Agriculture Microfiance Expert

Opportunity Type: Job
ZAD for Consulting
Egypt

About the Organization: 
ZAD for Consulting is a premiere organizational development, consulting, and performance improvement firm that provides solutions to a wide array of commercial businesses and nonprofit organizations. ZAD helps organizations develop the business acumen, leadership and workforce, and technical knowledge necessary to thrive in today's competitive marketplace.

About the Job: 
ZAD is looking for an Agriculture Microfiance Expert to manage an upcoming project opportunity with the African Development Bank (AfDB). S/he will work as a technical project manager to organize 13 workshops on agribusiness SMEs finance. The workshop objective is to raise awareness of participants from commercial banks, NGOs, and beneficiaries towards:

• Specific features of agribusiness sector, constraints facing agribusiness that occur throughout the product value chain from production and input supply to processing and marketing;
• Sector’s associated risks, and risk management approaches;
• Better understanding of market failures which leading to inadequate financial and technical support for initiating agribusiness enterprises;
• Hands on technical and managerial services required to improve farmer groups and entrepreneurs' productivity, competitiveness, and creditworthiness to access financing for their enterprises;
• Importance of gender-specific provision.

Tasks and Responsibilities: 

• Lead a team to design, prepare, and facilitate the provision of a series of 13 awareness raising workshops on agribusiness SMEs finance for selected participants that are working in production, processing, marketing, financing, and providing services for small and medium agribusiness enterprises. The planned workshops will inform and make the participants aware about the features of agribusiness sector, objectives, constraints, risks, and opportunities, provide an overview of the value-chain, and show how cross-integration can happen. Special focus will be placed on the agribusiness finance development's relevant subjects;
• In charge of providing overall supervision, coordination, and leadership to a team tasked with organizing workshops.

Qualifications: 

• Academic degree from a recognized university in finance/agri-economics or other relevant fields with an emphasis on agricultural lending;
• Minimum 7 to 10 years of relevant international/domestic experience and practical skills in developing agribusiness lending programs;
• Proven track record, knowledge, and working experience on entrepreneurship and SME development;Special experience on advocacy and capacity building through participatory approaches in workshop settings;
• Strong leadership skills;
• Good command of English and working knowledge of Arabic;
• Knowledge of Islamic finance mechanisms;
• Experience in organizing training in mircofinance.

Posted: 04 Jul 2012
Closing Date: 17 Jul 2012
How to Apply:
Interested candidates can send their resume and cover letter to
haitham.khalifa@zadgroup.org