The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The Foundation partners with people and organizations worldwide, through grant making, to tackle critical problems across various program areas and divisions. Our Global Growth & Opportunity (GGO) Division focuses on creating and scaling market-based innovations to stimulate inclusive and sustainable economic growth. GGO focuses on the areas of Agricultural Development, Global Education, Inclusive Financial Systems (IFS), Nutrition, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WSH). We believe that people are poor because markets do not work for them, and we promote innovative products and policies that can break down barriers to economic opportunity, help people lift themselves out of poverty, and deliver sustainable and inclusive growth that benefits everyone.
The Inclusive Financial Systems (IFS) team believes that valuable, low-cost financial products have the potential to offer a pathway out of poverty, and that digital financial systems can enable the private sector’s delivery of such products to the poor sustainably and at scale. IFS supports the buildout of inclusive digital financial services (DFS) systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by (i) enabling the right policy and regulatory environment, (ii) supporting the implementation of inclusive instant payments systems, (iii) driving scale and economic sustainability by promoting pro-poor use cases; and (iv) closing the gender gap in the usage of formal financial products.

Your Role

Application Deadline: 16/12/2025

While financial service providers ensure the last-mile delivery of financial services, their ability to serve unbanked population segments hinges on whether governments and regulators establish the enabling environment to make this possible. The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will seek to

• Develop policy options and regulatory interventions that catalyze digital financial inclusion.
• Support regulators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to develop inclusive financial regulations.
• Support global standard setting bodies and other global influencers to craft global standards and guidance that advances financial inclusion, while protecting consumers and preserving the safety and soundness of financial systems.

This role will be based in London, United Kingdom or Washington, DC, USA, will report to Deputy Director, Regulation, Policy & Research, who is also based in London, UK.

What You’ll Do

• Refine the IFS’s team’s global regulatory strategy, which is currently focused on using competition as a lens for crafting effective policies and regulation that support financial inclusion. This strategy addresses several regulatory topics, including (but not limited to):

• Advocating for provider diversity to allow the entry of new, qualified providers of payments and financial services, thus supporting new business models and new DFS entities, while concurrently ensuring that consumers are protected.
• Identifying the appropriate timing and nature of policies that promote interoperable and inclusive digital financial systems, including payments and data systems, to ensure excluded populations are included.
• Informing the policy and regulatory architecture which will allow for consent-based sharing of personal data (open finance/ open data) to inform the delivery of tailored financial services, while also ensuring that this data remains secure.
• Ensuring that digital public infrastructure (DPI) governance frameworks allow for fair and inclusive access for all players to DPI (payment systems, digital ID, credit information)
• Supporting appropriate rules for outsourced services such as BaaS and cloud computing which balance opportunity and risks
• Identifying customer onboarding mechanisms which can expand access to welfare-enhancing financial products, while also combatting fraud and money laundering.
• Identifying policies and regulations which can enable previously excluded women to access and use welfare-enhancing financial services.
• Considering how new technologies and their application in digital financial services could support financial inclusion, including DLT/CBDC, artificial intelligence/ machine learning and biometrics, and identifying appropriate policies and frameworks.

• Build and manage a portfolio of grants, contracts, and other interventions to implement this strategy. This will require:

• Identifying critical gaps in the global DFS regulatory landscape.
• Identifying and evaluating partners to fill those gaps.
• Aligning with the selected partners on a shared set of outcomes.
• Working with the selected partners to co-design proposals, budgets, and delivery milestones to advance the desired outcomes.
• Providing clear, concise, and insightful written analyses and recommendations for funding, including drafting proposal summaries and progress reports for review by foundation leadership.
• Managing the implementation of projects and identifying course corrections that can enhance their impact.
• Conducting field visits to observe the on-ground implementation of projects.
• Seeking and managing co-funding opportunities for projects which require investment beyond foundation resources.

• Provide advice to IFS Program Officers and their grantees about how to advance key regulatory elements of their projects. This will include:

• Supporting IFS Program Officers to develop strong regulatory policy work plans in each IFS country strategy.
• Co-designing country regulatory investments along with IFS country leads.
• Engaging directly with financial regulators in IFS priority countries to inform their regulatory policies.
• Reviewing and commenting on draft countries’ DFS regulations.

• Represent the foundation in international fora and among key partners. This will include presentations among central bank and regulatory officials, Ministers of Finance, universities, think tanks, donors, global standard setting bodies, and commercial providers.
• Partner with the IFS team’s productive credit regulation lead to inform credit policies and regulations which expand access to productive credit among excluded population segments.
• Partner with foundation teams outside IFS, such as Agricultural Development and Women’s Economic Empowerment, to inform the DFS regulatory aspects of their strategies.
• Provide clear, concise, and insightful written analyses and recommendations for investments and team strategy.

Your Experience

Candidates should have the following experience:

• Experience advising financial regulators in LMICs on the design and implementation of inclusive financial regulations.

• Advanced degree (or equivalent experience) in law, economics, development studies, public policy, business administration, or related fields.

• Knowledge of the major issues related to financial inclusion and competition policy in digital financial services.

• Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines within a fast-paced environment with multiple and competing demands.

• Capacity and initiative to solve problems with energy and positive attitude.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a cooperative and collegial fashion.

• An innovative, out-of-the box thinker who is hands-on and willing to go as deep or broad as necessary to achieve outcomes.

• Ability to question and challenge colleagues, including managers, in a constructive manner.

• Demonstrated strategic skills and capacity to conceptualize, structure, negotiate, document, and supervise projects/programs.

Other Attributes

• Exceptional results orientation combined with strong relationship management skills.
• Proven expertise in project leadership, analysis, interpersonal relations, and both written and verbal communication, with a strong ability to present data and results effectively to diverse international audiences.

• Fluent in English with excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Ability to travel up to 25% of time as needs dictate.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements