Background

Aceli Africa ("Aceli”) is a market catalyst mobilizing finance for small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector in East Africa. Informed by original data on the economics of agri-SME lending, Aceli Africa is designed to align capital supply and demand to mobilize $500M in lending to agri-SMEs while creating a more sustainable and competitive marketplace.

Aceli’s next phase of growth requires effective enterprise risk management, business continuity and organisational controls that work reliably across five countries and several legal entities. Reporting to the Managing Director, Technology & Operations, the Senior Manager, Risk will lead Aceli’s enterprise risk framework and crisis preparedness, and oversee the legal, compliance and policy control environment, including information security governance. The role will line-manage the Legal & Compliance lead. We are looking for a hands-on senior manager who uses sound judgement, translates frameworks into practical action, and ensures that material risks and agreed mitigations are managed through to completion.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Risk

• Own Aceli’s enterprise risk management framework and actively maintain the organisation-wide risk register as a management tool.
• Run the Risk Management Group: proactive agendas, risk reporting, action tracking and follow-up. Escalate overdue actions and material new risks.
• Prepare consolidated risk reporting for Aceli’s Leadership Team and Global Board, focused on material enterprise exposures, emerging risks, and the decisions and actions required.
• Integrate risk identification and analysis into management decisions, including entry into new countries, development of products, and engagement with new partners and vendors.

Business Continuity and Crisis Management

• Lead Aceli’s business continuity planning across the organisation and country operations, keeping plans practical, current and suited to each operating context. Test preparedness through simulations and post-incident reviews.
• Maintain clear arrangements for incident reporting, escalation and crisis response, including information security incidents. Coordinate the management response to material disruptions and ensure lessons learned are implemented.

Legal & Compliance, Policies and Controls

• Oversee Aceli’s Legal & Compliance function through its lead, covering data protection, legal and regulatory compliance, country legal-entity governance and company secretarial work.
• Own the organisation-wide policy framework, including ethics and integrity (Code of Conduct, Anti-Fraud, AML, Whistleblowing), safeguarding and duty of care, and data, IT and AI. Ensure clear policy ownership, approvals, review cycles, staff training and attestations, in coordination with HR.
• With the Legal & Compliance lead, oversee a single calendar of statutory, regulatory, donor, legal-entity and policy obligations across Aceli’s entities, working with Finance, HR, and the Grants, Contracts and Procurement team.
• Ensure actions arising from risk reviews, audits and internal control assessments are tracked to completion. Identify material control gaps and agree proportionate remedial action.
• Oversee Aceli’s insurance programme, including appropriate coverage for country legal entities (such as professional indemnity), periodic coverage reviews, renewals and claims follow-up.
• Provide oversight of information security governance, working with the IT service provider and the Legal & Compliance lead (who owns data protection compliance). Ensure policies, roles and procedures remain current, including third-party and vendor risk management.
• Ensure information security awareness, staff training and attestations are completed, and identified vulnerabilities are tracked through to remediation.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Business Administration, Finance, Law or related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 12 years’ progressive experience in risk management, governance or operational control functions, with demonstrated accountability for enterprise risks and control frameworks.
• Proven experience in a growing, mission-driven organisation implementing enterprise risk frameworks, managing risk registers and mitigation plans, and reporting to senior leadership and Boards.
• Hands-on experience developing, implementing and testing business continuity plans and managing operational disruptions.
• Experience managing organisational policies, compliance processes and operational controls.
• Strong track record of cross-functional delivery, stakeholder management, and staff supervision.

Preferred

• Multi-country experience in East & Southern Africa, ideally in international development, financial services or donor-funded organisations.
• Professional training or certification in risk management or business continuity.
• Familiarity with insurance, legal and regulatory compliance, procurement and information security governance.
• Experience strengthening risk management and control systems in growing organisations.

Who This Role Suits

• A strong executor. Turns agreed priorities into completed actions, not just frameworks and plans.
• Structured and disciplined. Keeps reliable systems for planning, documentation and follow-through.
• Pragmatic. Builds controls proportionate to the risk and avoids unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Proactive and accountable. Anticipates issues, takes ownership and escalates early.
• A collaborator. Influences colleagues across functions and countries without relying on formal authority.
• A developer of people. Sets clear expectations, gives direct feedback and hands over real ownership.
• Clear and concise. Communicates risks and recommendations in a way that supports timely decisions.

• Own Aceli’s enterprise risk management framework and actively maintain the organisation-wide risk register as a management tool.
• Run the Risk Management Group: proactive agendas, risk reporting, action tracking and follow-up. Escalate overdue actions and material new risks.
• Prepare consolidated risk reporting for Aceli’s Leadership Team and Global Board, focused on material enterprise exposures, emerging risks, and the decisions and actions required.
• Integrate risk identification and analysis into management decisions, including entry into new countries, development of products, and engagement with new partners and vendors.
• Lead Aceli’s business continuity planning across the organisation and country operations, keeping plans practical, current and suited to each operating context. Test preparedness through simulations and post-incident reviews.
• Maintain clear arrangements for incident reporting, escalation and crisis response, including information security incidents. Coordinate the management response to material disruptions and ensure lessons learned are implemented.
• Oversee Aceli’s Legal & Compliance function through its lead, covering data protection, legal and regulatory compliance, country legal-entity governance and company secretarial work.
• Own the organisation-wide policy framework, including ethics and integrity (Code of Conduct, Anti-Fraud, AML, Whistleblowing), safeguarding and duty of care, and data, IT and AI. Ensure clear policy ownership, approvals, review cycles, staff training and attestations, in coordination with HR.
• With the Legal & Compliance lead, oversee a single calendar of statutory, regulatory, donor, legal-entity and policy obligations across Aceli’s entities, working with Finance, HR, and the Grants, Contracts and Procurement team.
• Ensure actions arising from risk reviews, audits and internal control assessments are tracked to completion. Identify material control gaps and agree proportionate remedial action.
• Oversee Aceli’s insurance programme, including appropriate coverage for country legal entities (such as professional indemnity), periodic coverage reviews, renewals and claims follow-up.
• Provide oversight of information security governance, working with the IT service provider and the Legal & Compliance lead (who owns data protection compliance). Ensure policies, roles and procedures remain current, including third-party and vendor risk management.
• Ensure information security awareness, staff training and attestations are completed, and identified vulnerabilities are tracked through to remediation.

• Risk Management
• Governance
• Operational Control
• Enterprise Risk Frameworks
• Risk Registers
• Mitigation Plans
• Business Continuity Planning
• Crisis Management
• Policy Management
• Compliance Processes
• Operational Controls
• Cross-functional Delivery
• Stakeholder Management
• Staff Supervision
• Information Security Governance
• Data Protection
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance
• Insurance Program Management

• Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Business Administration, Finance, Law or related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 12 years’ progressive experience in risk management, governance or operational control functions, with demonstrated accountability for enterprise risks and control frameworks.
• Proven experience in a growing, mission-driven organisation implementing enterprise risk frameworks, managing risk registers and mitigation plans, and reporting to senior leadership and Boards.
• Hands-on experience developing, implementing and testing business continuity plans and managing operational disruptions.
• Experience managing organisational policies, compliance processes and operational controls.
• Strong track record of cross-functional delivery, stakeholder management, and staff supervision.
• Multi-country experience in East & Southern Africa, ideally in international development, financial services or donor-funded organisations.
• Professional training or certification in risk management or business continuity.
• Familiarity with insurance, legal and regulatory compliance, procurement and information security governance.
• Experience strengthening risk management and control systems in growing organisations.