Action Finance Initiative – AFI is the leading non-banking microfinance organization in Greece. AFI aims to assist micro-entrepreneurs and unemployed people willing to create their own business and who do not have access to the conventional credit market, by providing them microcredit and business support services. In the past 5 years AFI has provided access to 6.5 million euros to start-ups and existing businesses while providing training and mentoring to over 5.500 unique entrepreneurs and creating 800+ new job positions . The microfinance sector in Greece is newly regulated and is expected to grow significantly in the next years. In this respect, AFI is seeking to recruit a Microfinance Development Officer in Crete to support business development and sales efforts that will enable such a growth.
Key Responsibilities
The MDO-CRETE reports directly to the Regional Manager and the COO and his/her key responsibilities are, among others, as follows:
- Actively identify and develop leads to become potential microfinance beneficiaries independently and through AFI's field partners.
- Take active part in the applicants’ filtering process by examining funding applications and business plans from potential microcredit beneficiaries, who will be proposed to the banks for micro-loans and deliver business support services to them;
- Determine the needs for and the provision of business support services to applicants and microcredit beneficiaries in coordination with AFI volunteers and field partners;
- Implement regular Client Relationship Management actions related to the microcredit beneficiaries’ portfolio in order to further investigate needs to support successful businesses’ creation and growth;
- Conduct frequent risk analysis, recovery activities and credit profiling of the existing and new portfolio;
- Officially represent AFI in Greece in the press, social media, events and conferences;
- Recruit, train and manage new staff, volunteers and interns when required;
- Organize networking and training events for existing and potential AFI beneficiaries;
- Conduct periodical field surveys to identify the needs of micro-entrepreneurs and pilot marketing actions in the field;
- Identify new partnership opportunities with local organizations and volunteers;
- Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and reporting needs of the projects and propose actions to further boost the performance and footprint of the project.
Requirements
The ideal candidate should have:
- University degree in Business Administration / Finance / Microfinance / Economics; Masters' degree would be a plus.
- At least two (2) to three (3) years of professional experience preferably in the field of entrepreneurship and/or financing;
- Strong analytical and organizational skills;
- Active listener and good communicator with clients and partners;
- Self-driven personality, autonomous and results-oriented;
- Resourceful, creative and problem-solver;
- Fluency in Greek and English is required;
- Computer Skills: MS Office/Google Apps, mastery of Excel. Experience with Salesforce would be a plus;
- Driver's license.
Additional Comments
- Based in Crete - Travel requirement: all around the island of Crete
- We hire people that are self-motivated, comfortable conceiving strategies on the fly, and enjoy working individually and as part of a team. Our work is high-energy and demanding, but new hires will quickly feel at home among colleagues as friendly and focused as they are.
- The company is expected to 4x in size within 1 year, thus working in a fast-paced environment and dealing with constant change are integral to the job position.
- Job applications will not and should not be assessed using race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation.
Benefits
What we offer
- A fast-growing and flexible organization in a newly regulated sector;
- Salary based on experience, additional benefits and office perks;
- Mobile telephony including company provided smartphone device and data plan;
- A meaningful work with direct impact to the Greek society and economy.
Joining AFI implies a meaningful work in an excellent environment, which encourages initiative and innovation and contributes to the development of microfinance, which promotes growth and employment.
