Access to Finance Officer at Palladium Group

Position Summary

Propcom+ is promoting climate smart agricultural practices, low carbon emission approaches for agriculture and agribusiness operations, energy switching initiatives, and sustainable natural resource management and land use. In this regard, appropriate financing of productive use equipment, green financing, and climate financing initiatives are expected top priorities for this position. The Access to Finance Officer will be responsible for supporting Access to Finance Lead in the identification and development of innovative and disruptive finance and investment business models that can improve commercial lending to agribusinesses and agricultural entrepreneurs.

Reporting

The position holder will report to the Access to Finance Lead.

Team Engagement
The position holder will directly collaborate with the Access to Finance Lead, and support in providing technical assistance to Propcom+ works on access to finance.

What You’ll Do

• Primarily, you will support the A2F Lead and other relevant team members in developing tailored solutions towards addressing access to finance challenges of agribusinesses and agricultural enterprises supported by Propcom+ to achieve the mobilization of GBP 125 million private finance by 2030, you will be expected to:
• Support the Access to Finance Lead in the day-to-day efforts in facilitation of debt and equity transactions with vulnerable groups, with a specific emphasis on women and youth.
• Assist in the development of technical resources required for market engagement and intervention design and implementation. These include drafting and development of memorandum of understandings, terms of reference, intervention guides, assessment manuals etc.
• Help, and lead where and when delegated, in stakeholder engagements and market actor interactions, including other agriculture development programs.
• Assist in prospecting for deals, ideating deal exchanges, and designing appropriate engagement frameworks for potential transactions between agribusinesses, commercial banks, government intervention funds, grant making organizations, and other donor- funded projects through closure.
• Work across programme pillars and across functional areas to promote collective delivery of programme objectives.

Research and MEL

• Support market research activities, data collection exercises, data analysis, and report writing.
• With the support and supervision of the A2F Lead and other team members, undertake value/supply chain mapping, sub/sector analysis and market assessments to inform Programme priorities.
• Work with the MEL team to design intervention MEL plans, including indicators, method, and frequency of data collection, and data analytical frameworks.
• Provide periodic report to support decision making.
• Engage in developing and sharing knowledge relating to Access to Finance interventions and other programme interventions that may be assigned to him/her.
• Contribute to all programme deliverables including monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, market intelligence reports, intervention decks etc.

Stakeholder Management

• Assist in the management of relationships within financial institutions (banks and non-banks), insurance companies, agricultural entrepreneurship and MSME ecosystem, as well as with representatives of the Government of Nigeria where necessary.
• Support in the partnerships and establishment of relationships with other development programs, donor organizations, market system actor groups to strengthen complimentary programming.
• Provide support to business development service providers (BDSPs) and other technical consultants or advisers working with the programme.
• Ensure that programme partners are adequately supported on all issues affecting their businesses and operations and on which the programme has agreed to work with them.
• Work with other team members to plan, organize, provide logistical and operation supports, and develop reports of events, workshops, fairs, and learning programmes held internally or externally.

Who You Are

• A self-motivated individual with requisite technical skills, networks, and attitudes to drive and deliver change using market systems development approach.
• A team player, excellent in communication, self-accountable, and result-driven.
• A seasoned, and well-rounded professional with experience in the private sector, agribusiness and agricultural financing.
• Have proven records of partnership building, attracted private sector investments, and influenced positive and sustainable changes in agricultural market systems.

Key competencies / Experience

• Preferred candidate for this position must have a first degree in Economics, Banking & Finance, Investment Management, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Project Management, or other related fields. The candidate must also possess:
• At least 3 years of cognate experience facilitating and closing finance and investment deals.
• Experience in programs related to strengthening rural and agricultural MSMEs and facilitating their access to finance. Prior experience in managing relationships with finance and investment stakeholders, particularly in supporting their capacity building.
• Prior experience working on donor-funded projects, such as those funded by FCDO, USAID, GAC, The World Bank etc., will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional, private and public sector partners.
• Excellent written communication skills, including ability to produce high-quality project reports.
• Ability to work independently under tight deadlines; team support; and deliver high quality input on a timely basis.
• Fluency in English is required and must be a citizen of Nigeria.