Job Description
JOB PURPOSE: The Business Development Manager Financial Institutions is aBi’s prime representative with Financial Institutions implementing partners; the role is responsible for relationship management and for ensuring that projects deliver against the goals and targets laid out in the results management framework.
REPORTS TO: Chief Operations Officer (COO) aBi Finance Ltd
SUPERVISES: Financial Services Development Officers and Credit Officers (Lines of Credit Financial Institutions and Guarantees)
SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Contribute to the development and implementation of aBi’s strategic and operational plans; ensuring that emerging understanding of best practice in the financial services sector is incorporated;
- Lead the team in understanding how Financial Institutions (FI) can be supported to enable and grow agricultural sector, by regularly reviewing and performing analysis on market trends; researching and gathering relevant information in order to maintain current knowledge about the environment and identify opportunities.
- Participate in strategy and policy development; ensuring that insights relevant to the Financial Services sector are incorporated in the design
- Contribute to the process of development and management of the budget
2. As requested by the COO aBi Finance to work with implementing partners to develop a comprehensive portfolio of relevant products/interventions/projects;
- Lead team members - partner gap analysis, due diligence assessments and risk profile
- Support FI’s in the application process
- Review written appraisal memo to ensure they align to aBi’s policies and set targets
- Refer to Technical Expert Business Development, on all the TA requirements identified in the appraisal of each Financial Institution.
- Budget expenditure and ensure cost effective utilisation of resources
3. Develop and implement strategies and plans that will build the capacity of Financial Institutions to finance the Agribusiness sector sustainably;
- Work with Technical Expert BDS to review the results of gap analyses across existing and prospective Financial Institutions to understand the issues affecting them
- Proactively propose strategies and plans that will enable aBi to have a positive impact on Financial Institutions and implement the approved ones
4. Work with stakeholders in order to offer appropriate products in alignment with aBi targets and liquidity management process;
- Lead the liaison with Financial Institutions to create awareness about the products/interventions on offer
- Present appraisal memo/project proposal for funding to relevant committee in line with approval procedures
- Work with Legal to ensure agreements are prepared
5. Oversee the portfolio and implementation of projects, ensuring that quality is upheld and the desired results, and final impact, are achieved on time and to standard;
- Proactively build relationships with each FI, ensuring timely execution and feedback at each stage
- Liaise with Monitoring & Evaluation team to ensure a comprehensive results management framework is in place and implemented for each project/partner
- In collaboration with Technical Expert BDS, support FI in implementing their projects according to the project plan
- Lead in effective administration of credit and grant portfolio through proper execution and documentation as wellas recovery and collection efforts
- Lead team in operationalizing the relevant areas of risk management framework and be accountable for effective risk management
6. Participate in rolling out the partner-facing aspects of the communications plan;
- Act as a spokesperson for aBi in the convening role by participating or initiating forums
- Take personal responsibility for influencing, advocacy and communication according to personal interest and priorities; so that we are recognise as a respected partner
- Ensure team participation and delivery in the development of communications materials as requested by the Communications Specialist
- Report and/or contribute to reports on status of implementation of various operational and strategic plans as assigned
7. Lead the aBi Financial Institutions Team, in a manner that empowers them to deliver aBi’s goals and objectives;
- Communicate to Team a clear and exciting vision for the work of the organization
- Ensure that each team member is provided with clear expectations for achievement of results, standards and behaviour
- Institute effective performance management of team. Plan and organise the work of the team to accomplish strategic and operational goals effectively
- Support and build the capacity of team members to enable them to give of their best e.g. by encouraging and praising good performance, coaching, training, assisting staff to prevent or resolve problems, providing resources, tools and equipment
- Identify and groom successors for key roles to ensure role continuity
Educational Qualifications:
- MBA / Masters in Finance, Accounting, Economics or in any relevant technical area
- A degree in either Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, Commerce or Agribusiness
- Training in Credit & Financial Risk analysis
- Possess a relevant professional qualification (added advantage)
- PGD-Project Management (added advantage )
Job related experience and knowledge:
- At least 7-years proven experience working in the Financial services sector
- Knowledge of risk management
- Proven experience in business/ credit appraisals
- Knowledge of financial services and agricultural sector trends and environment
- Knowledge of the financial services sector regulatory framework
- Experience in identifying and managing partner relationships
- Work experience in development projects ( added advantage)
- Ability to work against tight deadlines
- Manage and engage teams for delivery of results
- Familiarity of usage of databases and Microsoft Office
- Strong Communication skills (Oral and Written)
About the Organization
The Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi), a group of registered companies namely aBi Trust and aBi Finance Ltd, is a multi-stakeholder entity co-founded in July 2010 by the Governments of Uganda and Denmark through DANIDA and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development respectively, with the objective to promote “Private sector agribusiness development to enhance wealth creation”.
The development objective of the aBi Trust is building a self-sustaining export-led economy in which the benefits are shared by all Ugandans, and its immediate objective is to strengthen the competitiveness of Uganda’s agricultural and agro-processing sector. It does this through Value Chain Development (VCD) of six value chains (Coffee, Cereals, Pulses, Horticulture, Dairy and Oil Seeds) and Financial Services Development (FSD).
aBi Finance Ltd is the investment arm of aBi that aims to enable the Trust to meet its programme activities in a sustainable manner by offering financing for agribusiness development through Lines of Credit, Agribusiness Loan Guarantees and the Construction Guarantees Fund.
