Insurance Business Development Director, VisionFund International

Key Responsibilities:

• VisionFund is World Vision’s microfinance provider serving vulnerable clients through loans, savings, and insurance. We enable families to grow their livelihoods in hard to reach, rural locations in 28 countries so that caregivers can create secure futures for their children.
• We believe in brighter futures for children; empowering families to create incomes and jobs; unlocking economic potential for communities to thrive.
• Join VisionFund as we seek to end intergenerational poverty through microfinance.

Job summary

The Insurance Business Development Director's, VisionFund International (VFI) job is to work with the World Vision Inclusive Finance Group as part of its partnership strategy.  This is a new role created to grow insurance beyond VFI traditional client base of our MFIs.  This job will seek to expand micro insurance offering through WV field offices, particularly focusing on our registered children programs.  The job will work directly with interested World Vision field offices and other NGOs/network of MFIs to explore whether there is a need for insurance products.  The position will also be part of the VFI insurance team who will focus on the operationalisation of the product.  The successful candidate will drive pragmatic implementation of insurance solutions into World Vision operations to create affordable financial safety nets for their beneficiaries. This role is proactive, making sure results are achieved as per the defined plan in each country and developing future plans.

Key Responsibilities

Develop the micro insurance business in World Vision Offices (40%)

• Build relationships at global, regional and national level with key WV staff to understand their needs and concerns around insurance for sponsored children and their families. 
• Identify promising countries and work on long term plans for bring them on board.

Promotion and innovation of insurance products and work (10%)

• Document progress and report on successes, lessons learned and opportunities for insurance and how it benefits sponsored children and their families
• Promote innovation in the insurance/ humanitarian/ INGO space

Developing new business with other partners (30%)

• Engage and build relationships with like-minded organisations that are seeking to develop insurance products to understand their needs and concerns around insurance

Support handover to insurance team (20%)

• Once countries have been identified and financial commitments agreed then the work needs to be handed over to the insurance team.  There will need to be work in handing over and in some cases taking on some of the functions of the core insurance team (as directed by the insurance director)

Required qualifications and experience

• A minimum of under-graduate level education in mathematics or business or finance or international development.
• At least 10 years of experience of microinsurance including development of products, management and operations
• At least 5 years of experience of working with INGOs and MFIs/network of MFIs
• Excellent professional knowledge of microfinance and micro insurance Knowledge of personal lines insurance such as life and health
• Trained in project/program management (preferably in a grant funded context) or experienced manager with a proven track record in project delivery in developing countries
• Strong report writing skills
• Highly numerate, proficient in the use of spreadsheet models
• Good inter-personal and cross-cultural skills to cope with a very diverse stakeholder group
• The role requires hands on experience in insurance and ideally in microinsurance specialized in personal lines (health, life, personal accident).
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders regarding products and business plans
• Track record of successful project implementations

Preferred knowledge & qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject is preferred, or equivalent experience/knowledge gained in a work situation e.g. as an Economic development specialist or Microfinance professional
• Matrix management experience
• An insurance specialist with experience of running grant financed development projects.