3 Job Positions at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Modernizing Agriculture Activity: (Deadline 17 March 2023)

3 Job Positions at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Modernizing Agriculture Activity: (Deadline 17 March 2023)

Director of Finance & Investment at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Modernizing Agriculture Activity: (Deadline 17 March 2023)

USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity

Director of Finance & Investment

CNFA

CNFA is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to stimulating economic growth in the agricultural sector by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise, and market linkages. CNFA specializes in fostering private sector investments in training, new technologies and marketing as a means to increase the overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains and rural development, to increase people’s incomes, to develop skills in the rural workforce, and to facilitate exports.

Program Description USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity

The purpose of the Modernizing Agriculture Activity is to support increased agriculture productivity and income, access to finance and markets, and access and consumption of nutritious food products in Rwanda, while increasing the resilience of the agriculture and food systems to the changing climate. To achieve this goal, the Activity will sustainably increase agricultural productivity, increase access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses, improve producers’ market outcomes, and strengthen the enabling environment to foster market-driven outcomes in agriculture.

Position Description

The Director of Finance & Investment is responsible for the overall design, implementation, oversight, and reporting of the activity’s access to finance objectives, approaches, and interventions. He/she will ensure that interventions are of high quality and adhere to USAID technical guidance and global best practices. He/she will lead the program’s Access to Finance team, facilitating access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses so they can increase productivity. In addition, he/she will collaborate with other program technical teams, namely Agricultural Productivity, Nutrition and Market Development, Enabling Environment, Market Systems, and the grants team to ensure a holistic approach to achieving program objectives. The position is based in Kigali.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties of the Director of Finance & Investment include, but are not limited to:

• Directly supervise a team of access to finance and financial literacy experts in the development and implementation of the program’s finance and investment objectives, approaches, and interventions
• Strategizing, developing and implementing solutions to reduce risk aversion in the agriculture sector amongst market stakeholders
• Lead ModAg efforts to improve farmers’ and agribusinesses’ financial literacy skills in a socially inclusive manner, including but not limited to use of the CAES approach
• Facilitate BDS providers through various platforms to increase borrowers’ ability to apply for financing with bankable business plans and coherent financial projections
• Develop input-financing models for FSCs and contract farming approaches
• Design and lead activities to improve and increase awareness of financial products and services and increase their availability to the agriculture sector (including farmers, cooperatives, and SMEs)
• Lead engagement with the private sector to increase value chain financing using approaches including but not limited to second tier lending
• Support borrowers to better define and present their financing needs to lenders
• Coordinate and collaborate with other access-to-finance programs such as USAID Nguriza Nshore and other relevant market actors to co-create solutions to identified market constraints and harmonize approaches
• Support the completion of initial assessments to inform and guide activities over the life of project, including the Market Systems Baseline
• Coordinate with the MEL unit to participate in M&E, learning, and programmatic reporting activities, including the development of annual work plans, quarterly and annual reports
• Undertake other assignments or tasks at the request of the Chief of Party or designee.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Finance, Business Administration or a related field;
• At least 12 years of professional experience in banking, micro-finance, rural and agriculture investment finance; business development services, and private sector development for donor-funded projects, non-profit organizations, and private sector banking for donor-funded projects.
• At least 5-7 years in a supervisory capacity or experience managing teams;
• Technical experience with INGOs (non-governmental organizations) and INGO procedures, knowledge of USAID procedures a plus;
• Market systems development experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate with wide range of stakeholders both verbally and in writing;
• Effective at collaboration; willingness to innovate and ability to think systematically;
• Proven experience in managing multiple and competing tasks while maintaining quality of deliverables within deadlines;
• Fluent speaker of English, Kinyarwanda and French.

Application Instructions

All interested and qualified Candidate can send their application (motivation letter, updated CV, certificates and references) documents to: [email protected] not later than 17th February 2023 at 6:00 PM.  Please quote the job title in the subject.  Only candidates selected for interview will be notified.

Human Resources & Administrative Specialist at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Modernizing Agriculture Activity: (Deadline 17 March 2023)

USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity

Director of Finance & Investment

CNFA

CNFA is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to stimulating economic growth in the agricultural sector by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise, and market linkages. CNFA specializes in fostering private sector investments in training, new technologies and marketing as a means to increase the overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains and rural development, to increase people’s incomes, to develop skills in the rural workforce, and to facilitate exports.

Program Description USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity

The purpose of the Modernizing Agriculture Activity is to support increased agriculture productivity and income, access to finance and markets, and access and consumption of nutritious food products in Rwanda, while increasing the resilience of the agriculture and food systems to the changing climate. To achieve this goal, the Activity will sustainably increase agricultural productivity, increase access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses, improve producers’ market outcomes, and strengthen the enabling environment to foster market-driven outcomes in agriculture.

Position Description

The Director of Finance & Investment is responsible for the overall design, implementation, oversight, and reporting of the activity’s access to finance objectives, approaches, and interventions. He/she will ensure that interventions are of high quality and adhere to USAID technical guidance and global best practices. He/she will lead the program’s Access to Finance team, facilitating access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses so they can increase productivity. In addition, he/she will collaborate with other program technical teams, namely Agricultural Productivity, Nutrition and Market Development, Enabling Environment, Market Systems, and the grants team to ensure a holistic approach to achieving program objectives. The position is based in Kigali.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties of the Director of Finance & Investment include, but are not limited to:

• Directly supervise a team of access to finance and financial literacy experts in the development and implementation of the program’s finance and investment objectives, approaches, and interventions
• Strategizing, developing and implementing solutions to reduce risk aversion in the agriculture sector amongst market stakeholders
• Lead ModAg efforts to improve farmers’ and agribusinesses’ financial literacy skills in a socially inclusive manner, including but not limited to use of the CAES approach
• Facilitate BDS providers through various platforms to increase borrowers’ ability to apply for financing with bankable business plans and coherent financial projections
• Develop input-financing models for FSCs and contract farming approaches
• Design and lead activities to improve and increase awareness of financial products and services and increase their availability to the agriculture sector (including farmers, cooperatives, and SMEs)
• Lead engagement with the private sector to increase value chain financing using approaches including but not limited to second tier lending
• Support borrowers to better define and present their financing needs to lenders
• Coordinate and collaborate with other access-to-finance programs such as USAID Nguriza Nshore and other relevant market actors to co-create solutions to identified market constraints and harmonize approaches
• Support the completion of initial assessments to inform and guide activities over the life of project, including the Market Systems Baseline
• Coordinate with the MEL unit to participate in M&E, learning, and programmatic reporting activities, including the development of annual work plans, quarterly and annual reports
• Undertake other assignments or tasks at the request of the Chief of Party or designee.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Finance, Business Administration or a related field;
• At least 12 years of professional experience in banking, micro-finance, rural and agriculture investment finance; business development services, and private sector development for donor-funded projects, non-profit organizations, and private sector banking for donor-funded projects.
• At least 5-7 years in a supervisory capacity or experience managing teams;
• Technical experience with INGOs (non-governmental organizations) and INGO procedures, knowledge of USAID procedures a plus;
• Market systems development experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate with wide range of stakeholders both verbally and in writing;
• Effective at collaboration; willingness to innovate and ability to think systematically;
• Proven experience in managing multiple and competing tasks while maintaining quality of deliverables within deadlines;
• Fluent speaker of English, Kinyarwanda and French.

Application Instructions

All interested and qualified Candidate can send their application (motivation letter, updated CV, certificates and references) documents to: [email protected] not later than 17th February 2023 at 6:00 PM.  Please quote the job title in the subject.  Only candidates selected for interview will be notified.

Policy Advisor (Food Safety) at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Modernizing Agriculture Activity: (Deadline 17 March 2023)

USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity

Policy Advisor (Food Safety) 

CNFA

CNFA is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to stimulating economic growth in the agricultural sector by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise, and market linkages. CNFA specializes in fostering private sector investments in training, new technologies and marketing as a means to increase the overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains and rural development, to increase people’s incomes, to develop skills in the rural workforce, and to facilitate exports.

Program Description USAID/Rwanda Modernizing Agriculture Activity

The purpose of the Modernizing Agriculture Activity is to support increased agriculture productivity and income, access to finance and markets, and access and consumption of nutritious food products in Rwanda, while increasing the resilience of the agriculture and food systems to the changing climate. To achieve this goal, the Activity will sustainably increase agricultural productivity, increase access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses, improve producers’ nutrition and market outcomes, and strengthen the enabling environment to foster market-driven outcomes in agriculture.

Position Description

The Policy Advisor (Food Safety) will provide support to the ModAG team, private sector companies and various GoR institutions responsible for food safety in coordinating activities implemented under ModAg’s Components 1-4 and in supporting activities conducted under the ModAg MEL Plan and Work Plan.

In support of this, the Policy Advisor will:

• Evaluate firms and/or producers on their adherence to Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) food safety requirements;
• Build firm and producer capacity to consistently meet quality standards and regulations by leading the effort to establish systems and processes for quality;
• Lead the program’s efforts to adopt/ improve traceability systems;
• Support firms and/or producers to adhere with appropriate standards and achieve relevant certifications;
• Conducts analysis and assessments to find out what the company needs regarding the safety of the product for the consumers and promote hygienic storage and processing facilities;
• Advise project leadership on food safety policy improvements assisting the GoR to collaborate more effectively with the private sector, USAID and other stakeholders;
• Lead establishment and improvement of risk management practices including collaboration with stakeholders to formalize practices, policies, and roles and responsibilities related to food safety.
• Collaborate with USAID representatives, government officials, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve Food Safety management systems.
• Coordinate the implementation of project activities on Food Safety Management in collaboration with the relevant regulatory bodies in Rwanda (especially Rwanda FDA, RICA and RSB, among others).
• Serve as a technical expert to on SPS regulatory issues that affect agricultural development and trade domestically and internationally.
• Provide leadership for the design, implementation, and evaluation of technical assistance programs, training and workshops in the realm of food safety. 

Qualifications and Experience:

• A Master’s degree in agriculture, food science, food safety, public health, or a related field of study or equivalent work experience required.  Certifications in food safety standards such as HACCP and ISO a plus.
• At least eight years of experience working in food safety and related issues in Rwanda;
• Demonstrated expertise in food safety management systems is required, including international food safety standards and regulations, regulatory enforcement, inspection and certification systems, science-based risk assessments, foodborne illnesses, and policy harmonization;
• At least two years of experience leading teams conducting or advising on food safety measures desired
• Experience building local stakeholder capacity in various food safety requirements required.
• Experience providing technical oversight and leadership to facilitate expanded trade and competitiveness of agricultural value chains preferred;
• Strong verbal and written skills in English preferred; proficiency in Kinyarwanda necessary.

Reporting

The Policy Advisor (Food Safety) will report to the ModAg Director of Enabling Environment.  He/she will be hosted at the CNFA offices in Kigali.

Application Instructions

All interested and qualified candidates can send their application (motivation letter, updated CV, certificates and references) documents to: [email protected] not later than 17th February 2023 at 6:00 PM.  Please quote the job title in the subject.  Only candidates selected for interview will be notified.