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Consultant, Center for Financial Services Innovation
Position: Consultant
Functional Area:
Organization: Center for Financial Services Innovation
Location: Chicago, IL
Metro Region:
Overview:
The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) is the nation’s leading authority on financial services for underbanked consumers. CFSI’s programs are based on the belief that addressing the needs of underbanked consumers as a market will deliver broad, long-term change throughout the financial services landscape by creating mutual benefit for both the underbanked and the companies serving them. Therefore, CFSI works with leaders and innovators in the business, government and nonprofit sectors to transform the financial services landscape with programs focused on informing, connecting and investing – gathering enhanced intelligence, brokering and supporting productive industry relationships and fostering best-in-class products and strategies. CFSI seeks to improve the quality and quantity of financial products and services, better shape them to the needs and desires of underbanked customers, and expand effective savings and asset acquisition opportunities. The organization spurs innovation to bridge the gaps that remain in creating a path to prosperity for underbanked consumers by:
- Developing market intelligence;
- Assessing existing products, services and strategies;
- Providing strategic advice;
- Promoting and facilitating marketplace partnerships;
- Influencing public policy;
- Investing in promising innovations and encouraging others to do so as well
Founded in 2004, CFSI has experienced dramatic growth in the last two years and currently has a staff of 17 with offices in Chicago, New York and Washington, DC. CFSI seeks to continue that growth through a range of new programs, services, and activities in various stages of implementation. CFSI is a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and highly collaborative nonprofit environment. We are looking for people who share our values of innovation, passion, excellence, impact and directness.
CFSI plans to continue that growth through a range of programs including a newly expanded research agenda and exciting new Advisory Services Products. Planned consulting offerings include industry overview workshops, the provision of both strategic analysis and tactical plans to help partners more successfully reach underbanked consumers and serving as a connector for vendors and clients with intersecting goals.
Initially funded by the Ford Foundation and housed as an initiative of ShoreBank, CFSI is now an independent non-profit organization that is supported by foundations as well as earned-income in keeping with its belief that entrepreneurship and industry play a vital role in achieving financial services access for underbanked consumers. CFSI is a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and highly collaborative nonprofit environment. We are looking for people who share our values of innovation, passion, excellence, impact and directness. For more on CFSI, go to
Position:
CFSI is currently seeking a dynamic and ambitious Consultant to help execute the new and expanding Advisory Services work of the organization. Working closely with the Advisory Services team, the Consultant will be responsible for supporting consulting engagements with both for-profit and nonprofit clients through the writing of proposals and contracts, the creation of deliverables and the execution and dissemination of client satisfaction surveys. This position will also conduct market scans and research to help inform the consulting practice, assist in the creation of tools and frameworks for clients and contribute to other Market Services programs and special projects. The Consultant role is an exciting opportunity for a smart, ambitious professional with a commitment to social change to make a significant contribution to increasing opportunities for underbanked consumers throughout the country.
Responsibilities:
Client engagements
- Work with the Senior Consultant and/or Associate Director on key engagements, staffing consulting projects and developing deliverables for clients (memoranda, PowerPoint presentations, reports, etc)
- Conduct market scans/analysis; research companies, initiatives, innovations and products to inform consulting work with individual clients as well as business development efforts
- Help build consulting products, frameworks and tools (e.g. workshop presentations)
- Design, administer and aggregate results of client satisfaction surveys and share results internally to improve service delivery
- Archive consulting work products and document learnings across engagements
Business development
- Assist with the creation of proposals and contracts; provide design elements/deliverables/timeframes for proposals
- Work with the Senior Consultant/Managing Consultant to document trends and share learnings internally with an eye toward new products and services
Infrastructure/administrative
- Work closely with the finance team for invoicing and collections
- Maintain systems to track potential consulting opportunities as well as current engagements
- Support other activities of the Market Services team on special projects as needed
- Work collaboratively with other team members on the full range of CFSI activities
Qualifications:
- 3+ years of professional work experience; experience in financial services and/or consulting a plus
- Superior analytical skills; demonstrated ability to quickly assess situations, identify trends, develop solutions, and translate and apply insights and learnings to the larger context
- Exceptional written and oral communications and interpersonal skills
- Detail-oriented and organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
- An entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to work independently as well as collaborate with a close-knit group
- Self-motivated and results-oriented with drive and the demonstrated ability to show initiative
- Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills
- Strong desire to be engaged in mission-related work and a commitment to the work of CFSI
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; MBA preferred
To Apply:
Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format, to Kimberly Gartner at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1701 with subject line “Consultant” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
