Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

The Micro Enterprise Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is a development organization that supports micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Kenya. MESPT works with various partners to provide financial and non-financial services to MSEs, with a focus on youth and women-led enterprises. The FIYMA (Financing Youth and Women in Agribusiness) project is one of MESPT's key initiatives aimed at improving access to finance for youth and women in the agricultural sector.

Responsibilities or duties

Key Responsibilities include Credit Origination, Appraisal & Loan Structuring; Business Development & Pipeline Development; Credit Administration & Disbursement Readiness; Portfolio Monitoring, Collections Support & Credit Relationship Management; Partnerships, Stakeholder Engagement & Agri-Finance Technical Advisory; Compliance, ESG, Inclusion & Safeguarding Integration; and Reporting, Documentation & Continuous Improvement.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Specific qualifications and skills are detailed within the key responsibilities, including financial analysis, credit appraisal, business viability assessment, market assessment, value chain analysis, and strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Experience needed

Experience in credit origination, appraisal, loan structuring, portfolio management, and business development, particularly within the financial services sector or agribusiness, is expected.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

The position is a 3-year fixed-term contract, renewable subject to performance and funding. Benefits include 25 days annual leave, Medical Insurance, 20% Gratuity, and 7.5% leave allowance. Significant travel is expected.

• Receive, screen, register, and process credit applications in line with FIYMA eligibility criteria, MESPT credit policies, and approval workflows.
• Identify and mobilize eligible SACCOs, cooperatives, MSMEs, and organised youth/women groups for access to programme credit facilities.
• Conduct comprehensive credit appraisal and due diligence, including: borrower financial analysis business viability assessment, governance and management capability review and market assessment, value chain mapping, and value chain risk analysis.
• Undertake field verification visits to confirm client operations and risk exposure, including site visits to business premises, farms/production sites, and related value chain actors.
• Assess suitability, adequacy, and enforceability of proposed security structures (collateral, guarantees, risk-sharing arrangements) and recommend appropriate mitigants.
• Structure facilities based on borrower cashflow cycles (including seasonal/agricultural cycles), recommending optimal: pricing, tenor, grace periods, repayment schedules, and covenants.
• Prepare high-quality credit proposals/appraisal memos with clear risk analysis and recommendations for submission to the relevant approval committees in line with the delegated authority matrix.
• Ensure full compliance with maker-checker controls, KYC requirements, and documentation standards prior to submission and approval.
• Coordinate preparation of offer letters and required facility documents, and support timely loan disbursement in line with approved terms and conditions.
• Identify, map, and develop a pipeline of eligible financing opportunities aligned with FIYMA target segments (youth-led enterprises, women-owned MSMEs, agri-SMEs, cooperatives and SACCO-linked enterprises).
• Conduct finance partner engagement and market outreach to create demand for FIYMA financing and related support services.
• Promote uptake of FIYMA loan products through structured field activations, sensitization forums, and stakeholder meetings.
• Coordinate with Capacity Building teams to ensure clients/partners receive necessary technical assistance for bankability and sustainability.
• Prepare and submit pipeline reports, opportunity trackers, and weekly/monthly BD progress updates.
• Coordinate pre-disbursement conditions and ensure all legal documentation is complete and verified.
• Confirm fulfillment of conditions precedent (CPs) including insurance, collateral perfection, guarantees, partner confirmations, and borrower compliance requirements.
• Support loan booking and ensure correct facility set-up in the credit systems (repayment schedules, interest rates, penalty configuration, grace periods).
• Participate in loan disbursement controls to ensure proceeds are applied to intended purposes (especially for credit-linked productive investments).
• Manage an assigned credit portfolio and maintain strong, professional relationships with partners and funded clients to support performance, compliance, and retention.
• Conduct post-disbursement monitoring (PDM) and portfolio reviews to confirm appropriate facility utilization and track borrower performance.
• Monitor repayment behavior, arrears trends, and Portfolio-at-Risk (PAR) indicators; identify emerging default risks and initiate timely corrective action.
• Support early arrears management through proactive partner engagement, development of joint recovery plans, and implementation of agreed remedial actions.
• Trigger escalation workflows for distressed recommend restructuring/rescheduling options where justified, and ensure interventions are policy-compliant and properly documented.
• Maintain updated and audit-ready facility files, loan registers, monitoring tools/databases, and credit documentation (both hard and soft copy) in line with FIYMA guidelines and MESPT Policy.
• Prepare periodic portfolio performance and monitoring reports, including PAR analysis, risk insights by sector/segment, and key portfolio trends.
• Capture and document lessons learned, case studies, and best practices from credit interventions to strengthen programme learning and portfolio improvement.
• Provide technical input to the design/refinement of inclusive credit approaches and tailored products that enhance access for women, youth, PWDs, and refugee groups.
• Collaborate with the Capacity Building and Gender & Youth Inclusion Officers to deliver integrated enterprise support that strengthens borrower readiness, inclusion outcomes, and portfolio quality.
• Liaise and coordinate with SACCOs, cooperatives, county governments, and consortium/implementation partners to support effective portfolio management, delivery alignment, and issue resolution.
• Provide technical advisory support to SACCOs, cooperatives, and implementing partners on agri-finance lending models, including: credit structuring for agri-enterprises and value chain actors; cashflow-based lending methodologies; seasonal/agricultural repayment schedule design; risk mitigation approaches (e.g., insurance, diversification, aggregation/anchor models).
• Work jointly with partners to strengthen credit discipline, repayment culture, and portfolio performance across FIYMA-supported lending.
• Participate in partner trainings, technical clinics, and capacity building activities for partners and relevant value chain actors, providing practical guidance to improve lending practices and risk management.
• Ensure all financed activities comply with FIYMA guidelines, and safeguarding requirements and do not fund prohibited activities.
• Screen facilities for environmental and social risks and apply mitigation measures in line with MESPT ESG Guidelines.
• Promote inclusive credit access ensuring fair treatment, accessibility for marginalized groups, and adherence to consumer protection principles.
• Ensure client data confidentiality and compliance with data protection requirements.
• Prepare credit appraisal reports, monitoring reports, facility review reports, and partner performance trackers.
• Contribute to portfolio analytics, lessons learned, and improvement of credit processes and tools.
• Provide timely information for audits, donor reporting, management reviews, and programme evaluations.
• Maintain accurate records in systems including application status, approvals, disbursements, and monitoring schedules.
• Any other duties assigned by the FIYMA Credit and Business Development Manager

• Credit Origination
• Credit Appraisal
• Loan Structuring
• Financial Analysis
• Due Diligence
• Business Viability Assessment
• Market Assessment
• Value Chain Mapping
• Risk Analysis
• Security Structures Assessment
• Cashflow Analysis
• Credit Proposal Writing
• Maker-Checker Controls
• KYC Requirements
• Business Development
• Pipeline Development
• Market Outreach
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Credit Administration
• Loan Disbursement
• Portfolio Monitoring
• Collections Support
• Credit Relationship Management
• Arrears Management
• Restructuring/Rescheduling
• Documentation Management
• Agri-Finance Technical Advisory
• ESG Compliance
• Inclusion Principles
• Data Protection
• Reporting
• Portfolio Analytics
• Process Improvement

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• Professional qualifications in credit analysis or banking will be an added advantage.