Research Specialist, Center for Financial Inclusion

Accion; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 62,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Paid holidays

Paid time-off

Sick days

Job summary

Accion, a global nonprofit, is seeking a Research Specialist for the Center for Financial Inclusion in Washington, DC. The role supports research and policy impact across clients, markets, and climate, including literature reviews, field research, and partner scoping.

You will draft knowledge products, present findings internally, and manage project workplans, events, and stakeholder engagement within a collaborative culture focused on improving lives through inclusive financial services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 4+ years of research experience; master's preferred with 2+ years.
• Experience in low-income markets preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to draft knowledge products.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods; proficiency in STATA, R, NVivo; survey design; data cleaning; IRB knowledge.
• Understanding of inclusive financial services; experience in CFI strategic areas preferred.
• Track record of research contributions in developing countries.
• Able to work largely self-sufficiently within a matrix organization.
• Curiosity and drive to have meaningful impact.

Responsibilities

• Actively support research projects on inclusive financial services and CFI themes.
• Collect, structure, summarize and analyze data using self-directed methodologies.
• Draft blog posts, reports, and other knowledge products representing one's own research.
• Present team research internally within CFI and Accion.
• Develop workplans for projects and lead project administration, coordination, and reporting.
• Engage with stakeholders and plan events and workshops.
• Participate in a culture where staff reach their full potential and share ideas.

Skills

Research design

Data collection

Literature review

Written communication

STATA

R

NVivo

Survey design

Cross-cultural research

Education

Bachelor's degree in economics, sociology, international development, or related social science

Master's degree preferred

Tools

STATA

R

NVivo

Job description

Research Specialist, Center for Financial Inclusion

Location: Washington, D.C. (hybrid).

Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the 1.6 billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build 299 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 77 countries, reaching over 500 million people. More at https://www.accion.org.

Position Summary

The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) is an independent think tank housed at Accion that works to better serve, protect and empower clients. The Research Specialist position plays a strong contributing role in CFI's research and policy influence work across four main areas of responsibility: the generation of insights, the communication of insights for impact, program management, and organizational culture. The CFI team is driven by our vision of a world where all people are able to use financial services and participate in the economy to improve their lives and prosper. We are looking for colleagues who share our passion to join us on the journey. CFI has long been at the forefront of the consumer protection movement. In 2009, CFI founded the SMART Campaign which served as a platform for engaging with providers on improved consumer protection practices, resulted in the development of industry standards, and created an ecosystem of players that support providers to uphold these standards in practice. Over the past several years, CFI has shifted its research focus to better understand the risks faced by consumers and market players in a digitized world, updated its strategy to include work on digital public infrastructure and broadened its convening reach.

Position Responsibilities

Actively support research projects relating to inclusive financial services and CFI's three thematic priorities (clients, markets, climate) as well as the relevant cross‑cutting themes such as micro and small enterprises, women's financial inclusion and embedded finance. Activities might include, for example, conducting rapid literature reviews, scoping potential partners, conducting field research and attending project meetings.

• Support the implementation of data and information collection, management, and review processes.
• Gather, structure, summarize and analyze data and information using self-directed methodologies.

Communication of Insights for Impact

• Draft blog posts, reports, and other knowledge products representing one's own research.
• Present team research internally within CFI and Accion.

Project Management

• Develop workplans for project and lead project administration, logistical coordination, project reporting and consultant and vendor management.
• Engage with stakeholders.
• Planning events and workshops.

Organizational Culture

• Actively participate in a culture in which all staff: 1) reach their full potential as learners, unorthodox researchers, and thought leaders 2) work effectively with each other by sharing ideas, brainstorming, and co-developing knowledge product.

All other duties as assigned.

Position Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in economics, sociology, international development, or a relevant social science with 4+ years of research experience; Master's degree preferred with 2+ years of experience.
• Research experience working in low‑income markets, preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills with demonstrated ability to draft a variety of knowledge products including literature reviews, blogs and policy memos.
• Familiarity with the relevant primary and secondary research methods; ability to use qualitative research or quantitative research tools (STATA, R, NVIVO) as well as experience with survey design, data cleaning and other relevant processes such as IRB compliance.
• Demonstrated understanding of inclusive financial services; experience with at least one of CFI's strategic areas (clients, markets, climate, gender) preferred.
• Track record of contributing on research projects in developing countries.
• Able to operate largely self‑sufficiently, with guidance and decisions from others; able to operate in a matrix organization across multiple reporting lines.
• Natural curiosity: desire to contribute to research that aims to have a meaningful impact on improving lives.
• Willingness to jump into work and drive towards shared successes.

Travel Requirements

This job may require travel on an occasional basis (<5%).

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary Range: $62K to $76K
• The above salary range serves as a general guideline. Accion considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, training, skills, location, current market conditions as well as internal pay alignment.
• Accion provides a total compensation package, including base salary, discretionary merit‑based bonus, and a variety of benefits including health insurance (90% employer funded), life and disability insurance, retirement plans (up to 7.5% employer match), paid holidays and paid time‑off for vacation plus personal days as well as sick days.

Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States. Accion is not sponsoring applicants for work visas at this time, nor applicants requiring other forms of employment work authorization.

Accion is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Accion seeks qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, change of sex or transgender status, or any other basis protected by law. Accion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.