Kiva U.S. Program Associate, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems & Operations

Kiva.org

1d•$55,000 - $64,000•Remote

About The Position

The Kiva U.S. team provides 0% interest, no-fee loans of up to $15,000 to entrepreneurs and small businesses in the United States that are typically excluded from formal financing products. With no minimum credit score and an inclusive approach to underwriting, Kiva U.S. extends access to capital to small businesses across the country. In communities and cities where there is an expressed gap in affordable financing options, Kiva offers a plug-in microlending partnership model for small-business support centers, city governments, and community development financial institutions, called the Kiva Hubs program. In more than 40 cities, including Oakland, New York, Detroit, and Pittsburgh, partners are developing small-business ecosystems and deepening their impact by making Kiva loans accessible to the entrepreneurs they serve. The Program Associate, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems & Operations plays a critical role across the full lifecycle of the Kiva U.S. borrower and partner experience, from ecosystem engagement and borrower acquisition through underwriting, fundraising, repayment, and portfolio management. This role combines relationship management, program operations, underwriting, and data-driven strategy. You will support and coach community-based partners, manage borrower and partner inquiries, review loan applications, monitor portfolio performance, and identify opportunities to improve systems, processes, and impact. Success in this role requires strong analytical skills, exceptional organization, attention to detail, and a passion for expanding access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs. You will work closely with colleagues across Operations, Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Impact, Marketing & Communications, Product, and Engineering to ensure an exceptional experience for borrowers and partners while helping Kiva scale its impact nationwide. At this time, we can only consider applicants with authorization to work in the United States on a permanent, full-time basis; unfortunately, we cannot provide visa sponsorship.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
2–4 years of relevant experience in program management, operations, community development, customer success, lending, underwriting, economic development, or related fields.
Strong analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Exceptional attention to detail and process management.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.
Experience working independently in a remote or distributed team environment.
Strong organizational and time-management skills.
Commitment to financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and social impact.
Ability to build trusted relationships with external partners and internal stakeholders.
Authorization to work in the United States on a permanent, full-time basis.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems, small business development, community lending, or economic development initiatives.
Experience with underwriting, loan operations, portfolio management, or risk management.
Familiarity with Salesforce, Looker, Google Workspace, Excel, FormAssembly, Canva, Asana, Slack, Zoom, or similar platforms.
Experience creating training materials, technical assistance resources, or educational content.
Spanish language proficiency.
Experience with grant-funded programs and partner reporting.

Responsibilities

Support a portfolio of 40+ Kiva Hub partners and their Capital Access Managers (CAMs).
Onboard, train, coach, and support partners as they launch, grow, and sustain community-based lending programs.
Serve as a primary point of contact for partner questions, troubleshooting, and technical assistance.
Monitor partner performance and portfolio health, providing proactive recommendations and interventions when needed.
Support Hub contract renewals, invoicing, and partner record management.
Develop tools, resources, and training materials to strengthen partner success and operational efficiency.
Coordinate with Marketing & Communications to promote partners, borrowers, and ecosystem initiatives.
Support trustee, referral, and loan-matching partner operations and engagement.
Produce partner communications, including newsletters, updates, and resource bulletins.
Review and underwrite loan applications using Kiva's social underwriting methodology.
Conduct fraud checks and pre-disbursement reviews.
Support entrepreneurs throughout the application, fundraising, and repayment processes.
Respond to borrower and partner inquiries via phone, email, text, and other channels.
Monitor repayment performance and implement strategies to improve portfolio quality and repayment rates.
Develop borrower-facing resources and technical assistance materials that improve access and outcomes.
Assist with delinquency management and borrower outreach efforts.
Identify opportunities to improve underwriting, repayment, partner management, and operational workflows.
Design and implement process improvements that increase efficiency, reduce risk, and improve user experiences.
Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Impact, Community Support, and Strategic Partnerships teams on operational enhancements.
Support onboarding processes for new Hub partners and ecosystem initiatives.
Contribute to special projects that advance Kiva U.S. strategic priorities.
Track and analyze key metrics related to loan supply, repayment, risk, impact, fundraising, and partner performance.
Build, maintain, and share reports using Salesforce, Looker, and other reporting tools.
Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to inform operational and strategic decision-making.
Support grant reporting and ensure timely completion of program deliverables.
Develop dashboards, analyses, and recommendations that help improve program outcomes.