Agriculture Lending and Financing Specialist

IESC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to equitable, sustainable economic growth in developing countries. IESC believes that a robust private sector is a foundation for resilient nations and strong communities. Since 1964 IESC has helped to grow small and medium enterprises around the world and strengthened the systems and institutions that support them. By deploying a mix of technical assistance and volunteer expert support, IESC works with emerging industries, financial institutions, and governments to stabilize economic environments, increase opportunity, and promote growth. 

The USAID Tanzania Agri-Finance Activity (TAFA) is a three-year Program (2023-2026) funded by the USAID/Tanzania that seeks to improve access to finance for smallholders, women, youth, and micro, small, medium (including large) enterprises (MSMiLs) in Tanzania by improving the agri-finance ecosystem and strengthening the capacity of borrowers and lenders. With a particular emphasis on priority technologies, including climate-smart technologies, TAFA will create more inclusive agricultural finance ecosystems, enable expanded and sustained lending and investment, and increase productivity and incomes. TAFA interventions will increase supported financial institutions from 9 to 20, train 300 financial institution staff, and reach 18,000 borrowers with $21 million in agricultural finance. TAFA will utilize a system-driven, private sector-led approach to target agricultural market coordination failures and develop commercially oriented solutions that will sustain and scale agri-financing.   

IESC is seeking an experienced and qualified Agriculture Lending and Financing Specialist to support TAFA interventions throughout Tanzania. The Agriculture Lending and Financing Specialist will report directly to the Chief of Party, and will provide technical support to financial institutions to strengthen their understanding, capacity and commitment to expand agri-lending. This position will be responsible for supporting financial institutions to standardize and digitize their lending processes through the development and utilization of a practical agri-lending toolkit, and increase interagency coordination through the improvement of DFC guarantee partner capacity to deploy credit to priority borrowers to improve incomes and resilience for youth, women, MSMiLs, and smallholders as a result of investments in productivity-enhancing technologies. The Agriculture Lending and Financing Specialist will also work closely with TAFA volunteers and consultants to coordinate short-term assignments with financial institution partners.  

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Support the identification and engagement of potential financial institution partners in Tanzania who are willing and interested to deploy more credit to priority borrowers in the agriculture sector; 
• Support the identification of partner financial institutions' technical and operational needs, develop comprehensive partner/host financial institution development plan and subject matter experts (volunteer/consultant) scopes of work and support and facilitate the implementation of technical assistance assignments and recommendations; 
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• Ensure host financial institutions' needs are met through regular, strategic follow-up sessions and through technical assistance activities; 
• Provide oversight to subject matter experts and provide input to corresponding trainings and assistance delivered on all matters related to agriculture lending and financing; 
• In collaboration with Finance and Administration Manager, coordinate all international and local subject matter experts  travel, including pre-arrival and post-arrival administration, answering inquiries, updating platforms and calendars, following anintake process, sending certificates, surveys, requests for sponsorship, etc; 
• Create and deliver technical orientation and country introduction for arriving volunteers/consultants; 
• Support creation and coordinate subject matter expert schedules, timetables, and meetings; 
• Help subject matter experts plan and implement events such as field trips and trainings; 
• Conduct site visits and provide on-site support to volunteers/consultants and host financial institutions at our various projects; 
• Provide motivation to volunteers, consultants and host financial institutions and work to continually improve their experience; 
• Support data collection and reporting for financial institutions, working closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager; 

• Support communication efforts for the program, including providing input to social media posts, success stories and other materials; 
• Provide other support for overall project as needed. 

Qualifications: 

• Experience in the banking sector in Tanzania with at least 10 years of professional experience in agricultural financing and lending 
• University degree or higher in financial management, credit management, agriculture finance and risk control and mitigation, business, economics or other relevant field; advanced degree preferred 
• Highly developed financial operations skills with ability to comprehensively understand business models as they relate to operations (mainly credit), risk mitigation, loan recovery and financial reporting 
• Strong leadership and communication skills and capacity to plan strategically and flexibly 
• Experience and knowledge of Tanzania agriculture sector, agricultural finance and lending required. 
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the Tanzania agri-finance ecosystem  
• Good writing and analytical skills, interpersonal communication, and presentation skills (adult education skills), ability and desire to teach in both classroom and field settings 
• Strong interpersonal and team building skills 
• Work well with team of local staff, foreign staff, international volunteers and consultants 
• Goal-oriented mindset and with a hands-on approach