Grameen Technology Center ICT Social Enterprise Incubator

Position:                  Indonesia – Field Research, Training and Testing Manager

Location:                 Indonesia (based in Jakarta)

Job Type:                 18 months (with acceptable performance and renewed funding)

About Grameen Foundation’s ICT Social Enterprise Incubator (SEI) in Indonesia

Grameen Foundation’s Social Enterprise Incubator in Indonesia comprises:

·         A Research and Development Applications Laboratory (AppLab) which prototypes, develops and pilots mobile information services that can be delivered over simple mobile devices to aid in the fight against poverty.

·         A technical assistance program that incubates and launches Social Enterprises that bring the applications developed by the R&D AppLab to scale across Indonesia.

 The SEI is working with its first social enterprise launched, RUMA, to recruit, train and enable poor, high-potential entrepreneurs-to-be to become Village Phone Operators, who launch and run sustainable businesses serving the poor in Indonesia.  These Operators provide a testing ground and distribution channel for delivering mobile information and content to members of their communities.  Our efforts in Indonesia build on related efforts in Uganda, and will serve as a platform for further replication and scaling worldwide.

The SEI is an initiative of the Grameen Technology Center (GTC), part of Grameen Foundation.  The GTC focuses on technology and encompassing ecosystems that make microfinance operations more efficient, creates income-generating opportunities for the poor and provides poor communities access to valuable information and local resources.  Our efforts support the Grameen Foundation’s mission to empower the world’s poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty.  Please visit www.grameenfoundation.org and www.applab.org for additional information.

Job Description

The Field Operations Manager is directly responsible for the testing, piloting and deployment of products (mobile applications) amongst poor rural populations in Indonesia.   In addition to being a very hands-on person who is enthusiastic about getting into the detail of matters, the Field Operations Manager will guide overall strategy and shape Grameen Foundation’s SEI evolution. This is a high profile position and is a part of the senior management team of Grameen Foundation’s Social Enterprise Incubator in Indonesia and will be responsible for marketing, customer and partner training, monitoring and evaluation, customer research, market intelligence and customer support.

The Field Operations Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership by working closely with a range of partners (social enterprises, technology partners, mobile operators, government ministries, NGOs, consultants, etc), managing local resources and leading an internal team for product managers and field officers.

Specific Responsibilities Include:

Product Testing and Piloting

·         Development of product testing protocols to yield statistically relevant outcomes

·         Training of field staff in appropriate pilot testing methodologies

·          Training of customers in the use of the products

·         Developing and executing marketing strategies, including social awareness campaigns to educate the customer base about the new products

·         Gathering pilot results and analyzing results as part of an iterative feedback loop with the product research and development team.

Product Research

·         Based upon customer needs, actively develop a pipeline of products for development – working with the Social Enterprise Development Manager and the R&D Manager so as to ensure that these are not techno-centric products but customer needs driven.

·         Working with the Social Enterprise Development Manager and the R&D Manager, contribute to  the design of business and operational models for products developed so as to ensure appropriate design for the target market.

• Provide the perspective of the customer in internal discussions on product design

Contributing to the Development of Grameen Foundation’s Social Enterprise Incubator strategy

• Gain deep understanding of complementary initiatives, global trends in application usage and learning from related experiences and incorporate into implementation strategy
• Develop recommendations for short-, mid- and long-term strategy and update regularly based on learning

Project Management Excellence

• Prepare ambitious but achievable detailed project plans for each product pilot test, launch and commercialization.

• Actively manage the product pilot test and deployment and scaling process – problem-solve and remove barriers as they arise, hold team to goals, milestones, schedule and budget
• Provide customer-centric subject matter expertise and work closely with partners to ensure effective product implementation

Track and report results

• Establish transparent and easily accessible reporting framework to measure and communicate progress on a real-time basis (including budget)
• Prepare summary updates and reports as needed

Administrative:

• Hire/manage local team in all aspects of work, including consultants and volunteers

·         Maintain superb documentation about both the process used and the results achieved.

Relationships

• The Field Operations Manager will report to the Indonesia Program Manager based in Washington DC.  The Field Operations Manager will interact with peers:  Social Enterprise Development Manager and the Research and Development Manager, both based in Jakarta.  Together, these three positions form the Indonesia based senior management team.  Project Administrators, subordinate staff, consultants and volunteers are available to support the senior management team in Indonesia.

Ideal Candidate

Excellence in managing field operations in a rapid cycle time product development environment

• Experience in developing testing protocols, monitoring frameworks and managing their implementation working through a local team
• Managing to cost, schedule and quality standards
• Excellent communications skills
• Excellent analytic skills

Strong Marketing Skills

·         Experience in developing marketing campaigns and social awareness  campaigns in the developing world for pro-poor products and services

Excellent people skills:

·         Demonstrated success in training staff and customers in the adoption of new technologies

·          A dynamic and inspiring leader able to build a team and maintain an exciting passionate culture

Monitoring and Evaluation / Anayltics

·         A keen mind to extract knowledge and insight from the myriad data to be collected.

·         Flexible, agile and dynamic approach to operations – if something is not working or could be done better, have the insight, skills and leadership to be able to quickly and appropriately adjust the approach on-the-fly and deliver an outstanding result.

Outstanding project management skills

• Experienced and savvy project manager with a proven track record of achievement under a range of challenging situations (ideally in multiple countries)
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex projects (strategic, operational and tactical) – with proven ability to work effectively with diverse partners

Strong business leadership abilities

• An ability to think strategically and act tactically.  Ideal candidate would have worked in a leadership role in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment
• Strong, innovative and creative problem solver and strategic thinker;
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills
• Comfort with unstructured problems and ability to manage complexities under pressure
• Ability to promote knowledge transfer through strong mentoring and team building skills

Enthusiasm and passion for our work in Indonesia

• Enthusiasm for learning from different cultures – eager to build cultural realities into products and project plans
• Equally comfortable presenting to a room of business executives and discussing needs with villagers sitting on the dirt floor of a rural home
• Passionate about the work of Grameen Foundation & role of technology in poverty alleviation

Compensation

• Competitive salary
• Opportunity to serve as a high-profile leader in the Indonesian business, government and NGO community,  combining innovation, entrepreneurial problem solving, project management and stakeholder management to deliver deep and lasting social impact in Indonesia and beyond