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Positions at the head office that are essential to achieving DID's mission include the following:
Program Director
Program directors occupy a strategic position within the organization. They provide planning, management and supervise projects abroad. They are a key element in market development and participate in outlining new approaches to intervention, especially in the areas of microfinance and financial cooperatives.
Program officers have advanced degrees (Master's degree) and ten years of experience in the financial sector including experience abroad. They are available for four to five mandates overseas every year that can last from two to three weeks each time.
Advisor
Advisors provide support for the regional Africa, Americas, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe divisions to help design and implement tools and methods in their area of expertise. They collaborate on market development and project identification and definition. They provide assistance for project start-up and follow-up.
Advisors have a minimum of four to five years of professional experience in financial institutions. They are available to undertake four or five mandates abroad per year that can last from three to five weeks each.
Other positions open
DID also hires professional and technical support workers to assist various teams in project completion in the fields of administration, communications, human resources and office computerization.
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In Senegal, with children of PAMECAS network employees at year-end festivities. |
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In Senegal, with children of PAMECAS network employees at year-end festivities. |
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"When I came to DID from the Confederation (a structure that preceded the Federation), after 20 years in the Desjardins network, I knew that I was entering a field that was very different from my activities in project management involving operations of the Desjardins financial cooperatives,” said
Gisèle Gagnon, program director at DID and an employee of this component of the Desjardins Group since 1999.
“I wanted to expand my horizons and use my knowledge and experience in the financial sector to help poor communities in developing countries, something I have had ample opportunity to do over the last eight years.” After working in technology management at the DID head office, Gisèle
went to work with microfinance networks in Senegal and Mali in West Africa for three years where she was involved in staff capacity building in the use of transaction technology and Pocket PCs. “There was a great deal of innovation involved and it took a lot of energy to automate the activities
of the local financial coops, but what a benefit for the employees and members!” she added.
“Doing field work (which involves living in a country where DID is active to carry out a long-term mandate) really changed the way I worked and interacted with our partners, and helped me better understand their situation and the constraints that affect our activities. Now that I am program
director, I can better prepare personnel posted abroad for long-term missions lasting one or two years. I am equipped to provide more personalized solutions to problems brought up by our partners and I know they realize this, because they show me their satisfaction.”
Direct feedback from satisfied clients, the possibilities for innovation, autonomy and constant action are all motivating factors for a program director.
Gisèle Gagnon, program director at the DID head office |
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