Job Vacancy at Financial Sector Deepening Tanzania (FSDT): Head of Programs – October 2026

About Financial Sector Deepening Tanzania (FSDT)

Established in 2004, the Financial Sector Deepening Tanzania (FSDT) is a donor-funded market facilitator focused on the financial sector. Its main goal is poverty reduction through transforming the financial sector to ensure it offers quality, inclusive, and sustainable financial solutions that improve the livelihoods, well-being, and empowerment of underserved Tanzanians.

FSDT applies the Market Systems Development (MSD) approach, which aims to create lasting improvements in income and access to jobs, services, and products for people living in poverty by transforming economic systems and addressing the root causes of market failures.

The FSDT 2026–2030 strategy seeks to support an inclusive financial sector with effective regulation, infrastructure, evidence use, and solutions that reach underserved groups, particularly women, youth, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The strategy aims to enhance resilience, livelihoods, and empowerment in Tanzania and ultimately improve the financial health of Tanzanians.

Position: Head of Programs

Department: Programs

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Direct Reports:

• Finance for Growth Lead
• Manager, Climate Finance and Resilience
• Lead, Digital Financial Services
• Manager, Gender and Enterprise Development
• Digital Financial Services Advisor

Key Collaborative Relationships:

• Head of Research, Results and Insights
• Head of Finance and Operations

About the Job

FSDT is seeking applications for the position of Head of Programs.

The successful candidate will lead FSDT’s Programs teams, focusing on programme management excellence and operational efficiency. The role involves overseeing all programme activities, ensuring alignment with organisational goals, efficient resource utilisation, and impactful delivery.

Responsibilities include developing and implementing strategic plans, managing programme budgets, fostering strategic partnerships, and providing leadership to a dedicated team.

The Head of Programs will provide strategic and technical leadership in developing, managing, and delivering FSDT’s programme portfolio, translating the institution’s 2026–2030 strategy into innovative, evidence-based, and impactful interventions that advance inclusive financial sector ecosystem development in Tanzania, particularly for women, youth, and underserved enterprises.

The role also involves leading and empowering multidisciplinary programme teams to identify and address systemic market constraints, facilitate sustainable market-led solutions, and strengthen collaboration between public and private sector actors.

The successful candidate will be accountable for programme quality, implementation performance, resource utilisation, risk management, and intended results. Working closely with the CEO and other institutional functions, the Head of Programs will contribute to strategic direction, thought leadership, stakeholder engagement, and resource mobilisation while promoting innovation, collaboration, learning, and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Program Leadership and Portfolio Development

• Provide strategic leadership in developing and continuously evolving FSDT’s programme portfolio, ensuring interventions are innovative, evidence-based, responsive to emerging market opportunities, and aligned with FSDT’s institutional strategy, approved investment cases, donor commitments, and intended development outcomes.
• Strategic Program Direction: Translate FSDT’s 2026–2030 strategy into coherent programme priorities, strategic initiatives, and investment opportunities that address systemic market constraints, emerging sector developments, and the evolving needs of women, youth, and underserved enterprises.
• Annual Business Planning: Collaborate with the Research, Results and Insights team, Finance and Operations, and relevant thematic leads to develop an integrated, results-oriented annual business plan. The plan should translate FSDT’s strategy, approved investment cases, and donor funding commitments into defined interventions, implementation priorities, resource requirements, delivery milestones, and measurable results.
• Investment Pipeline Development: Lead the identification and development of a pipeline of innovative, high-impact interventions aligned with FSDT’s strategy. Ensure proposed investments are technically sound, financially viable, responsive to market needs, and supported by credible theories of change and results frameworks.
• Strategic Portfolio Prioritisation: Guide programme resource allocation across interventions, balancing strategic relevance, potential impact, implementation readiness, funding availability, partner capacity, and institutional commitments to maximise the effectiveness and sustainability of FSDT’s investments.
• Market Intelligence and Strategic Adaptation: Work with the Research, Results and Insights team and thematic leads to identify emerging opportunities, analyse market developments, and translate research, implementation experience, and stakeholder insights into strategic programme decisions and portfolio adjustments.
• Program Innovation and Investment Quality: Provide strategic guidance and technical oversight to multidisciplinary teams designing innovative, market-led interventions, ensuring strong investment propositions, clear additionality, realistic implementation arrangements, and sustainable pathways to systemic change.

2. Program Delivery, Performance and Impact

Provide strategic oversight and accountability for the effective implementation, performance, and impact of FSDT’s approved programme portfolio, ensuring timely delivery, prudent resource utilisation, proactive risk management, and achievement of intended results.

Key responsibilities include:

• Program Implementation and Delivery: Oversee implementation plans, milestones, budgets, resource utilisation, and delivery risks, holding thematic leads accountable for timely execution, quality, and achievement of agreed results.
• Portfolio Performance and Corrective Action: Lead periodic portfolio performance reviews, identify implementation bottlenecks and emerging risks, direct timely corrective action, and escalate significant deviations or strategic concerns to the CEO.
• Policy and Regulatory Interventions: Provide strategic oversight of policy and regulatory development interventions, ensuring effective coordination with the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Tanzania, Capital Markets and Securities Authority, Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority, and other relevant stakeholders through designated technical leads.
• Evidence-Based Performance and Adaptive Management: Collaborate with the Research, Results and Insights team to ensure monitoring, evaluation, research, and institutional learning inform portfolio performance reviews, management decisions, intervention adaptations, and continuous improvement in development outcomes.
• Sustainable Market Development: Ensure programme implementation facilitates market-led solutions through effective engagement with public and private sector actors, strengthening market capacity, ownership, and sustainability rather than substituting for existing or emerging market functions.

3. Thought Leadership and Strategy

Provide strategic and technical thought leadership to strengthen FSDT’s position as a credible and influential market facilitator, improve understanding of systemic financial sector challenges and opportunities, and contribute to inclusive financial sector development in Tanzania.

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic Foresight and Sector Intelligence: Anticipate and assess emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges in Tanzania’s financial sector and broader development landscape, including digital financial services, productive finance, enterprise development, climate finance, regulatory developments, and market systems innovation.
• Market Systems Thought Leadership: Provide strategic perspectives on financial sector ecosystems, market incentives, institutional arrangements, and systemic constraints. Identify opportunities to influence market behaviour, strengthen market institutions, and promote sustainable, inclusive financial sector development.
• Evidence-Informed Sector Dialogue: Collaborate with the Research, Results and Insights team and relevant technical leads to translate research, market intelligence, and implementation experience into insights, policy perspectives, and strategic recommendations that contribute to sector dialogue and decision-making.
• Strategic Influence and Knowledge Contribution: Represent FSDT’s technical perspectives in relevant policy forums, industry platforms, professional networks, and development partner engagements, supporting informed dialogue, knowledge exchange, and adoption of innovative market-led approaches.
• Emerging Opportunities and Strategic Innovation: Identify and promote opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and systemic change. Provide forward-looking strategic advice to the CEO and programme teams on opportunities that could strengthen FSDT’s relevance, influence, and long-term development impact.

4. Strategic Partnerships, Influencing and Resource Mobilisation

Provide strategic leadership in developing and maintaining partnerships that advance FSDT’s programme objectives, strengthen financial sector collaboration, and contribute to resource mobilisation, co-investment, and the long-term sustainability of interventions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic Partnership Development: Develop and manage high-value relationships with government institutions, regulators, financial service providers, industry associations, development partners, and other relevant market actors to advance programme priorities and facilitate systemic market development.
• Resource Mobilisation and Funding Opportunities: Work with the CEO and relevant institutional teams to identify and pursue funding opportunities, build relationships with existing and prospective development partners, and develop programme propositions aligned with FSDT’s strategy and donor priorities.
• Investment Cases and Funding Proposals: Lead the technical development of high-quality funding proposals, investment cases, and programme concepts, ensuring they demonstrate strategic relevance, credible development results, implementation feasibility, value for money, and opportunities for sustainable impact.
• Co-Investment and Market Partnerships: Identify and facilitate co-financing, resource leveraging, and strategic collaboration with public and private sector partners to strengthen market ownership, institutional sustainability, and the scale and reach of FSDT-supported interventions.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Institutional Influence: Support the CEO in strategic stakeholder and donor engagements, providing programme insights, technical perspectives, and evidence of results to strengthen FSDT’s credibility, influence, and position within the financial sector.

5. Governance, Program Assurance and Risk Management

Ensure sound programme governance, prudent stewardship, and effective assurance.

Responsibilities include:

• Oversee the quality and timely submission of programme documents to the Program Investment Committee (PIC) and provide performance reporting inputs for the Results Oversight Committee (ROC).
• Support programme-related risk, audit, compliance, and financial reporting for the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee (AFRC), in collaboration with Finance and Operations.
• Ensure compliance with approved policies, partner selection and procurement requirements, grant conditions, and agreed audit or management actions.

6. People Leadership and Organisational Coordination

Lead and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary Programs team, fostering accountability, collaboration, professional growth, and effective coordination across FSDT.

Responsibilities include:

• Ensure the Programs function has the technical expertise and capabilities required to deliver FSDT’s strategy through effective workforce planning, recruitment, staff development, and the strategic use of external consultants and technical specialists.
• Lead the Programs team towards high performance through clearly defined roles, responsibilities, objectives, and expectations. Provide guidance, coaching, and support while addressing performance gaps through timely feedback and corrective action.
• Develop talent through continuous professional development, mentoring, succession planning, and career development, creating opportunities for staff to assume greater responsibilities and strengthen institutional capacity.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and empowering working environment that promotes innovation, shared accountability, ethical conduct, diversity, and equal opportunities.
• Strengthen cross-functional coordination with the Research, Results and Insights team, Finance and Operations, and other institutional functions to support effective planning, resource allocation, programme implementation, and delivery of results.
• Ensure staff and consultants within the Programs function comply with FSDT policies, procedures, professional standards, and institutional values.

7. Decision-Making Authority and Accountability

The Head of Programs will:

• Exercise delegated authority within FSDT’s approved strategy, business plan, budgets, policies, and authorisation limits.
• Direct implementation priorities and approve programme work plans and routine adjustments within approved parameters, reviewing and endorsing proposals before institutional approval.
• Manage approved programme resources and performance, recommend budget reallocations and personnel actions, and initiate corrective action on delivery and programme risks.
• Lead technical partnership discussions and represent FSDT within the authority delegated by the CEO.

Financial commitments, contracts, staffing decisions, and material changes remain subject to the applicable approval processes.

Role Requirements

1. Academic Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, including programme or project management, digital financial services, technology or information systems, finance, economics, business, development practice, public policy, social sciences, or a related field.
• Relevant postgraduate study or professional certification is an advantage.

2. Professional Experience

• At least 10 years of relevant work experience, including leadership of complex, multidisciplinary programmes.
• Substantial experience in inclusive financial sector ecosystem development, market systems development, digital financial services, or financial sector innovation.
• Demonstrated experience designing interventions and investment or funding proposals.
• Experience managing public and private sector stakeholders, donor relationships, partnerships, budgets, delivery risks, and multidisciplinary teams.

Critical Technical Skills and Knowledge

Candidates should demonstrate the following:

• Commercial and political awareness, with the ability to develop clear plans and proposals for a range of stakeholders, including donors.
• Credibility as a leader of complex, multi-stakeholder programmes, with demonstrable impact.
• Outstanding reporting, presentation, and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and problem-solving skills that support sound decision-making.
• Experience and aptitude for serving as an external spokesperson, building relationships, and mobilising funding.
• Strong external relations and stakeholder management skills.
• Very good written and spoken English and Kiswahili.

Personal Characteristics

1. Commitment and Drive for Results

Candidates should have values and personal ambitions aligned with FSDT’s goals of supporting an inclusive and sustainable financial sector. They should demonstrate a desire to contribute to improving the livelihoods, well-being, resilience, and empowerment of Tanzanian women and youth.

This commitment should be reflected in a track record of holding themselves and others accountable for measurable, high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Candidates should also demonstrate the ability to empower and enable others rather than relying on micromanagement.

2. Initiative and Decisiveness

Candidates should demonstrate ownership and take personal responsibility for their work, intended impact, and achievement of critical organisational goals.

They should proactively seek the information and resources required for success, overcome obstacles with a positive, action-oriented attitude, and make appropriate decisions within the scope of their roles, even when the way forward is unclear.

3. Relationship Building

Candidates should be able to initiate and maintain positive relationships, appreciate other people’s values and concerns, and bring people together to build effective teams.

They should demonstrate strong interpersonal and listening skills, encourage contributions from people with different opinions, and accommodate diverse perspectives in planning and decision-making.

4. Communication and Influencing

Candidates should be able to adapt their communication and behaviour to address the needs and concerns of others.

They should communicate clearly, confidently, and appropriately to influence others and demonstrate an understanding of how organisational success depends on effective stakeholder engagement.

Candidates should have a track record of strategic networking, building influential relationships, and driving change through collaboration rather than manipulation or domination.

5. Thought Leadership

Candidates should be able to analyse issues, solve problems, make sound decisions, and think conceptually and strategically when managing complexity.

They should understand the market systems FSDT seeks to develop, interpret data by identifying trends and cause-and-effect relationships, and understand how different components interact.

Candidates should also have experience testing innovative theories of change and developing frameworks for implementation and impact.

6. Resilience and Resourcefulness

Candidates should demonstrate the ability to manage difficult situations effectively, navigate challenges, and make difficult but necessary decisions.

They should remain effective, open, and engaged under pressure, persist in overcoming obstacles, and express well-considered professional opinions even when faced with opposition.

Application Deadline

Friday, 30 October 2026

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit an application comprising:

1. A cover letter detailing their suitability for the position.
2. A detailed curriculum vitae (CV).
3. Three references, at least two of which must relate to previous employment.

Applications should be sent by email to:

Email: vacancy@fsdt.or.tz

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

FSDT provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment.

Official Website

Visit the Financial Sector Deepening Tanzania website for more information:

https://www.fsdt.or.tz/