRAC is the largest non-governmental development organisation in the world, and is present in 15 countries across Asia and Africa today. BRAC designs proven, scalable solutions that equip people with the support and confidence they need to achieve their potential. BRAC’s institutional expertise on various programmes, including health, agriculture, microfinance, education, and youth empowerment, is touching the lives of over 100 million people in the Global South.

BRAC International Holdings B.V. (BIHBV) was set up in 2010 as a private limited liability company under the laws of the Netherlands and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stichting BRAC International. BIHBV is a socially responsible for-profit organisation, engaging people in sustainable economic and income-generating activities. The core focus of BIHBV is to provide microfinance services to people, particularly women, living in poverty in rural and hard-to-reach areas to build their financial resilience and improve the quality of life for them and their families.

BRAC has been one of the pioneers of microfinance since it first started in 1974. BRAC first expanded its microfinance operations internationally in 2002 and now operates in six countries outside of Bangladesh - Myanmar, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Together, these six entities serve more than 750,000 clients, 96% of whom are women.

BRAC International Microfinance’s mission is to provide a range of financial services responsibly to people at the bottom of the pyramid. It particularly focuses on women living in poverty in rural and hard-to-reach areas, to create self-employment opportunities, build financial resilience, and harness women’s entrepreneurial spirit by empowering them economically.

BRAC International Microfinance is seeking applications from competent, dynamic and self-motivated individuals to fill the following position:

Associate, Operations New Markets, BRAC International

The Associate - Operations New Markets will support the successful expansion of BRAC International Microfinance operations into new markets. The ideal candidate should have a good understanding of microfinance operations, including loan management, client assessment, and risk analysis, as well as experience working in a startup or fast-growing environment.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Assist in executing the expansion plan for microfinance operations in new markets, in collaboration with other team members.
  • Conduct market research and analysis to identify and assess new market opportunities.
  • Assist in building and managing a team of microfinance professionals to execute the expansion plan, including staff members in key management and field operations roles.
  • Assist in ensuring timely and accurate completion of all required documentation for business registration and licensing in new markets, including but not limited to, legal, financial, and operational documentation, in compliance with local laws and regulations. This includes liaising with internal and external stakeholders to gather required information, reviewing and verifying the accuracy of the information, and coordinating with relevant legal advisors to facilitate the registration and licensing process.
  • Assist in developing and implementing best practices for microfinance operations in new markets, including loan disbursement, repayment, portfolio quality, and risk management.
  • Support in establishing relationships with local partners, stakeholders, and regulators to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations while also fostering community partnerships.
  • Monitor and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) related to loan disbursement, repayment, portfolio quality, and risk management to ensure operational efficiencies and identify areas for improvement.
  • Support in developing and maintaining strong reporting mechanisms to track performance metrics and provide regular updates to the broader team.
  • Assist in continuously evaluating and optimising microfinance operations in new markets for sustainable growth and impact.

Safeguarding:

  • Read, understand, practice, promote and endorse the issues of safeguarding policy among team members and ensure the implementation of safeguarding standards in every course of action
  • Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place, encourage others to do so.

Educational Requirements:

  • Minimum Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.

Required Competencies:

  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • High level of integrity and dependability.
  • Knowledge of microfinance management information systems (MIS).
  • Knowledge of diverse cultures in African markets.
  • Familiarity with international best market practices and global trends in microfinance.

Experience Requirements:

  • More than 3 years of experience working in microfinance operations, including loan management, client assessment, and risk analysis.
  • Experience working in a startup or fast-growing environment.
  • Experience in project management and business development skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and effectively manage multiple priorities.

Employment Type: Full time

Salary: Negotiable

Job Location: Nairobi, Kenya

How to apply

If you feel you are the right match for the above-mentioned position, please follow the application instructions accordingly:

External candidates need to email their CV with a letter of interest mentioning educational grades, years of experience, current and expected salary at recruitment.bihbv@brac.net

Internal candidates need to apply with their latest CV including all job assignments in detail with BRAC PIN and email to internal.bi@brac.net

Please mention the name of the position and AD# 27/23 in the subject bar.

Only complete applications will be accepted and short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Application deadline: 20 May 2023

BRAC is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share the same commitment. We believe every stakeholder and every member of the communities we work with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation - regardless of age, race, religion, and gender, status as an individual with a disability or ethnic origin. Therefore, our recruitment policy and procedure include extensive background checks and disclosure of criminal records in order to ensure safeguarding to the fullest extent.

BRAC is an equal opportunities employer