January 8th, 2025

BACKGROUND

The industry continues to play an important role in the Kenyan economy through mobilization of savings for national development and provision of credit facilities to many household economies. By the end of 2023, there were 357 Regulated Saccos made up of 174 Deposit Taking Saccos (DT-Saccos) and 183 Non-Withdrawable Deposit Taking Saccos (NWDT-Saccos). Despite the difficult economic conditions# brought about by the effects of Covid-19, severe droughts, high inflation and rising interest rates, the regulated Sacco industry in Kenya is growing consistently. By the end of 2023, the combined assets of Saccos were at KShs 972 billion, deposits at KShs 682 billion, and gross loans stood at KShs 759 billion. Saccos exist in different forms serving memberships ranging from farmers, small businesses, public and private sector employees and rural communities. The total membership increased by 6.57% in 2022 to 6.84 million members in 2023.

Saccos face challenges in responding to a highly competitive financial sector with flexible banking platforms that can respond to the dynamic environment, sources of liquidity, and seamless integration to the National Payments System. To address these issues, SASRA developed a shared services model, that would amongst others,facilitate the participation of Saccos in national payments. This concept has been evidenced in several markets around the world to cure the dilemma created by the costs associated with compliance, competition, and efficiency of Saccos. The legal entity established to handle this, Sacco Central Kenya (SCK), was created as a secondary Sacco and is housed under the SASRA office with a representative Board of Directors.

To address the complexities faced by Saccos, one of the recommendations of the SCK 3-year business plan was a collaborative strategy centred on a unified ICT platform. By pooling resources and sharing digital infrastructure, Saccos can achieve significant cost efficiencies, explore innovative revenue streams, strengthen collective risk management frameworks, and facilitate peer-to-peer learning to adopt best practices and enhance joint marketing efforts. The 3 initial services that are planned for rollout by SCK to its members are (i) a shared core banking system, (ii) direct participation in the National Payments System (NPS) and (iii) inter-Sacco lending services. In order to coordinate the implementation of the strategic plan, FSD Kenya seeks to recruit a suitably qualified person as a project director. The project director will support the SCK Board in the day-to-day execution of the planned strategies and supporting activities towards realization of the stated business purpose and hence value to its member SACCOs.

OBJECTIVES

To support the operationalization of SCK by leading and managing the day-to-day project management activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Board of Directors of Sacco Central Kenya, the project director’s scope of work will include, but not be limited to:

1. Direct and manage SCK Business Strategy components development and execution from beginning to end.
2. Track and monitor all project activities to ensure timely deliverables of outputs
3. Supervise the SCK Implementation team including consultants and manage personnel affairs.
4. Coordinate the SCK day-to-day activities to ensure the optimum and efficient utilization of resources
5. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to ensure all parties are aligned with the SCK business strategy’s direction.
6. Break down SCK Business strategy components into separate project’s based on implementation priority and roadmap.
7. Implement risk management processes to mitigate SCK projects’ risks effectively.
8. Ensure all SCK business components are in compliance with both internal and industry-specific regulatory standards.
9. Conduct regular SCK projects’ reviews and reporting on progress to the SCK Board
10. Define SCK projects’ scope, goals, and deliverables that support SCK business goals in collaboration with the SCK Board.
11. Develop full-scale projects’ plans and associated communications documents.
12. Effectively communicate projects’ expectations to SCK implementation team and stakeholders in a timely and clear manner.
13. Liaise with each project’s stakeholders including member SACCOs, SCK Working groups, SASRA and development partners on an ongoing basis.
14. Estimate the resources (human, financial and technological) needed to achieve projects’ goals and forward to SCK Board for approval
15. Draft and submit budget proposals and recommend subsequent budget changes where necessary.
16. Build and maintain strong relationships with member SACCOs, vendors,government entities and development partners ensuring high satisfaction levels and repeat business.
17. Attend all Board of Directors meetings in of the SCK.
18. Represent the SCK in forums, business transactions and any other transaction authorized by the Board of Directors
19. Delegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnel.
20. Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within the project team.
21. Plan and schedule projects’ timelines and milestones using appropriate tools.
22. Develop and deliver progress reports, proposals, requirements documentation, and presentations.
23. Convene regular project meetings and capture minutes and key actions
24. Proactively manage changes in projects’ scope, identify potential risks, and devise contingency plans.
25. Coach, mentor, motivate, and supervise projects’ team members and contractors.

CONDUCT OF THE WORK

The Project Director will be contracted by FSD Kenya on behalf of SASRA for the benefit of Sacco Central, who is the end client for this work. The personnel will report directly to the Sacco Central Kenya Board Chair and work in close collaboration with the project leads from SASRA and FSD Kenya. All contractual matters including payments will be handled by FSD Kenya.

OUTCOMES AND DELIVERABLES

The Project Director will ensure that the following outputs are delivered:

1. A Concept Note that outlines proposal of how the SCK platform will connect to the National Payments System
2. Business Requirements Document for the shared technology platform and Central Liquidity Facility
3. Request For Proposal (RFP) document for shared technology and Central Liquidity Facility systems
4. The selection of the technology partner

REQUIREMENTS – Mandatory requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree in project management, Business Administration, Information Technology or a related field. A masters degree will be an added advantage.
2. At least 10 years of experience in project management, with a proven track record of successful project delivery in the DT-Sacco/Banking/Microfinance Industry or At least 10 years’ combined experience in senior management of a DT Sacco/Banking/Microfinance financial institution or a similar organization with demonstratable project management experience.
3. Experience and competences within the Kenya financial services sector in core Banking/DT-SACCO/Microfinance Systems design, development, and implementation is an added advantage.
4. Strong leadership and decision-making skills.
5. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with all levels of an organization and third-party vendors.
6. Experience in managing cross-functional teams and collaborating with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
7. Knowledge in financial and payments technology implementation and trends.

TIMETABLE

All aspects of the work must be complete by 31st December 2025

An initial 6-month probationary period is envisaged and subject to satisfactory performance appointment made for a period of 1 years in line with the employment terms of the FSD Trust.

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