STARS Program Lead and Microfinance Advisor (STARS PL) 46 views0 applications

Organization profile

Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO Cooperation) is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1964 in the Netherlands and implements programmes with partners in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa since the 1980s. We work towards a world in which people can live in dignity and well-being, a world without poverty and injustice.

  To strengthen its operations in Ethiopia, ICCO would like to invite qualified applicants for the position of STARS Program Lead and Microfinance Advisor (STARS PL)

The STARS Program of ICCO

Strengthening African Smallholders (STARS)” is implemented by ICCO to improve the livelihood of Smallholder Farmers (SHF), see also https://www.iccocooperation.org/en/projects/stars

The three activity areas of STARS are as follows:

1. To develop and implement innovative, sector specific agriculture financial products with MFIs for smallholder farmers;
2. To strengthen value chains and link smallholder farmers into these chains as well as linking them to financial and extension services
3. To broaden the evidence base in rural agricultural finance, value chain development and share lessons learned.

Specification of the job

The STARS PL will coordinate the implementation of the STARS program in country (all three activity areas) and lead implementation of the micro and agri-finance activities (activity area 1).

 The STARS PL is responsible for the overall management, budget and the results of the country program and all the related outputs. He/she will be responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring the STARS program in Ethiopia as per proposal and program planning using a M4P approach.

 The STARS PL manages the STARS program in country and is as such the main contact for all internal and external stakeholders and networking related to STARS program and ICCO in the country.

Program activities – 70%

Program strategy MFI advisor:

• Assess current practices and needs for agricultural finance in different situations,
• Assist in and guide development of financial products to be introduced in the market by MFIs and value chain actors.
• Advocate for the interest of the MFIs in consortia in order to secure a sustainable linkage of financial services in the selected value chain development trajectories
• Facilitation, brokering and follow up on refinancing to MFIs and financial cooperatives. Maintain contacts with the Banks in the respective countries and privileged international partners of ICCO Terrafina Microfinance (ICCO Investments, Rabobank Foundation and Oikocredit).

 Program implementation:

• Responsible for the implementation of the STARS program in country and the Value Chain Development (VCD) program and access to finance
• Mentor the staff and key value chain actors and  partner organizations with special focus on business plan development, innovative project proposal development, agri-business promotion;
• Mentor Microfinance staff on improving the microfinance performances and product development.
• Manage the Data collection, management ( organizational scans, partner profiles etc.) and analysis;
• Conducting capacity development training for partner organizations and MFIs in areas needed to promote agribusiness development;
• Monitoring the performance progress of the MFIs, PO’s and other VC actors in testing and upscaling M4P mechanisms
• Monitors the sub consortium of value chains to ensure that all consortia members execute their activities as planned
• Manages the program results and budget in country as well as operational tasks to run the program effectively and efficiently

Linking and learning -10%

• Organize learning, exchange and knowledge-sharing within the two selected VCs and the Selected MFIs;
• Contribute and participate in joint planning, implementation, monitoring and learning of the regional STARS programme
• Development and dissemination of case studies and other relevant learning documentation, in order to contribute to the scaling up of methods and approaches that have proven to be effective.

Administrative/overall management -20% :

• Manage the program and budget and responsible in joint planning of program development and budgeting, implementation and monitoring of the STARS program in country;
• Provide oversight of all program activities and operations within the project office;
• manage the program office operations including: office set up, purchase and installation of ICT infrastructure and physical space where necessary;
• Recruit and manage staff as per the staffing plan, including performance monitoring, and possibly mentoring and training.

Reporting relationships

The STARS PL reports to the STARS Program Manager and supervises the VCD and MF Advisors in country. He/she works in a multidisciplinary team and in direct cooperation with the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (M&E) Advisors, Finance and Administrative Officers (FAOs), Communication and Fundraising Officer and Administrative Assistant

Key result areas

• Program strategy
• Program implementation
• Linking and learning
• Representation/Networking/Fundraising
• Country office operations

Terms of employment: The regional office human resource manual and Ethiopia terms of employment is applicable

Job Requirements

Personal specifications

Qualifications and experience

• 10 years of experience working in microfinance industry;
• Knowledge of market systems development (M4P) in agribusiness, market linkages and value chain development analysis and financing;
• Proven experience with business development and development of strategic partnerships;
• Strong experience in agribusiness or microfinance setting with social entrepreneurship approach;
• Good working knowledge of value chain development or micro financing;
• Computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft and Google suites;
• Good interpersonal & communication skills, including intercultural communication;
• Good networking and facilitation skills;
• Analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Fluent in English, working knowledge of French is an asset.
• Fluent in local languages, preferably Oromo

Competences needed

• External awareness
• Results oriented
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking
• Ability to work independently while being a team player;
• Self-motivated, pro-active and result driven;
• Being an open and reliable person with high standard of  integrity;
• Ability to connect with people of different backgrounds and culture
• Ability to transfer skills and mentor others;
• Gender sensitive

Working hours: 40 hours a week 

How to Apply

Interested candidates should go to http://icco.hrmagic.co/careers/ and apply online. Ensure you fill in all the required fields and submit accordingly. Please note that it takes some time to complete the application form as there are questions to answer and documents to upload in pdf and not word. The final deadline for submissions is Sunday 04th August 2019 at 17:00 hrs. Only applications submitted before the deadline will be considered. Short listed candidates will be interviewed in the week of the 12th August 2019.