Senior Director, Consumer Protection, Center for Financial Inclusion

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. 

The Center for Financial Inclusion (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. The Senior Director, Consumer Protection will advance this vision by leading CFI’s consumer protection research and technical industry engagement, translating evidence into practical solutions for low-income and vulnerable consumers.

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.

CFI’s influence model relies on a combination of research and convenings. As an independent think tank housed at Accion, CFI has a strong track record of pioneering consumer protection for vulnerable consumers and a growing prominence through its industry convenings.

Reporting to CFI’s Deputy Managing Director, the Senior Director will lead a consumer protection research portfolio examining how emerging business models, market incentives, and provider practices affect low-income consumers, including risks from fraud and scams. The role will translate findings into knowledge products and pilot sustainable solutions that inform industry practice and strengthen CFI’s influence.

In close collaboration with CFI and Accion Communications teams, the Senior Director will provide technical leadership for CFI’s strategic convenings and related industry engagement. The role will connect the research agenda with convening themes, expert participation, and follow-up opportunities to move evidence into action.

• Serve as CFI’s primary technical lead on consumer protection; develop and implement CFI’s consumer protection strategy, and contribute to related work on responsible finance and financial health.
• Identify emerging consumer financial protection challenges and prioritize opportunities for CFI to influence policy and industry practice.
• Lead consumer protection research and solution development, translating findings into actionable recommendations and pilots.
• Lead technical implementation of strategic engagement plans through CFI’s annual convenings, aligning content with emerging industry developments and research priorities.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with global policy bodies, including the G20, Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), and United Nations (UN), to advance CFI’s consumer protection agenda.

Under the guidance of CFI’s Deputy Managing Director, lead the consumer protection research portfolio, with responsibility to:

• Develop and implement CFI’s consumer protection strategy, leveraging deep technical expertise in market trends affecting the industry; translate priorities into a research agenda with clear deliverables, timelines, and measures of progress.
• Identify emerging research questions; design and lead studies and solution pilots; and supervise staff and/or consultants to deliver rigorous, actionable knowledge products. Oversee research methods, quality assurance, ethical review where applicable, and timely delivery.
• Engage regularly with consumer protection stakeholders to identify developments in inclusive finance and inform research priorities. Translate findings into accessible thought leadership and represent CFI at relevant industry events.
• Partner with Accion’s partnerships and growth team to identify research funding opportunities and contribute technical content to proposals, donor engagement, and reporting.
• Build strong working relationships across Accion to identify complementary priorities, coordinate research and learning, and avoid duplication of effort.

In close collaboration with CFI and Accion Communications teams, lead the technical content and strategic direction of industry engagement, with responsibility to:

• Set the technical agenda for consumer protection convenings, including the Responsible Finance Forum and PROTECT Talk series. Develop evidence-based themes and session content, engage existing and new subject matter experts, and use participant feedback and follow-up engagement to assess relevance and inform future programming.
• Ensure industry engagement aligns with CFI’s and Accion’s strategic objectives and connects research findings with opportunities to influence policy and practice.
• Work with Accion’s partnerships and growth team to identify funding and partnership opportunities for convenings and contribute technical input to engagement proposals.

Experience and Education

• 12+ years of relevant experience in consumer protection, financial-sector policy, applied research, or related fields, including leadership of research initiatives and stakeholder engagement.
• An advanced degree in a relevant technical or functional field is preferred.
• Project management experience, including coordinating concurrent workstreams, managing timelines and resources, and monitoring delivery against agreed objectives.
• Ability to lead research from conception through dissemination and uptake, translating strategic priorities into actionable plans and practical outputs.
• Sound judgment in identifying business, legal, ethical, and reputational risks and coordinating appropriate mitigation with relevant colleagues.

Research

• Strong background in applied policy research and analysis, with deep expertise in financial consumer protection, financial-sector policy, or related fields, and the ability to connect that expertise to the needs of low-income and vulnerable consumers.
• Experience designing and leading policy research, including comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks and market practices, and translating findings into actionable recommendations for policy and industry audiences.
• Expertise in quantitative or qualitative research methods, or both, with demonstrated ability to select appropriate methods and assess research quality.
• Track record of research in financial services or consumer protection, preferably both evidenced by publications, knowledge products, or documented contributions to policy or practice.
• Experience managing Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals.
• Human Subjects Research Certification, or progress toward certification.

Leadership and Delivery

• Ability to lead and motivate staff and consultants, set clear priorities, and deliver high-quality work across competing demands.
• Ability to translate complex research into clear strategic advice for C-suite executives and other senior decision-makers, and communicate persuasively through writing, presentations, and industry convenings.
• Track record of developing organizational and industry initiatives and building collaborative relationships with policy bodies, practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders.
• Commitment to developing colleagues through coaching, constructive feedback, delegation, and opportunities to build leadership skills.

• 25% of the time.

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.