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Mobile Money and SMS Messaging for Building Financial Capability Among The Poor (Washington, D.C.)

Mobile Money and SMS Messaging for Building Financial Capability Among The Poor (Washington, D.C.)
IPA's Global Financial Inclusion Initiative (GFII) is looking for a full-time intern for Summer 2014 to support research in mobile money and SMS messaging for building financial capability among the poor. The intern will be based in Washington, DC.
This position offers the opportunity to gain exposure to financial inclusion issues with a specific focus on mobile money, mobile messaging, and the use of other digital transaction channels in finance. The intern will report to GFII staff. S/he will primarily assist with research and communication activities, including but not limited to the following:
Mobile Money Research:
  • Conduct market research on mobile money: collect data on deployments of mobile money services, relevant government policies, competitive landscape, financial access, etc
  • Support the design and creation of an IPA-GFII webpage on mobile money; compile a list of resources on mobile money
  • Provide support for the development of new research proposals on mobile money and related threads
  • Other tasks as necessary
Messaging research (Intern and GFII staff will select from the following, depending on preferences):
  • Complete a review of relevant literature in the social sciences related to behavioral research in attention, budgeting, goal pursuit, and habit formation
  • Manage a network of students who will be supporting the SMS messaging project
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of a comprehensive SMS messaging platform, including designing the specifications for a customized SMS platform to meet the program’s needs
  • Support the SMS messaging webpage by providing project updates, links to relevant resources, and other exciting features
The intern should expect to commit 40 hours per week to this position. Ideal candidates will possess the following qualities: familiarity with and interest in financial inclusion topics; experience conducting secondary research around key search terms and aggregating results effectively; expertise with Microsoft Excel; familiarity with mobile technology, and some quantitative coursework (statistics/econometrics or development economics). Strong written communication skills in English, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently are important requirements for this position. Desired start date: June 2014 with a commitment period of a minimum of 10 weeks.
Application Instructions:
Please send a cover letter and resume via email following the instructions below: