Agri-finance Specialist at VisionFund Rwanda (VFR)

Agri-Finance Specialist at VisionFund Rwanda (VFR)

VisionFund Rwanda (VFR), Rwanda's largest microfinance institution, is committed to the development of Rwanda through providing affordable financial services (savings and loans) to the less privileged throughout its 4 zones. VFR is a dynamic, team-focused high-performance environment where you can develop your expertise working with the best people worldwide. If you are looking for interesting but challenging work where you can make a difference, VFR has the will to make it so. VisionFund Rwanda has zero tolerance to abuse and sexual exploitation of children and adults beneficiaries. We expect all our employees/affiliates to commit to protecting children and adult beneficiaries from harm and abide by our safeguarding policy.

VFR needs to recruit experienced and qualified staff for the following position: Agri-Finance Specialist.

Reporting to: Director of Operations

Type of contract: Fixed Term Contract (One-year renewable)

Job Purpose: The Agri-Finance Specialist shall lead and be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Credit-Enterprise Product under the THRIVE Project. The project aims to improve access to finance and strengthen market linkages for productive groups within the Agric value chain. The scope will be to particularly focus on-farm, off-farm and non-farm related activities.

Main Responsibilities:

Project coordination and delivery: Oversee the day-to-day implementation of technical assistance activities as outlined in the THRIVE project description. Ensure timely delivery of all project activities including training, market research, development of financial products, and deployment of digital systems. Coordinate and supervise technical consultants, trainers, and service providers. Monitor progress against milestones and deliverables, ensuring alignment with project timelines.

Stakeholder/market actors’ engagement: Liaise with community groups, cooperatives, Producer Groups, and local authorities in the target villages. Facilitate collaboration between THRIVE Project Manager of WVF and the external community including buyers, fair organisers, and technical service providers. Serve as the focal point for all stakeholders under the THRIVE project and other donor representatives regarding project implementation.

Cross-functional collaboration: Work with Business development, marketing and branding teams to develop and execute marketing and branding strategies as well as client education. Work with the insurance teams to deploy appropriate insurance product to the target client group. Collaborate actively with marketing and communication teams to devise and execute strategies that effectively promote agricultural loan products. Lead branding initiatives aimed at enhancing the visibility and overall attractiveness of agricultural lending offerings.

Manage loan origination and portfolio quality: Collaborate closely with branch managers to support the origination of agricultural loans under the newly developed/improved credit product. Provide technical guidance and operational support to branch teams in screening, appraisal, and onboarding of savings groups and individual clients. Monitor portfolio performance metrics (repayment rates, delinquency levels, and client retention) and work with branch staff to implement corrective measures that promote a high-quality, sustainable agricultural loan portfolio. Ensure that credit delivery processes adhere to the risk management policies and that client protection principles are observed throughout the loan lifecycle.

Client engagement and feedback: Facilitate continuous engagement with smallholder farmer groups, cooperatives, and individual clients to ensure that project interventions are demand-driven and responsive to their evolving needs. Establish feedback mechanisms, including regular field visits, focus group discussions, and surveys, to capture client experiences, preferences, and satisfaction levels. Analyse feedback data to inform adaptive project management and refine technical assistance delivery, ensuring relevance, inclusivity, and impact.

Project monitoring and learning: Support the design and implementation of data collection tools (PowerBI, BankBI and others as will be necessary). Track KPIs including the number of farmers trained, product uptake, and income/yield improvements. Prepare a final lessons-learned report and assist with the deployment strategy for scaling the financial product.

Reporting and compliance: Lead the preparation and timely submission of technical and financial reports in accordance with the donor’s requirements, including progress updates, deliverable summaries, KPI tracking, and lessons learned. Ensure all reports are evidence-based, well-documented, and aligned with the formats outlined in the THRIVE project agreement. Coordinate with internal THRIVE project Lead of WVR and designated external consultants if any to gather relevant data and ensure the completeness and accuracy of all submitted documentation. Regular meetings with VFR and WVR and Regional Operations team to monitor progress. Serve as the primary point of

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