Senior Manager Research & Insights

About Us

Karandaaz Pakistan (KRN) is a not-for-profit organization, based out of Islamabad, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan under Section 42 of the Companies Act 2017. The entity has been seeded by Enterprise and Asset Growth Programme of UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and our digital finance initiatives are being funded by the Gates Foundation.

KRN is guided by the vision of Investing for Shared Prosperity and driven by the mission to enhance capabilities of the financial and digital ecosystem through investments, innovations, and strategic partnerships for inclusive, green and sustainable growth.

Karandaaz Research supports the company’s core development goals by developing and disseminating evidence-based insights and solutions to inform and influence markets and the financial ecosystem. It undertakes applied research on market systems and delivery models, translating findings into actionable policy, regulatory, and market recommendations for internal and external stakeholders including regulators and policy makers.

Research focuses on four core thematic areas: Digital financial services and payment systems; SME and enterprise financing; Green/ Climate finance; and Inclusion (digital, financial, gender, and geographic), with women’s economic empowerment embedded as a cross-cutting priority.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager Research & Insights will be responsible for leading and continuously strengthening Karandaaz Pakistan’s research, insights, and knowledge-generation function. The role ensures that all research initiatives are strategically aligned, methodologically sound, policy-relevant, and communicated effectively to internal and external stakeholders. The incumbent will play a critical role in shaping the research agenda, translating evidence into actionable insights, and supporting strategic decision-making across Karandaaz’s programs and initiatives.

The position requires a blend of strategic thinking, domain knowledge across different sectors, technical research expertise, people leadership, and strong project management skills to ensure timely delivery of high-quality research outputs that advance Karandaaz’s objectives in digital finance, small growing business finance, and financial inclusion.

Job Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Quality Management

• Define the long-term roadmap for the Research & Insights stream, ensuring it supports KRN’s mission and organizational priorities.
• Establish and enforce rigorous research methodologies, research tools, quality assurance protocols, and ethical guidelines to ensure all outputs are compliant with organizational requirements and analytically sound.
• Lead, mentor, and build a high-performance team while managing budgets, forecasts, and cost-efficiency.
• Drive process improvements through research automation and the adoption of advanced analytical tools.

Research Planning & Execution

• Lead the design of qualitative and quantitative studies, defining sampling strategies, analytical frameworks, and core research questions.
• Oversee the end-to-end research lifecycle, from data collection and statistical analysis to the synthesis of complex datasets into actionable insights with the help of suitable partners.
• Ensure the timely delivery of multiple workstreams, maintaining rigor across diverse thematic areas and tight deadlines.

Knowledge Management & Thought Leadership

• Oversee the creation of high-impact policy briefs, working papers, and research reports tailored for diverse audiences.
• Partner with the Marketing and Communications teams to share findings through seminars, workshops, and digital platforms.
• Position Karandaaz as a thought leader in the financial inclusion and digital finance landscape through evidence-based advocacy and policy dialogue.

Stakeholder Engagement & Strategic Support

• Act as an internal consultant to integrate research insights into program design and support the Director Strategic Initiatives on special projects.
• Coordinate with external consultants, academic institutions, and research firms, ensuring high-quality deliverables and contract compliance.
• Provide rapid-response analytical support and trend monitoring for Senior Management and the Board.

Eligibility

A preferred candidate will need to have:

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Economics, Business Administration, Finance, , Management, or related field with a strong mastery in analytical/social science research.
• At least eight (08) years of managing complex research projects with a proven track record of successfully leading strategic initiatives from conceptualization to implementation, delivering tangible results and impact.
• Demonstrated experience of strategic planning, budgeting, monitoring, financial reporting, compliance and risk management.
• Exposure to private sector development or economic growth teams of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)/Multilateral institutions will have a competitive advantage.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge across a range of technical areas including project management, MSME finance, credit guarantees and digital financial services.
• Knowledge and experience of Financial Markets, Investment Banking or relevant industries.
• Knowledge and experience of different regulatory regimes, particularly from the financial sector regulators, and sector specific regulators, industry associations, business councils.
• Strong analytical skills with a solid foundation in statistical techniques, specifically STATA and/or SPSS
• Proficient English writing and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to analyze, synthesize, and intuitively present complex research information in concise and compelling reports and presentations.
• High Emotional Quotient (EQ) so the individual can work with a wide range of personality styles and effectively hold teams accountable to higher standards of results and pace of delivery.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and passion for financial inclusion, digital finance and economic growth via MSME finance and women empowerment.
• Genuine desire for learning new concepts and an urge to update knowledge-base with international literature available on thematic areas for refining KRN’s offering to the market/partners.
• Ability to represent KRN and influence thinking in policy making forums/committees as KRN is regularly invited for lead contributions.
• Value for diversity and inclusion as an enabler of high-performance culture.

Culture and Values at Karandaaz

Karandaaz espouses the values of Integrity, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Appreciation and Learning Acumen (IDEAL) . These values shape our choices on what we do and the approach we take towards it. We also believe that we are all responsible for creating a great place to work and are constantly looking to hire individuals who bring the same level of passion and commitment to the purpose of the organization.

If you believe in the Karandaaz vision and values and feel excited about the work we are offering, please send us your application for this position.

Karandaaz is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications by all population groups.

Applications close on Wednesday, 31st December 2025.