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.

Responsibilities

Program Strategy & Implementation

• Review and own Aceli’s lender Capacity Building strategy. Lead operationalization, translating strategic priorities into actionable annual workplans covering bespoke and cohort-based engagements across the five countries.
• Work with Country Teams to identify and qualify Capacity Building candidates across the lender portfolio, with attention to institutional readiness, executive commitment, and agri-SME lending intent.
• Facilitate development of lender Capacity Building plans, conduct lender assessments, coordinate lender applications for Capacity Buildings, validate lender readiness for Capacity Buildings and co-design engagement scopes.
• Oversee active Capacity Building engagements across all five countries: track against timelines, review deliverables, manage escalations, and ensure adherence to standardized templates and KPIs. Coordinate project management meetings (steering committee meetings, etc).
• Coordinate with the Impact & Learning team on thematic Capacity Building engagements, currently focused on gender and climate.
• Review and reshape the Capacity Building strategy periodically to enhance the impact of the program.

Provider Procurement and Management

• Issue task order solicitations to pre-qualified providers, evaluate proposals against stated criteria, and oversee task order award processes.
• Monitor validity of Master Services Agreements (MSAs) with pre-qualified providers, oversee extensions/ modifications to the MSAs.
• Actively manage provider performance across all active engagements: monitor output quality, conduct quarterly provider scoring, and backstop providers where needed.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)

• Review and own the Capacity Building MEL framework: update and maintain standard templates (diagnostic, implementation plan, activity budget, KPI tracker, post-implementation report).
• Ensure all new engagements from January 2027 onwards deploy standardized MEL tools.
• Compile and analyze program-level Capacity Building data for internal reviews, donor reporting, and Aceli's learning outputs.

Budget and Financial Management

• Manage the Capacity Building program budget, including tracking Aceli contributions and lender co-investments across all active engagements.
• Review and approve activity-based budgets for each engagement; ensure value-for-money principles are applied.
• Provide periodic budget updates and forecasts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, or a related field. A Master's degree is an advantage.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience, of which at least 4 years must include either advisory experience, or experience working in/ with financial institutions.
• Demonstrated understanding of agricultural lending practices in sub-Saharan Africa, including agri-SME credit appraisal, loan structuring, and portfolio risk management.
• Proven project management skills: experience managing multiple simultaneous assignments, external service providers, and client relationships to time and budget.
• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to conduct and/or review financial institution diagnostics, interpret portfolio data, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of high-quality reports, engagement briefs, presentations, and terms of reference.
• Experience managing or contributing to MEL frameworks in advisory or program contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to engage credibly with senior leadership of financial institutions, including C-suite-level stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience at a management consulting firm, specialist advisory firm, or development finance institution with a financial sector advisory mandate.
• Familiarity with the agri-finance ecosystem in East Africa, including knowledge of key lender segments, regulatory environments, and value chain financing models.
• Exposure to climate finance, gender-lens lending, or ESG integration in financial institutions.
• Experience procuring and managing external consultants or technical service providers.
• Proficiency in data tools such as Excel (advanced), Power BI, or Salesforce for program reporting.

Key Competencies

• Advisory credibility: Able to engage as a peer with senior financial institution leaders; brings substantive knowledge of lending operations.
• Program ownership: Takes end-to-end accountability for delivery quality and outcomes; proactively identifies and resolves issues without waiting to be directed.
• Analytical rigor: Comfortable with financial data, portfolio diagnostics, and evidence-based program design; translates complex information into clear recommendations.
• Provider management: Skilled at holding external service providers to high standards while maintaining productive working relationships.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Works effectively across diverse internal teams and navigates organizational complexity with maturity and diplomacy.
• Learning orientation: Curious and reflective; actively seeks to improve program design
• Organizational discipline: Manages multiple workstreams simultaneously with structured planning, consistent follow-through, and attention to detail.

• Review and own Aceli’s lender Capacity Building strategy. Lead operationalization, translating strategic priorities into actionable annual workplans covering bespoke and cohort-based engagements across the five countries.
• Work with Country Teams to identify and qualify Capacity Building candidates across the lender portfolio, with attention to institutional readiness, executive commitment, and agri-SME lending intent.
• Facilitate development of lender Capacity Building plans, conduct lender assessments, coordinate lender applications for Capacity Buildings, validate lender readiness for Capacity Buildings and co-design engagement scopes.
• Oversee active Capacity Building engagements across all five countries: track against timelines, review deliverables, manage escalations, and ensure adherence to standardized templates and KPIs. Coordinate project management meetings (steering committee meetings, etc).
• Coordinate with the Impact & Learning team on thematic Capacity Building engagements, currently focused on gender and climate.
• Review and reshape the Capacity Building strategy periodically to enhance the impact of the program.
• Issue task order solicitations to pre-qualified providers, evaluate proposals against stated criteria, and oversee task order award processes.
• Monitor validity of Master Services Agreements (MSAs) with pre-qualified providers, oversee extensions/ modifications to the MSAs.
• Actively manage provider performance across all active engagements: monitor output quality, conduct quarterly provider scoring, and backstop providers where needed.
• Review and own the Capacity Building MEL framework: update and maintain standard templates (diagnostic, implementation plan, activity budget, KPI tracker, post-implementation report).
• Ensure all new engagements from January 2027 onwards deploy standardized MEL tools.
• Compile and analyze program-level Capacity Building data for internal reviews, donor reporting, and Aceli's learning outputs.
• Manage the Capacity Building program budget, including tracking Aceli contributions and lender co-investments across all active engagements.
• Review and approve activity-based budgets for each engagement; ensure value-for-money principles are applied.
• Provide periodic budget updates and forecasts.

• Demonstrated understanding of agricultural lending practices in sub-Saharan Africa, including agri-SME credit appraisal, loan structuring, and portfolio risk management.
• Proven project management skills: experience managing multiple simultaneous assignments, external service providers, and client relationships to time and budget.
• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to conduct and/or review financial institution diagnostics, interpret portfolio data, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of high-quality reports, engagement briefs, presentations, and terms of reference.
• Experience managing or contributing to MEL frameworks in advisory or program contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to engage credibly with senior leadership of financial institutions, including C-suite-level stakeholders.
• Proficiency in data tools such as Excel (advanced), Power BI, or Salesforce for program reporting.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, or a related field. A Master's degree is an advantage.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience, of which at least 4 years must include either advisory experience, or experience working in/ with financial institutions.
• Experience at a management consulting firm, specialist advisory firm, or development finance institution with a financial sector advisory mandate.
• Familiarity with the agri-finance ecosystem in East Africa, including knowledge of key lender segments, regulatory environments, and value chain financing models.
• Exposure to climate finance, gender-lens lending, or ESG integration in financial institutions.
• Experience procuring and managing external consultants or technical service providers.