Programme Manager – Somalia 73 views1 applications

Job Title: Programme Manager – Somalia

Position Level: JG 4

Reports to: Sector Lead – AGRI

Department: Investments Portfolio

Start Date: Dependent on EU Funding

Location: Hargeisa/Mogadishu, Somalia

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) is a private sector-focused challenge fund that supports innovative commercial businesses in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors with capital and advisory support, with the aim of reducing rural poverty, promoting resilient rural communities and creating jobs through private sector development.

AECF’s founding purpose was to make market systems work better for the poor in sub-Saharan Africa. From the beginning, it has set out to achieve its goals by investing in innovative businesses, initiatives and projects that have the potential to change how value chains work but struggle to access capital. The AECF is the largest challenge fund of its kind in the world. We have since invested in 292 businesses and are on course to onboard 200 more over the next year.

AECF’s strategy is focused on agribusiness/agriculture and renewable energy sectors with increased support to climate technologies, deepened focus on gender, youth, and employment, aimed at attaining the institution’s vision of ‘A Prosperous and Enterprising Rural Africa’. The AECF is headquartered in Kenya with offices in Cote d’Ivoire and Tanzania.

AECF is seeking a Program Manager to join its Investments Portfolio team in the Finance for Inclusive Growth – Somalia Program (FIGs)

About Finance for Inclusive Growth Somalia (FIG Somalia)

Funded by the European Union, FIGs is a component of the Inclusive Local and Economic Development (ILED) programme whose objective to revitalize and expand the local economy with a focus on livelihood enhancement, job creation and broad-based inclusive growth for Somali women, youth and producers through:

· Designing and offering appropriate and sustainable financial products and services to clients through two Somali Financial Institutions (FI) and ensure targeted clients are growing and becoming more bankable

· Catalysing sustainable increase in lending to economic actors in Somalia, esp. youth, women and producers

· Building the capacity of the partner financial institutions to increasingly provide appropriate financial services for a wider scope of customers living in urban centres, rural and decentralized areas in Somalia

· Building the capacity of targeted end clients to profitably use the financing for business growth.

AECF is seeking a Program Manager to join its Investments Portfolio team in the Finance for Inclusive Growth – Somalia Program (FIGs)

JOB SUMMARY

The Programme Manager is responsible for comprehensive planning and execution of programme activities on a periodic basis to ensure that: implementation is on track; performance targets are being met; progress reporting is timely and accurate, and resources are utilized in an appropriate manner. These include prudent execution and setup of the revolving loan fund and guarantee fund, product development, MFI policies and procedures, directs all components of the programme, including the structure of revolving fund, repayments, regulatory compliance, and sharing of reporting information with all stakeholders both internal and external. S/he leads portfolio monitoring and evaluation processes, and support in compliance and internal processes. S/he will prepare all required documentation for donor reporting.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management, Reporting & Donor Compliance

· Ensure effective investees performance and relationship management;

· Lead the planning and execution of investees performance monitoring activities, including data verification exercises to ensure the quality of programme results;

· Provide technical and management leadership for the marketing, application review and selection of projects, including support to pre-funding capacity assessments of investees and providing capacity building assistance where required;

· Develop and implement effective strategies the enable recovery of the outstanding revolving fund as due from the investees;

· Implementation of the financial policies, procedures and systems guidelines for investees;

· Review programme – wide work plans and budgets and facilitating the contracting process;

· Ensure all investee site visits are conducted on a periodic basis, as per the agreed site visit schedule.

· Coordinate identification of investees who require technical assistance and arrange to deliver services based on the AECF TA and Learning service delivery framework.

· Prepare and review periodic narrative and financial reports (donors and investees), as well as disbursement requests from the investees;

· Ensure legal review and opinion on the programme that requires the legal departments’ review;

· Assist in the preparation of any programme schedules for the organization’s annual tax return;

· Work closely with the Senior Programme Officer/ Sector Team Lead to develop grant proposal and report formats, and to provide information from investee reports that track progress in meeting project milestones;

· Train portfolio officers on regulations and procedures;

· Manage, lead, and implement continuous improvement initiatives for the programme ensuring that solutions align with strategic goals;

· Manage the flow of funding over the course of a year, advising the Senior Programme Officer/ Sector Team Lead on timing and potential issues that need to be addressed;

· Set up proper fiscal administration systems and providing financial analyses of audits and reports. Ensure that investees understand and comply with AECF’s grant application and reporting procedures;

· Provide periodic reports on the programme, information trends and other relevant information as requested;

· Contribute to periodic management and donor reports.

· Apply best practices from project evaluations, field visit reports, and project reports across the programme, and from other development organisations and donors to new proposals and daily program management.

· Prepare periodic portfolio status reports (performance, risks and opportunities)

Managing/ monitoring of investees:

· Conduct a review of investees’ progress reports and feedback process.

· Conduct project site visits on a periodic basis to ensure that: project implementation is on track; performance targets are being met; progress reporting is timely and accurate, and project funds are utilized in an appropriate and transparent manner.

· Follow – up with investees to ensure that project to project linkages are established and reported, open-source initiatives are supported and information on outcomes/ progress markers is collected, reported and shared within agreed networks.

· Provide mentoring and coaching to support investees implement their planned activities, the M&E and reporting systems.

· Ensure timely disbursement of approved funds to investees.

· Prepare and share investees risk one-pagers with relevant teams.

· Contribute to the identification of investees who require technical assistance and arrange to deliver services based on the AECF TA and Learning service delivery framework.

· Work with the Programme Manager to recover outstanding revolving loans funds as due from investees.

· Continually review investee document folders, clean out any duplicates and ensure all relevant documents are on record; Update portfolio databases.

· Serve as the AECF contact person to receive, acknowledge and log in all reports ensuring that they are reviewed and subsequent actions i.e. payments, extensions/amendments, closures, are handled in a timely manner.

· Assist the Programme Manager in identifying investees requiring technical assistance and provide training as needed, including providing assistance in compliance with AECF application and reporting requirements.

· Maintain a revolving funds ageing analysis and schedule and follow up with the investees on the recoverability of outstanding revolving funds.

Leadership and Strategic Direction for the Somalia Team.

· Support the review and implementation of The AECF Limited’s strategy and operations in Somalia.

· Support in developing overall operating plans, management plans and budgets for the Somalia office.

· Prudently manage and use resources allocated for the implementation of AECF activities.

· Actively solicit input from team members and key stakeholders, recognize and acknowledge the contributions of team members.

· Include the team members in formulating decisions but accepts accountability for the decision.  Responsible for developing a portfolio plan that works to achieve progression.

Risk Management and Compliance

· Ensure compliance to internal controls and risk management of the portfolio in accordance with the wider The AECF Limited risk management framework.

Team Management

· Participate in recruitment and managing a high – performing team of portfolio officer, finance officer, administrative assistant, and consultants;

· Responsible for the effective flow of communication within the allocated portfolio team;

· Manage employee performance e.g. Weekly/monthly continuous performance discussions and provision of feedback. Translate strategy into executable plans while motivating the team with clear direction by setting clear goals and KPIs;

· Emulate AECF Brand values through rewarding and voicing support for good behaviours as much as they reward technical competence;

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

· Graduate/Masters qualification in Finance, Business, Economics, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics, or other relevant fields of study

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

· Must be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or hold an equivalent professional accounting qualification e.g. ACCA.

· Project Management certification (PMP or Prince 2) (desirable).

· Quality and management certification/process re-engineering certification (6 Sigma; Lean etc.) (Desirable

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

· A minimum of six (6) years of experience in one or more of the following areas: microfinance, banking, agribusiness, SME finance, rural financial services, renewable energy and adaptation to climate change. **

· Minimum of four (4) years of experience in the microfinance/banking sector, financial and grants management, with the ability to review, analyse and interpret budgets, financial management systems; financial statements (including income and expenditure statements and cash reconciliation statements) and audit reports.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT & DEMANDS

· A good understanding of gender and rural and/or financial services markets in Somalia.

· An understanding of the operations of donors and international development organizations.

· Excellent analytical and communication skills with the ability to prepare proposals, reports and concept papers to a high level of proficiency.

· Somalia nationals are preferred with knowledge of Somali language