Country Director at Farmz2U

Role Purpose

• To translate Farmz2u’s global vision into a high-impact, commercially viable Nigerian program.
• The Country Director will execute strategic priorities in Nigeria across infrastructure deployment, high-value commodity exports, and financing innovation.
• This role combines operational leadership, market execution, and commercial acumen to build a profitable and scalable model that delivers both financial returns and measurable impact for farmers and buyers.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Market Growth:

• Develop and execute Nigeria’s strategic plan aligned with Farmz2u’s global vision
• Translate CEO-led strategic priorities into actionable plans for Nigeria, with clear milestones and budgets.
• Oversee expansion into infrastructure assets (renewable-energy-powered cold storage, transport) to reduce post-harvest losses and increase year-round supply capacity.
• Identify and scale opportunities in high-value commodity exports, unlocking opportunities for EUDR/EU CSDDD compliance and other sustainability regulations.

Commercial Leadership & Business Model Development:

• Lead the evolution of Farmz2u’s Nigeria business model to integrate infrastructure revenue, export contracts, and financing products.
• Set and deliver on annual commercial targets including:
  • Revenue growth from infrastructure services (cold storage, logistics) and export sales.
  • Gross margin improvement through better supplier terms and operational efficiency.
• Financing uptake (e.g., % of transactions using trade finance or invoice discounting):
  • Design and implement financing solutions for suppliers and buyers, including trade finance, invoice discounting, and pre-export facilities to improve liquidity and trade velocity.
• Build partnerships with commercial banks, DFIs, export credit agencies, and fintechs to unlock capital for supply chain actors.
• Build commercial partnerships with banks, DFIs, processors, and exporters to expand market access and capital availability.

Operational Excellence & Supply Chain Oversight:

• Lead end-to-end commodity export operations from sourcing to shipment, ensuring quality assurance, traceability, and ESG compliance.
• Integrate infrastructure operations into Farmz2u’s digital platforms for real-time inventory tracking, demand planning, and traceability.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building:

• Build and lead a high-performing Nigerian leadership team, with clear accountability for operations, finance, commercial, and field functions.
• Develop talent pipelines and succession plans for key roles.

Stakeholder Engagement & Policy Influence:

• Represent Farmz2u to government ministries, regulators, trade associations, and industry stakeholders to shape policy and secure incentives for infrastructure and exports.
• Negotiate long-term supply agreements with local and international buyers that strengthen supplier bargaining power.
• Maintain robust financial and operational controls to support scale and profitability.

Impact, Risk Management & Compliance:

• Implement monitoring and evaluation systems to measure commercial performance, farmer impact, and sustainability outcomes.
• Oversee operational, financial, and trade compliance risks, establishing governance frameworks and audit trails for sustainability and export documentation.

Key Qualifications

• 6+ years’ leadership experience in agribusiness, banking (agricultural desk), trade finance, or commodity exports.
• Experienced candidates from the agricultural desk of local corporate banks will be prioritized.
• Proven ability to build and scale commercially viable agricultural models.
• Proven ability to structure and execute large-scale trade finance transactions.
• Strong network across Nigerian agribusiness, financial institutions, and export markets.
• Expertise in supply chain operations, infrastructure projects, and sustainability compliance.
• Demonstrated success in scaling business units and influencing policy.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure investments, supply chain management, and high-value commodity markets.