STARS – Microfinance Manager

Job Description

Job summary: The manager Microfinance plays a coordinating role in capacity building, product development, risk management and refinancing of these MFI’s. STARS takes a facilitating role in refinancing of partner-MFIs through development banks and other international sources. Refinancing is a key success factor for the overall program and hence the initial focus of the Microfinance manager.

Reports to: The Manager Microfinance will be part of the STARS management team which composes of an expert team of 5 people. Although STARS is an independent program within ICCO, it complies with and reports to the regional office in Kampala. The Manager Microfinance oversees all microfinance related staff in the four countries and consultants working with MFIs and will report to the Program Manager STARS who is based in Ethiopia.

Duty station: The duty station shall be in one of the four implementing countries, to be decided.

Contract type: Fixed term contract – two year with possibility of renewal based on performance

Core responsibilities of the Manager Microfinance

• The Microfinance Manager (MM) will be responsible for facilitation, brokering and follow up of the international loans and guarantees of multiple international investors of the MFIs;
• Further, the MM coordinates, mentors and monitors both local and international MFI oriented consultants and oversees the quality of their output. The MM takes a key role in supporting the four microfinance specialists in the implementing countries.
• The MM contributes to the learning agenda of STARS.
• The MM liaises with Mastercard Foundation, government officials, other donors and partner organizations and ensures achievement of sub-project results and objectives.

Profile of the Microfinance Manager

• An international expert with a background in agricultural economics, business administration or development studies with working experience (5+ years) in Microfinance/rural finance or related field.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and strong track record in meeting deliverables and deadlines
• Experience in East and/or West Africa as expatriate is an advantage
• Ability to interact professionally with donors, partners, senior host-government and private-sector 
counterparts on policy and strategic and operational planning issues. 

• Demonstrated ability to communicate, take direction and make rational decisions while working remotely.
• High motivation, initiative and adaptability in a challenging working environment. 

• Fluency in English and at least some ability in French
• Affinity with the protestant character of ICCO, adhere to ICCO’s values and principles.

How to apply

Please send your CV of not more than 3 pages and an expression of interest to central-and-eastern- africa@icco-cooperation.org as only email applications shall be considered.


All applications should be clearly marked: “ICCO Cooperation – Microfinance manager “STARS” and no email should exceed 2MB. The final submission date is Friday 30th of March 2018.

Please note that only those selected will be contacted. Any form of lobbying will lead to automatic disqualification.

About the Organization

Organization profile

Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO Cooperation) is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1964 and implementing programs with partners in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa since the 1980s.

Our vision is a just world without poverty. A world where people claim and assume their rights in a sustainable civil society.

ICCO Cooperation is implementing the “Strengthening African Rural Smallholders (STARS)” program in collaboration with ICCO Terrafina and in partnership with MasterCard Foundation. STARS is a 5-year program running from 2016 to 2020 aiming to increase access to finance and value chain development for 210,000 smallholder farmers (50% women) and their families. Implementation is in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Rwanda and Ethiopia. The program gets into its 3rd year of five. STARS address barriers to increase food security and income e.g. access to financial services, insufficient farming inputs, integration into markets, through a two-pronged approach:

• Development and implementation of financial products for agriculture with Microfinance Organizations (MFIs); 

• Value Chain (VC) development and linking with financial and VC actors. 
More details can be found https://www.icco-cooperation.org/en/projects/stars

In the four countries, STARS partners with 16 MFI’s that provide access to finance for rural population. To strengthen its operation, ICCO would like to invite qualified applicants for the position of STARS - Microfinance Manager.