Sr. Associate/Asst. Manager– Catalytic Finance

Samhita-CGF is an impact catalyst that has been a leader in India’s CSR landscape for 15 years. Over this time, we have partnered with more than 250 funders and 500 impact organizations, co-creating solutions that are measurable, scalable, and sustainable. Together, these efforts have improved the lives of over 17 million Indians across 31 states and union territories. Through our initiatives, which are CSR and FCRA compliant, we address key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

We began as a CSR consultancy to ensure that companies create catalytic change by leveraging their business capabilities to solve social issues that they and their stakeholders care about. We then transitioned into a strategic alliance builder, bringing together public, private, and philanthropic stakeholders to solve pressing societal challenges, at scale. We established and managed 5 alliances which are collectively impacting 7 million individuals from underserved communities, across financial inclusion, healthcare, livelihood, water and sanitation. Today we are building a prosperity accelerator to increase the incomes of 10 million entrepreneurs, workers and farmers by 2030.

Role Brief:

This role sits within Samhita's Growth & Innovation team and supports the expansion of Samhita's Catalytic Finance portfolio, including returnable grant and credit guarantee programmes.

The Associate/Senior Associate will support partnerships, fundraising, communications, and stakeholder engagement by developing high-quality proposals, conducting research, coordinating outreach, and creating compelling communication material. The role requires someone who can quickly understand structured financial concepts and communicate them effectively to diverse audiences, including corporate CSR leaders, philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, government agencies, and development partners.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working across functions, takes ownership of deliverables, and is passionate about scaling innovative financing solutions for inclusive growth.

Responsibilities:

Partnerships and Fundraising:

• Research and identify prospective corporate CSR partners, philanthropic foundations, government agencies, financial institutions, and individual donors.
• Support the development of partnership proposals, concept notes, pitch decks, and fundraising collateral tailored to different stakeholder groups.
• Coordinate outreach activities, schedule meetings, maintain follow-ups, and support relationship management with existing and prospective partners.
• Assist in preparing responses to grant opportunities, RFPs, and funding applications in collaboration with programme and functional teams.
• Maintain an updated pipeline of prospective partners, funding opportunities, and outreach trackers.
• Support the preparation of partnership reports, meeting briefs, and donor updates.

Communications & Thought Leadership

• Develop presentations, case studies, blogs, newsletters, social media content, and explainer notes related to Catalytic Finance initiatives.
• Work closely with the MarComm team to ensure consistent messaging across communication channels.
• Support planning and execution of webinars, conferences, stakeholder meetings, and knowledge-sharing events.
• Conduct secondary research on trends in catalytic finance, blended finance, impact investing, and financial inclusion to support thought leadership initiatives.

Programme & Operations

• Support the Catalytic Finance team in executing strategic initiatives and partnership activities.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, meeting minutes, and periodic updates for internal and external stakeholders.
• Track deliverables, timelines, and stakeholder commitments to ensure smooth execution.
• Leverage AI tools to improve efficiency in research, proposal development, presentation creation, and content drafting.
• Collaborate effectively with programme, partnerships, finance, communications, and MEL teams to ensure timely execution of deliverables.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

1. 3-5 years of experience in consulting, investment banking, development finance or impact investing, with strong financial analytical exposure

2. Strong written and verbal communication skills with excellent presentation and proposal writing abilities.

3. Ability to understand and simplify financial concepts for diverse stakeholder groups.

4. Strong research and analytical skills.

5. Excellent stakeholder coordination and relationship management capabilities.

6. Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and meet deadlines.

7. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word).

8. Familiarity with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) for research, drafting, and productivity.

9. Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

10. Passion for social impact, financial inclusion, and innovative financing solutions.