SVP/Associate Director, Research & Advisory - Bangladesh
About Impact Investment Exchange (IIX)
Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) is a pioneer in the global impact investing movement, dedicated to reshaping finance for sustainable development with a focus on gender equality and climate action through capital mobilization and data-based solutions. For over a decade and a half, we've been building the sustainable investing market, from establishing the world's largest crowdfunding platform for impact investing (Impact Partners™), operating award-winning enterprise technical assistance programs, creating innovative financial products such as the Women's Livelihood Bond™ Series, (6 listed bonds and growing) and establishing an Impact Institute and Research & Advisory. While we are very deep with our work in Asia, the Pacific, and Africa, our work spans 60 countries globally where we have mobilized close to $500 million of private-sector capital, positively impacted over 160 million direct and household lives, avoided over 1.9 million metric tons of carbon, and have collected over 90,000+ data points on sustainable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The base of IIX's work is IIX Values™, an impact verification tech solution measuring investments' social and environmental impact to the last mile, amplifying the voices of the underserved. In 2022, we, along with global partners, launched the Orange Movement™ and, within that, created a new asset class, Orange Bonds, to demonstrate the intersectionality of gender equality and climate action and unlock $10 billion in capital markets by 2030, impacting 100 million women, girls, and gender minorities and making them a key player in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. In 2024, we unveiled our global data hub, IIX Intelligence™, which aggregates, evaluates, and benchmarks data from sustainable MSMEs, offering unparalleled insights into gender diversity, climate action, ESG performance, and community risk management. IIX Intelligence demonstrates with data the importance of MSMEs as a backbone of sustainable development. Numerous accolades, including the Oslo Business for Peace Award and the UN Global Climate Action Award, have recognized our efforts. Our team’s 'PREM' values—passion, resilience, equity, and mavericks—propel our efforts, bringing meaningful change to Global South communities and the 99%.
About a career with IIX:
You will join a highly effective team that provides unparalleled hands-on exposure to the Impact Investing and Social Finance space. You thrive in tackling development issues and excel in creating solutions using structured strategies and unprecedented programs that address and solve the world’s most pressing problems, from food security to inclusive finance to clean energy. You aim to become a global development leader who has a passion for international development and to get involved in work that makes a difference.
When you join IIX, you embark on a rewarding career where we are heavily invested in your professional development, as we will build on your strengths and help you gain new skills with training, coaching, encouragement, and guiding you in the right direction. It is a valuable addition to advance your career, providing you invaluable exposure to the rapidly growing impact investing space.
You WANT to instigate change.
Thus, as a successful team member, you should be a PREM:
• Passionate: Commitment to social finance and impact investing as a path to unlock society’s potential to effect social change is essential for a happy and successful tenure at IIX.
• Resilient: Similar to our enterprises working in emerging markets, our IIX team members have strong mental and emotional fortitude and can recover quickly from difficulties or setbacks. We look for people with an adaptable and positive attitude and a strong sense of self-worth, which enables them to move forward and continue to strive for their goals even in the face of adversity.
• Equitable: At IIX, we manage toward impact maximization and produce measurable and transparent returns – both social and financial. These results strengthen the ecosystem and transform existing realities by helping impact enterprises magnify their impact and scale. We are fair and impartial in our actions and ensure that we make objective and unbiased decisions based on facts and impact.
• Maverick: While IIX is a seasoned stakeholder in the impact enterprise and impact investing space in Asia, we pride ourselves on creating new opportunities. We look for people with an independent and unorthodox approach to thinking and behaving. If you are someone who is non-conformist, innovative, and independent, often going against the grain, does not like following the crowd, and is not afraid to express your own opinions, we want you.
Our clients and partners span the spectrum of public and private sector including foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Bank of America-Merrill Lynch Foundation, corporations such as Standard Chartered Bank and KKR, international non-profits such as Oxfam and World Vision, multilateral institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, UN Agencies such as UNDP, and government agencies such as USAID and SIDA.
About the role:
IIX seeks a Director for its Research and Advisory Services Team. The Director’s primary responsibility will be to manage and oversee the business development, research, and partnership initiatives. We are looking for a communicator, a thinker and a doer who naturally builds relationships that lead to results. You will be able to transition seamlessly from thinking strategically about new business relationships (with donors/clients/investors/INGOs) to managing the relationships and executing new pilot initiatives. We have a small and energetic team, and this is a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of role. We want someone who first and foremost has a positive attitude and is passionate about growing the space through IIX’s work. In addition, she/he is creative, a problem solver, who knows how to push the envelope, and is an incredibly fast learner. You will have P&L responsibility which means you have to have comfort around managing and delivering on a budget. This also means you have to love business development and have a track record in closing in on potential opportunities.
The position is based in Singapore. Remote candidates may be considered on a case by case basis.
Responsibilities:
Research & Advisory Services
• Maintain and oversee strategic business development initiatives and get involved in organization-wide operational efforts such as partnerships development
o Support the Founder and CEO in developing proposals for product development and advisory assignments
o Cultivate and close relationships with individual partners to enhance IIX’s visibility, access, and influence, while developing a broader platform for further pipeline building
o Create and direct new business opportunities
o Develop an understanding of IIX’s strategy and preferred approach for partnerships and program fundraising
o Ability to pitch, win and execute new advisory projects
o Able to work with a variety of stakeholders including SMEs, MNCs, INGOs, DFIs and governmental bodies
o Oversee and manage the delivery of advisory assignments for clients
• Research Project Management
o Lead and support the execution of research projects
o Develop the outline for research papers, including landscape mappings, white papers, case studies
o Manage research writers or field consultants
o Support in outreach and conducting interviews
o Support in keeping project and deliverables on track, and implement solutions to key
• Research editor
o Review drafts and provide editorial feedback
o Be a steward of applying industry research practices
• Bid Management
o Oversee bid proposal process, invoicing, and management of proposals
• Program Management
o Manage all aspects of IIX programs, including liaising with donor agencies and program stakeholders.
o Contribute and lead the technical content and design of the program, as applicable.
o Create and direct new business opportunities, provide strategic business planning, including exploring and executing grant funding and other revenue opportunities.
Required Qualifications:
• Minimum of 10 years of combined experience in business development, management consulting or similar experience, or equivalent
• Brings your own network of potential partners
• Experience in sales and winning advisory assignments, Experience in managing a budget, Experience in research and writing or management of research papers
• Cultural sensitivity towards working in South and Southeast Asia
• Excellent interpersonal skills; very strong leadership ability
• Outstanding presentation and communication skills
• High comfort level working in a relatively flat, non-hierarchical environment
• Must be experienced and comfortable working in Word, Powerpoint, and Excel.
• Ability to present information in an insightful and structured manner, both written and oral
• Highly entrepreneurial mindset; self-starter comfortable working in a dynamic environment
• Desire to work in a collaborative, high-performing team environment, building relationships with other team members and managing a range of responsibilities.
• Must be an effective team manager, team player, with a passion for entrepreneurship and market-based solutions to poverty, and an understanding of the challenges of investing in the markets we serve.
• Positive and self-motivated attitude.
Additional Desired Qualifications:
• Graduate degree in development or financial economics, business administration, or quantitative or technical discipline
• Background in economic development and/or finance
• Academic or professional experience with IIX sector specializations (including renewable energy, inclusive finance, technology access, rural healthcare services, education, water and waste management)
• Fluency or proficiency in one or more regional languages
• Experience of living or extensive travel in developing countries. Field experience in the region working with impact enterprises, startups, or INGOs will be an advantage
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work well with a diverse group of stakeholders, from public bodies and policy makers to social entrepreneurs to large, international private corporations.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted by IIX Talent Acquisition team. Your personal data maybe collected but it will be used for recruitment purposes only.
"IIX is an equal opportunity employer"