Customer Service Representative – Pashto or Dari

Background
IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) is a unique Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Loan Fund and subsidiary of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). CEO specializes in making small-dollar consumer and business loans primarily through IRC’s network of US Programs offices, currently lending from 22 IRC locations across 15 states. CEO’s loans are integrated with related economic empowerment programs offered by IRC or other partners and support the upward mobility of IRC’s diverse yet economically challenged clientele.

Scope of Work
CEO is a start-up operation that is actively scaling its operations throughout the U.S. We are seeking a positive, professional and multi-lingual (Pashto or Dari fluency required) Customer Service Representative (CSR) to join our growing team. In this role, you will directly support both CEO borrowers and the IRC Financial Coaches that refer clients to CEO for financing.

Reporting to CEO’s Operations Manager the CSR will be accountable for both delivering best-in-class customer service, but also in helping to improve CEO’s overall systems and protocols for quickly resolving customer issues. The CCSR will respond to both borrowers and staff from our non-profit partners that refer clients to us for lending. CEO will provide comprehensive training on the U.S. credit and financial system to ensure the CSR will be equipped to offer accurate technical guidance and information as they work directly with borrowers.

CEO is a rapidly growing company and the CSR will have opportunities for career advancement within the organization. 10% – 15% of each week may be spent gaining experience across any of CEO’s core operational areas – including project design, loan underwriting, grant and donor support, communications, partnerships or monitoring and evaluation.

Responsibilities
Provide Best-in-Class Support to Borrowers and Partners

Utilizing CEO’s ZenDesk Customer Relationship Management software, the CSR will:

• Respond to assigned support tickets from borrowers and CEO’s non-profit partners
• Answer client questions, route tickets to appropriate internal or external sources for resolution
• Ensure timely, accurate customer responses and high levels of customer satisfaction
• Ensure data quality, case notes, records of borrower communications are accurate, updated; make case notes of all borrower interactions.
• Expand channels of customer communication from email, phone and text to include social media messaging (Facebook, WhatsApp) and live chat when appropriate
• Develop self-help resources for borrowers and activate resource sharing platforms for referring partners

Enhance CEO’s Support Protocols and Systems

The CSR will be at the front lines of CEO’s support efforts; the CSR will use these experiences to help improve our overall efficiency in providing accurate, timely, actionable information to our customers and partners. Duties include:

• Identify key topics for self-help articles, support in developing self-help resources and work with CEO’s Communications Team to get them published
• Perform quality review checks on new loan applications and routinely review all borrower data for quality assurance
• Monitor key CRM data to help management identify areas of strength and weakness
• Recruit, train and supervise interns or volunteers as needed to support key CRM initiatives or functions

Other Duties

• Support the team in identifying key bottlenecks to and opportunities for scale, efficiency & effectiveness; bring ideas and creativity
• Support ongoing administrative, data quality, and fiscal functions that are shared across all team members.
• Provide support or backfill for any other business functions as needed, as a part of CEO’s small, integrated team with cross-functional roles

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: Operations Manager, IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity
Collaborates with: The entire CEO Team; Works closely with borrowers and CEO systems users in IRC’s field offices, with vendors and third-party partners. As needed, the position may directly supervise interns and volunteers.

Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English, and either Pashto or Dari required;
• At least 3 years’ experience in a customer/client-facing role; prior experience with ZenDesk or other customer service software a strong +
• Experience in economic empowerment programs in a diverse, social-service setting; lending or related financial experience preferred
• Must have exceptional customer service skills and mindset; direct service to diverse clientele strongly preferred
• Previous experience in technical support and troubleshooting; prior experience providing web-based support preferred
• Strong computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook); advanced Excel proficiency a strong plus
• Excellent interpersonal skills with good ability to work well with others inclusive of people of varying technical skills

Working Environment: The Customer Service Representative is a fully remote position and may be stationed anywhere in the U.S. Some travel may be required for conference, board or team meetings (5% of time).

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.