Aceli Africa
Finance
Manager,LenderCapacityBuilding
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“Manager, Lender Capacity Building at Aceli Africa. Skills: Lender capacity building, Program management, Financial analysis, Stakeholder management. Lead strategy and continuous improvement of lender capacity building program. Oversee full capacity building program cycle”
What You'll Achieve.
Mobilising over $2 billion in private-sector lending for agricultural SMEs; Improving livelihoods for 5 million farmers and workers by 2030; Increase the risk appetite of 55+ financial institutions; Make loans of USD $10K–$1. 5M to high-impact agricultural SMEs; Strengthen the policy and regulatory environment; Mobilised $460M in lending to SMEs; Providing market access for 2. 3M smallholder farmers; Enhance the impact of the program; Ensure value-for-money principles are applied
Industry & Context.
Analytical capabilities; Ability to conduct and/or review financial institution diagnostics; Interpret portfolio data; Translate findings into actionable recommendations; Analytical rigor: Comfortable with financial data, portfolio diagnostics, and evidence-based program translates complex information into clear recommendations.
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, or a related field, Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience, At least 4 years of advisory experience, or experience working in/ with financial institutions, Demonstrated understanding of agricultural lending practices in sub-Saharan Africa, Proven project management skills, Analytical capabilities, Excellent written and verbal communication skills, Experience managing or contributing to MEL frameworks, Demonstrated ability to engage credibly with senior leadership of financial institutions
Nice to Have
Master's degree, Experience at a management consulting firm, specialist advisory firm, or development finance institution, Familiarity with the agri-finance ecosystem in East Africa, Exposure to climate finance, gender-lens lending, or ESG integration, Experience procuring and managing external consultants or technical service providers, Proficiency in data tools such as Excel (advanced), Power BI, or Salesforce
What You'll Do.
Lead strategy and continuous improvement of lender capacity building program
Oversee full capacity building program cycle
Develop lender pipeline and engagement design
Monitor and evaluate program delivery
Manage program-level learning
Issue task order solicitations to providers
Evaluate proposals against criteria
Oversee task order award processes
Monitor validity of Master Services Agreements
Manage provider performance
Monitor output quality
Conduct quarterly provider scoring
Backstop providers where needed
Update and maintain standard MEL templates
Ensure new engagements deploy standardized MEL tools
Compile and analyze program-level CB data
Manage CB program budget
Track Aceli contributions and lender co-investments
Approve activity-based budgets
Ensure value-for-money principles
Provide periodic budget updates and forecasts
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Extensive external collaboration; Coordinate diverse range of stakeholders; Collaborate closely with Country Teams, Impact & Learning, Product, Finance and Procurement; Engage credibly with senior leadership of financial institutions; Works effectively across diverse internal teams; Navigates organizational complexity with maturity and diplomacy
Communication Scope
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Preparation of high-quality reports; Engagement briefs; Presentations; Terms of reference
Process & Methodology
Proven project management skills, Experience managing multiple simultaneous assignments, Experience managing external service providers, Experience managing client relationships to time and budget, Disciplined project manager, Structured planning, Consistent follow-through, Attention to detail
Full Job Description
Aceli Africa is a market catalyst mobilising over $2 billion in private-sector lending for agricultural SMEs and improving livelihoods for 5 million farmers and workers by 2030. Aceli provides financial incentives to increase the risk appetite of 55+ financial institutions (both global and local) to make loans of USD $10K–$1.5M to high-impact agricultural SMEs, complemented by technical assistance to build lender and SME capacity and by data and learning to strengthen the policy and regulatory environment. Since launching in September 2020, Aceli has mobilised $460M in lending to SMEs, providing market access for 2.3M smallholder farmers across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Aceli Africa has developed partnerships with leading bilateral and philanthropic donors, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gates Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, IKEA Foundation, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Manager, Lender Capacity Building will lead the strategy, and continuous improvement of Aceli's lender capacity building program, which supports Aceli’s lending partners to grow and deepen their agricultural SME lending portfolios. The program operates through a pre-qualified panel of specialist advisory firms delivering bespoke and cohort-based technical engagements to commercial banks, Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs), and SACCOs. The Manager will oversee the full Capacity Building program cycle: from lender pipeline development and engagement design, to delivery oversight, monitoring and evaluation, and program-level learning. The role necessitates extensive external collaboration and requires a disciplined project manager capable of coordinating a diverse range of stakeholders. The Manager is expected to exercise sound professional judgment in program design, execution, and continuous quality assurance. The role reports to the Assoc
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