Finance Officer at Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT)

REF: 003/2019

Job Purpose

To support financial service providers to more effectively serve the agricultural value chain actors with appropriate financial products thereby enabling MSME, farmers, groups and associations invest into their value chain activities leading to the sustained improvement in competitiveness of selected value chains.

Responsibilities

• Establish close working relations with regional authorities and other private sector initiatives in relation to agri-business and SMEs value chains financing;
• Market the Green growth facility and recruit existing and new prospective investors;
• Prepare plans and budgets for the areas of operation in close consultation with the Head of Credit & Business Development;
• Go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of financing products;
• Develop business plans for lending as a requirement for seeking loans;
• Ensures that partner institutions offering credit to farmers and SME respond to market needs;
• Build the Loan portfolio through attracting and recruiting new clients as well as expanding the product range and rate of loan uptake of existing clients;
• Monitor the Agri & Green loan portfolio and collect data from the Financial institutions that exhibits impact to last mile borrowers;
• Builds capacities of local level financial institutions and project partners involved in Agriculture Value Chain Finance (AVCF), mainly in the field of credit appraisal, marketing and follow-up activities;
• Implement technical services programmes for MSME agri-businesses and manage mentoring programmes;
• Undertake periodic regional market mapping in the area of Agricultural Value Chain Financing;
• Establish and maintain an inventory of farmer groups and associations value chains, relevant provincial and regional consultants, training and other business development services providers;
• Provide guidance and advise relevant target Project clients (MSME, farmers, groups and associations), develop suitable business plans, strategies and objectives in order to promote a particular aspect of the business such as farming, dairy etc;
• Provide guidance to the value chain clients in the target projects/business on financial management aspects to ensure the success of their ventures;
• Provide sound advice on finance, accounting and bookkeeping activities to the clients;
• Identify and support mobilization of farmers, groups and associations on negotiating capacity in order to increase their chances of accessing retail financial services in different value chain stages;
• Where required, identify, manage and supervise the implementation of consultancy services in accordance with work plans;
• Support the implementation of rural financial services programmes of MESPT and monitor wholesale lending to target groups; and
• Prepare quarterly progress and annual reports to the Head of Credit & Business Development;

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Finance, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics & Rural Development or related fields;
• At least 5 years post-qualification experience in the financial sector;
• Experience in a financial institution handling Micro & SME clients will be an added advantage;
• Sound Knowledge of agriculture value chain finance or agriculture/rural finance or SME banking;
• Have an excellent interpersonal, analytical and people management skills;
• Sound understanding of the current and emerging banking products;
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with outstanding reporting skills;
• Good negotiation, decision-making and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to handle pressure and work with minimum supervision;
• A team player with the drive to improve performance.