Job Vacancy Abuja, Federal Capital Territory Position Access to Finance Lead at Palladium: Make It Possible

Palladium: Make It Possible

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Access to Finance Lead

We are searching for an experienced Access to Finance Lead at our Abuja facility.

About Palladium

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop, and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe. Palladium works to broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of over 4,00 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. Our works across the globe inspires hope, broaden economic opportunities for the poor and underserved, and sustainably integrate the marginalized into functional and efficient market systems where they can realise their dreams.

About Propcom+

Propcom+ is an FCDO-funded eight-year (2023-2030) rural and agricultural market development programme supporting climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture and forestry that benefits people, climate, and nature. The programme is implemented by The Palladium Group, and it aims to transform Nigeria’s rural economy by addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges in the country’s food and land-use system. It will do this by (i) increasing productivity, improve nutrition and food security; (ii) enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions, and protect and restore nature, and (ii) help tackle some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity. It does this by working as a ‘market facilitator’, identifying constraints in markets systems and facilitating changes to enable rural markets to work better for the benefit of poor and climate-vulnerable smallholder farmers and rural small-scale entrepreneurs.

Propcom+ Has a Target Of Increasing The Incomes And Climate Resilience Of 3.79 Million Poor And Vulnerable People In Nigeria, 50% Of Whom Will Be Women, Through a “3Ps” Approach Of Interlinked Components

P1: Scaling-up a focused basket of Proven climate-smart interventions around agricultural and primary processing / storage practices and models to get these adopted by millions of poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs.

P2: Building markets by developing and Piloting new business models that improve productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, reduce emissions, and improve nutrition outcomes.

P3: Enabling Policies that support a strengthened enabling environment for sustainable food and land-use system.

The programme will also be supporting agribusinesses, enterprises, and farmer groups in mobilizing up to GBP 125 million private finance for their businesses by 2030 through tailor-made interventions and facilitation efforts.

Position Summary

Propcom+ is promoting climate smart agricultural practices, low carbon emission approaches for agriculture and agribusiness operations, energy switching initiatives, and sustainable natural resource management and land use. In this regard, appropriate financing of productive use equipment, green financing, and climate financing initiatives are expected top priorities for this position. The Access to Finance Specialist will be responsible for identifying and developing innovative and disruptive finance and investment business models that can improve commercial lending to agribusinesses and agricultural entrepreneurs. Specifically, the position holder will generate ideas that can fix existing challenges and constraints inhibiting proper flow of finance (debt and equity) to different climate smart agribusiness initiatives being promoted by Propcom+. She/he will be expected to be grounded in financial product development and adaptation, credit structuring and risk analysis, and investment facilitation. This position is strategic to Propcom+ programme objectives as it generates finance and investment opportunities for commercially viable climate smart business models as well as emerging business models that are still undergoing trialling.

Reporting

The position holder will report to the Strategy Director.

Team Engagement

The position holder will directly collaborate with the Propcom+ technical team members on a day-to-day basis and as may be decided by the Strategy Director from time to time. S/He will collaborate with the Access to Finance Adviser (an external professional providing technical assistance to Propcom+ under the guidance of the Strategy Director. Propcom+ works on access to finance. She/he will also need to support other.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

What You’ll Do

Primarily, You Will Be Developing Tailored Solutions Towards Addressing Access To Finance Challenges Of Agribusinesses And Agricultural Enterprises Supported By Propcom+. In Order To Achieve The Mobilization Of GBP 204 Million Private Finance By 2030, You Will Be Expected To

Develop and apply smart approaches for identifying and assessing viable financing innovations that align with programme objectives.

Develop and apply approaches to generate ideas that address specific and relevant constraints in different financial (debt and equity) markets that are of interests to programme objectives and partners.

Collaborate internally within and across technical and cross-cutting teams and with consortium partners as necessary for co-creation, in-depth analysis, and strategic solutioning. The collaboration must strengthen synergy and continually promote a One Programme, One Team approach.

Build and manage relationships with financial and investment institutions and collaborate externally with market actors, particularly financial institutions (commercial, development, micro financial etc), agricultural insurance market actors, credit risk guarantee actors, collateral managers etc to create financing arrangements for climate smart agriculture/business models supported by Propcom+.

Also collaborate with innovators, donor-funded market system development programs, and other cross-cutting partners towards advancing innovative value chain financing instruments for different stakeholders.

Coordinate equity and debt-related investments in agribusinesses and design business models that can be replicated and scaled to increase financial transactions to targeted programme partners.

Manage and oversee potential transactions between agribusinesses, commercial banks, government intervention funds, grant making organizations, and other donor-funded projects through closure.

Promote collaboration with other donor-funded projects.

Strongly prioritise facilitation of debt and equity transactions with vulnerable groups, with a specific emphasis on women and youth.

Design and deliver training programs that improve access to financial services for agribusiness MSMEs.

Stakeholder Management

Manage relationship within financial institutions (banks and non-banks), insurance companies, agricultural entrepreneurship and MSME ecosystem, as well as with representatives of the Government of Nigeria where necessary.

Lead the creation of subnational-led credit risk guarantee scheme to incentivise commercial lending to agribusinesses and agricultural enterprises.

Build partnerships and establish relationships with other development programs, donor organizations, market system actor groups to strengthen complimentary programming.

Required Qualifications

Who You Are

A seasoned, and well-rounded professional with experience in the private sector, agribusiness and agricultural financing, commercial credit risk management and agricultural investment financing.

Skilled in credit structuring, financial negotiation, financial and investment analysis, and financial risk modelling.

A self-motivated individual with proven track records in developing innovative ideas and business models that are disruptive and novel in nature.

Have proven records of partnership building, attracted private sector investments, and influenced positive and sustainable changes in agricultural market systems.

Experienced in climate financing, low carbon economic promotion, asset financing, loan and guarantee syndication, and business performance optimization.

Possesses strong problem-solving skill with ability to analyse complex problems and communicate ideas in simple, clear terms.

A strong personality as starter-finisher, resource mobilizer, idea generator, entrepreneurial and collaborator.

Key competencies / Experience

Preferred

Preferred candidate for this position must have a master’s degree in Economics, Banking & Finance, Investment Management, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Project Management, or other related fields. The candidate must also possess:

• At least 7 years of cognate experience facilitating and closing finance and investment deals, analysing and mitigating credit risks, supporting financial institutions to develop and adapt financial products and promoting inclusive value chain financing among others.
• Experience in programs related to strengthening rural and agricultural MSMEs and facilitating their access to finance.
• Experience implementing financial services and risk-mitigating mechanisms in Nigeria.
• Prior experience in managing relationships with finance and investment stakeholders, particularly in supporting their capacity building.
• Prior experience working on donor-funded projects, such as those funded by FCDO, USAID, GAC, The World Bank etc., will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional, private and public sector partners.
• Excellent written communication skills, including ability to produce high-quality project reports.
• Ability to work independently under tight deadlines; motivate staff; and deliver high quality input on a timely basis.
• Fluency in English required and must be a citizen of Nigeria. Female candidates are encouraged to apply

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

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