Agriculture Finance Market Access Manager at Sustainable Growers Rwanda : Deadline: 30-08-2021

Sustainable Growers Rwanda (SGR) is a non-profit organization that works to create economic opportunities for women coffee farmers to achieve economic independence. SGR supports women coffee farmers and their families to become more professionalized and market- based skilled to increase their family incomes through professional training approach to growing and trading specialty coffee, so they can form direct, productive relationships with coffee processors, importers and roasters.

stablished in 2014, Sustainable Growers has a strong track record for connecting actors along the value chain, to facilitate deep and global partnerships between small holder producers and their customers.

POSITION: AGRICULTURE FINANCE MARKET ACCESS MANAGER

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

SUPERVISES: None

LOCATION: Kigali

STATUS: Fixed Term Contract

JOB SUMMARY/PURPOSE

The SGR Director will manage budgets, oversee monitoring and evaluation, and ensure delivery of results as per agreed-upon milestones and goals, and will directly and indirectly supervise and monitor all operations and activities performed by staff and consultants working for SGR.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities are but not limited to;

• Identify relevant social lenders who can support farmers in their quest to be financially secure.
• Build a case for the lenders to see the need and value of supporting our farmers.
• Create long term relationships between farmers and social the social lenders.
• Organise farmers in the formation of savings groups.
• Work with farmers to identify viable projects that they can start in order to generate additional income.
• Facilitate or organise trainings for the farmers to ensure that the identified projects are set up and managed properly.
• Connect farmers with experts in the selected projects to increase the possibility of success.
• Unlocking profitability for women we serve by promoting the use of good agricultural practices.
• Identify and study market developments and trends within the coffee sector and promote internal intelligence and knowledge sharing.
• Train cooperative to understand how to design their business plan and forecast.
• Be responsible for follow up of all financials operations of SGR beneficiaries and advise cooperatives were necessary

REQUIREMENTS OF THE ROLE

• A degree in agriculture, agribusiness, business, economics, international trade, and development or a related field required.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in in the agricultural sector in either business development or marketing.
• An awareness of challenges in agriculture value chains in the developing world and a commitment to address them.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, tact and diplomacy are required to make and maintain productive contacts with varying stakeholders.
• Project management skills and the ability to create and stick to timelines
• Ability to mobilize farmers to action in setting up projects.

English and French required;

KEY DELIVERABLES

• Activate social lender
• Viable projects started by farmers
• Promotion of good practices

KEY INDICATORS

•  Number of social lenders or growth in lending
• Number of Viable projects
• Number of farmers taking up good practices