IFMR - Programme Manager

Job Description – Programme Manager

IFMR Rural Finance (www.ruralfinance.ifmr.co.in) is a technology-process company which licenses out its KGFS Brand along with the required technology, processes and tools to build community focused small financial institutions that serve remote rural communities in defined geographies (typically two Districts of India). While the licensees (KGFSs) are not banks themselves, like regular banks they operate through branches located inside remote villages and have the ability to offer comprehensive savings and loan services to both individual consumers as well as local businesses and local governments. But, unlike regular banks, these institutions also offer a full range of financial services (savings, loans, investments, insurance, risk management, pensions) and use an internally developed wealth management approach that is an integral part of the manner in which they serve the local community – they even had to write their own textbook for this – Financial Engineering for Low Income Households (Financial Engineering for Low Income Households).

The organization thus far has 6 licensees which, between them, reach 12 Districts and serve about ~ 500,000 families in three States of India (Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Orissa). In order to support the rapid growth plan of the existing licensees as well on-boarding of new licensees in new geographies, we are looking to expand out our Wealth Management, Risk Management, Technology and Training teams.

Job Summary:

This is a key position in the Rural Finance organization to on-board and manage a new licensing relationship. The candidate will build and manage a new licensee facing Enterprise level Programme. The Programme Manager is the executive manager in charge of post sales licensee relations. He/She is the single point of contact for all activity during the contract life of the licensee. The Programme Manager effectively owns the contract and is ultimately responsible for the implementation, lifecycle management and profitability of the licensee contract. The Programme Manager is the advocate for the licensee within Rural Finance. The Programme manager will be required to interface with all aspects of the company that service the contract (i.e. Technology, Risk Management and Products, Training, Wealth Management, Billing etc.)

Major Duties:

- Serve as the single point of contact to the licensee for all aspects of services provided by Rural Finance- the licensor.

- Lead and manage the implementation of Enterprise Service contract- including incubating of new branches and staff.

- Create and manage the overall project implementation and schedule while collaborating with internal Rural Finance teams.

- Lead new contract kick-off and customer on-boarding process with internal stake holders and systems

- Review all bills and manage any reconciliation that needs to happen on a monthly basis

- Initiate process improvement of internal work flows to better serve the licensee

- Manage weekly status calls with licensee and all follow on action items

- Manage Monthly/Quarterly business operations reviews with licensee including the presentation with customer KPI's and SLAs

- Communicates the licensee vision across team, and the Rural finance organization

Core Responsibilities

Customer goals:

To build a deep knowledge of the specific rural markets, customers and drivers of risk leading to

- Proper customisation of the model from a licensor’s perspective

- To create a shared understanding of the geography so that the licensor understands the specific context of the licensee

- To help the licensee team build a transparent, credible, trustworthy and reliable organisation.

Process goals:

- Ensure adherence to processes as set up by the licensor

- Be able to spot process issues that improve customer experience

- Reduce ‘time to market’ for new products/innovation

- Reduce TAT for customer grievances

Financial goals:

- Helps set up the business plan for the new rollout

- Help establish an early Operating Plan for the new roll out team to execute on

- Ensure that the new roll-out team understands its drivers of cost and revenue and is able to manage the P&L independently

- Work with the licensor’s product teams to customise products for appropriate risk management and underwriting metrics

Leadership & development:

- Should be able to mentor a senior team that will set up the new organisation. This includes the ability to support the head of the newly created licensee organization (KGFS)

- Should be able to create and sustain a collaborative environment for the licensor and the licensee to have a trusting and mutually productive relationship

- Ability to guide, attract, motivate and retain talent

- Create effective second lines

- Responsible for development of staff across the hierarchy

Qualifications:

- University degree in any discipline

- MBA or equivalent post-graduate qualification from a recognised business school preferred

- Prior experience in retail banking/retail financial services preferred

- Willing to stay in rural India

Experience:

- 7+ years of work experience

- Three years’ general management experience with profit & loss accountability for a major business unit

- Possess knowledge of local language and geography

- Should have managed at least 30 persons in previous roles

- Should be able to work in multi-disciplinary teams and should be able to guide teams including technology teams, product teams, operations teams, training teams.

Required Skills:

- Excellent written and oral communication skills

- Cross functional leadership experience in highly matrixed organizations

- Consistent exercise of independent judgment and discretion in matters of significance

- Ability to deal with a large spectrum of stakeholders

- Should have the ability to look at detail, while seeing the larger picture at the same time

- Should be a powerful negotiator