Agric Program Officer at Urwego Bank PLC: (Deadline 25 February 2022)

Agric Program Officer at Urwego Bank PLC: (Deadline 25 February 2022)

Agric Program Officer Job Advert

Mission

To provide a ladder of opportunity to underserved communities in Rwanda, as we proclaim and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Method

We share the hope of Christ as we provide financial services and biblically based training that restore dignity and break the cycle of poverty.

Motivation

The love of Jesus Christ motivates us to identify with those living in poverty and be His hands and feet as we strive to glorify God.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB SUMMARY

The Agriculture Program Officer (APO) will lead the development and monitoring of agricultural lending products at Urwego Bank. The APM will ensure the agricultural products are relevant to the target market and Urwego’s mission as well as financially sustainable with credit risk managed appropriately. The APM will work with the Head of Credit and agriculture lending staff to grow the existing portfolio and develop new agricultural business lines and partnerships. The APO will also be responsible for capacity-building Urwego’s team of Agriculture Finance Officers in agriculture lending and risk management.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Promote and fulfil Urwego Bank’s 3Ms as listed above while working within a Christ-cantered environment that is mission-driven, community-oriented, and results-driven.

Spiritual Integration and Christian Witness

1. Ensure a personal, healthy spiritual balance within family, work, and church life through the adoption of biblical personal and spiritual disciplines; and conduct daily work, make decisions, and help Urwego Bank make decisions in a way that witnesses to the presence, power, and love of Jesus and the reality of his Kingdom on earth.

Agriculture Product Management

1. Work with his/her supervisor to develop strategic direction and vision for agriculture products.
2. Ensure agriculture products are relevant to Urwego’s mission;
3. Ensure agriculture products are relevant to the target market;
4. Ensure agriculture products are financially sustainable;
5. Review agriculture credit files to determined thresholds and make recommendations to improve, accept, or decline the credit application;
6. Identify key agriculture product risks and develop mitigants through well thought out loan product design, product cards, procedures, and controls;
7. Work with the risk department to ensure the effective and timely mitigation of the numerous risks associated with agriculture product design and methodology; and
8. Identify, monitor, manage, and control agriculture product risks within Urwego’s risk appetite.

Center of Excellence

1. Actively maintain and grow expertise in industry best practices for agriculture lending, product design and implementation.
2. Capacity-build the team of Agriculture Finance Officers in agriculture lending and credit risk management.
3. Share and grow agriculture expertise among Service Delivery staff, particularly sales officers and leaders, in our agriculture products.

Policy and Procedure Management

1. Periodically review and recommend updates to the policy and procedure manuals for the critical processes associated with all agriculture products.

 Product Design and Development

1. Play a leading role in responding to industry trends and client needs through the development of enhanced products that keep Urwego’s offerings relevant to the Rwandan market.  Incorporate best practices used throughout the HOPE International network of programs.
2. Lead data driven product pilots that test key assumptions of the product design and oversee the appropriate product scale-up while managing risk appropriately.

Portfolio Quality

1. Oversee the overall quality of the agriculture product portfolio, utilizing PAR as the primary measure of portfolio quality and keeping PAR 30 below 5% on average.
2. Work with business team at HO to address portfolio quality shortcomings, including credit administration and default management, through staff training and product design and procedures.
3. Work with Business team at HO to implement appropriate stop lending procedures that help catch and mitigate PAR at the lowest possible level of the organization.

Regulatory Alignment

1. Ensure adequate knowledge of regulatory guidance for microfinance and agriculture lending products, and ensure Urwego’s policies, procedures, systems, and controls are in accordance with the relevant directives.

Profitability and Growth

1. Collaborate with the Business team to establish appropriate agriculture product pricing and efficiency benchmarks for Agriculture Finance Officers to achieve appropriate profitability.
2. Work with Business and Marketing staff to design suitable agriculture product promotional strategies and techniques.
3. Maintain updated product features that remain relevant to the marketplace and enable Service Delivery staff to achieve specified growth targets.

Stakeholder and Partner Relationships

The APO will partner with the Business team to grow existing and develop new agricultural business lines.

1. Serve as a key representative of the bank to partners and non-partners in providing expertise and funding focused on agriculture products.
2. Grow relationships with strategic partners and potential partners supporting agriculture lending.
3. Oversee and ensure compliance with agreements with partners and vendors related to support of the agriculture products.
4. As agreed, upon with the G &Agric Product Manager, develop partnerships with input providers, end-market purchasers, government agencies, participating lenders, international grant providers, guarantee providers, and insurance providers in support of Urwego’s mission to agriculture clients.

QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES.

1. Personal confession of faith in Jesus Christ and commitment to the mission and vision of Urwego Bank Plc;
2. Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, agri-business, or related field;5 or more years of experience in agricultural lending, preferably in the following value-chains: Coffee, Irish Potato, Rice, Maize.
3. Experience in agricultural credit risk assessment and management.
4. Ability to source, negotiate and manage partnership agreements.
5. Proven training skills.
6. Strong organizational skills, including effective time management and prioritization of competing demands/multiple deadlines.
7. Competence in project management disciplines.
8. Demonstrated analytical thinking skills.
9. Strong written, verbal and computer-based communication and presentation skills.
10. Good cross-cultural listening, communication skills.
11. Fully fluent with Microsoft Office suite.
12. Good English language skills; fluency in Kinyarwanda.

How to apply

1. Interested and eligible applicants should submit the following documents to [email protected] in one folder or physically at Urwego Bank PLc Head Office Umuyenzi Plaza – Remera Kisementi 3^rd floor not later than 25^th February 2021 5pm.
2. Applications should be addressed to HR Department
3. Motivation letter explaining your suitability for the position,
4. Curriculum vitae with 2 referee names,
5. Degree Certificate, Copy of ID, and additional certificates if any.
6. Recommendation from your Church with a validity of not less than 6 Months
7. Statement of Faith.
8. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted

11/02/2022