Senior Director - Technical Assistance & Innovation

Location: Washington, DC

Opportunity Type

Regular

Summary

About the MicroBuild Initiative

The MicroBuild Initiative is a cornerstone of Habitat’s impact strategy over the next decade. The MicroBuild Initiative builds on the success of MicroBuild Fund 1, which leveraged $100 million to catalyze more than $1.2 billion in affordable housing finance for almost 240,000 families across 33 countries since 2012. As part of the MicroBuild Initiative, the second fund is expected to be significantly larger — in the range of $300 million to $500 million.

Alongside the Fund, the initiative will be comprised of the Impact & Innovation Hub which will deliver technical assistance, innovation, and advocacy to help transform housing systems globally. The initiative aims to directly benefit more than 2.5 million people in emerging and developing economies as they work to improve their homes.

About the Role

The Senior Director, Technical Assistance & Innovation reports to the Managing Director, MicroBuild Initiative Impact & Innovation Hub and is responsible for the design, coordination, delivery, quality assurance, and performance management of all technical assistance delivered through the Hub. The position is responsible for ensuring that the specific capacity building needs of MicroBuild Fund 2 investees are met. Services may include but not be limited to housing readiness assessments, product development support, and other investee capacity-building.

The role serves as the primary operational bridge between the Hub and the Housing Finance Systems (HFS) team within Habitat's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter (TCIS) and is accountable for ensuring technical assistance activities contribute to stronger institutional performance, achievement of Fund objectives, and fulfillment of Habitat's commitments to the MicroBuild Initiative.

The Senior Director works closely with the Managing Director, MicroBuild Impact & Innovation Hub, TCIS and HFS leadership, technical specialists, consultants, and external partners to ensure technical assistance assignments and TA innovations generate measurable results, institutional learning, and scalable market impact.

During the initial years of Fund implementation, the Sr. Director is expected to oversee and coordinate a portfolio of approximately 15-30 technical assistance engagements annually, requiring effective portfolio management, technical resource coordination, consultant oversight, performance monitoring, and close collaboration with internal and external partners.

The incumbent will play a key role in identifying, informing, and supporting Technical Assistance (TA) innovation to achieve more efficient and effective TA delivery that delivers sustained results at institutional and systems levels. Leveraging insights from MicroBuild 1 (MB1) TA feedback and from new MicroBuild TA delivery, and working closely with the Director, Global Program Design and Execution - HFS, the incumbent will participate in the development and oversight of 2–3 TA innovation pilots annually designed to benefit multiple institutions and advance the broader housing finance market.

This position may be based in Washington, DC, Nairobi, Kenya, London, United Kingdom, or San Jose, Costa Rica and follows a hybrid work arrangement, requiring a combination of in-office and remote work with up to 40% international travel.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Assistance Strategy, Delivery & Portfolio Management – 40%

• Develop and implement the Hub's technical assistance strategy and tools
• Manage the overall technical assistance portfolio and annual workplan.
• Align technical assistance priorities with annual Fund pipeline plans and emerging institutional needs.
• Participate in annual and other periodic pipeline planning discussions with the Hub Managing Director, Symbiotics, Senior Director HFS, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee the full lifecycle of technical assistance engagements, from identification and design through implementation and close-out.
• Manage technical assistance budgets, timelines, risks, resource requirements, and performance expectations.
• Ensure technical assistance resources are allocated efficiently across institutions and markets.
• Monitor portfolio performance and recommend adjustments based on evolving needs, lessons learned, and Fund priorities.

• Consultant & Partner Management – 20%

• Build and manage a network of consultants, advisors, and implementation partners.
• Coordinate internal and external technical resources to support delivery of high-quality services.
• Support development of scopes of work, procurement processes, and engagement strategies.
• Oversee consultant performance and quality of deliverables.
• Support contracting, budgeting, and resource planning related to technical assistance delivery.
• Support transfer of lessons learned from Fund-supported institutions into TCIS programs, tools, and broader housing finance initiatives.

• Learning & Knowledge Management – 15%

Drive continuous improvement of the Hub's technical assistance and innovation approaches by incorporating field experience, implementation evidence, investee feedback, and lessons learned into technical methodologies, tools, and delivery models, while contributing to the ongoing development of Habitat's housing finance advisory capabilities

Contribute to annual country housing finance analyses and learning products.

Support evaluation and documentation of innovative approaches and solutions.

Contribute technical expertise to joint Hub-TCIS innovation and market development initiatives.

Support development of learning papers, case studies, toolkits, conference presentations, and thought leadership materials.

Promote application of lessons learned across the technical assistance portfolio.

• Impact Measurement & Reporting – 15%

• Work closely with the Research and Learning (MEARL) Manager to establish and monitor technical assistance performance indicators.
• Track institutional, portfolio-level, and market-level outcomes resulting from technical assistance delivery.
• Evaluate effectiveness, scalability, and impact of technical assistance and innovation interventions.
• Contribute to annual reporting and Fund reporting processes.
• Provide analysis of program and service effectiveness, lessons learned, institutional outcomes, and portfolio trends.
• Support evidence-based decision making regarding future technical assistance and innovation investments and priorities.
• Contribute information and analysis required for Board reporting, annual reports, stakeholder communications, and Fund reporting requirements.

• Innovation Catalyst – 10%

• Collaborate with TCIS and other stakeholders to conceptualize, design, and implement pilots focused on innovations in housing finance that can be applied across multiple institutions and geographies.
• Partner with TCIS, financial institutions, external partners, and other HFHI stakeholders to co-create solutions that address emerging market needs and opportunities.
• Coordinate engagement with external partners to support innovation initiatives and pilot implementation.
• Additional Locations: London, United Kingdom, San José, Costa Rica, Nairobi, Kenya