About the Role
About Sauramandala Foundation:
Sauramandala Foundation, registered in 2018, is a charitable trust based out of Bangalore, Karnataka. At Sauramandala Foundation, our vision is ‘To build the resilience of people living in remote, disconnected and vulnerable communities in India’. We use a Remoteness & Incapacity Index to identify the regions that we aspire to work in. We currently work in J&K, Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur & Nagaland. We believe that by understanding the gaps faced by communities in remote regions we will be able to bring together partners to design contextual solutions and create robust social and economic systems.
About CFAD:
Sauramandala Foundation’s Centre for Accelerated Development (CFAD) helps accelerate social and economic change to build the resilience of remote, vulnerable and disconnected communities through collaborative action. By following a system’s thinking and integration approach we employ the below broad steps:
i. Gain Insights & build social capital
ii. Aggregate and co-design with partners to build social & economic potential
iii. Advocacy and Scale up
About the Role:
The Sauramandala Foundation, in partnership with the Meghalaya government-owned NBFC LIFCOM and Avanti Finance, is seeking a highly motivated and experienced professional to lead a program to increase last-mile lending and support entrepreneurship in the state of Meghalaya.
The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and implementing a software layer for LIFCOM, utilizing Avanti's technology platform, to enable each Integrated Village Cooperative Society (IVCS) to become a last-mile lending entity. The goal is to reach more people and create a paperless system for loan disbursement. Additionally, the program lead will be responsible for designing the process in LIFCOM to give out loans and grants to startups and entrepreneurs through the PRIME or PSREF program.
Key Responsibilities:
Work closely with the Meghalaya government, LIFCOM, and the Sauramandala Foundation to design and implement a software layer for LIFCOM
Build relationships with and onboard a pilot group of 10 IVCSs
Develop and execute a plan to demonstrate the possibilities and scalability of the program
Identify and address any challenges that arise during the implementation of the program
Collaborate with Avanti's technology team to ensure the software layer is functioning as intended
Facilitate the distribution of loans and grants to startups and entrepreneurs through the PRIME or PSREF program
Prepare progress reports and presentations for stakeholders
Identify opportunities to replicate the program across the state and in other cooperative societies in India and beyond
Requirements:
5 years of work experience in the domain of micro finance. Experience in the development sector is an added advantage
Proven experience leading successful projects in the financial inclusion, last mile lending, or entrepreneurship support space
Strong understanding of technology and its application in financial services
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Experience working in a government or public sector organization is a plus