Finance Lead

Job Summary

Heifer International is an equal-opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring practices regardless of race, religion, gender, age, disability status, or other protected characteristics. Since 1944, Heifer International has supported millions of smallholder farmers globally to overcome hunger and poverty while promoting sustainable livelihoods and environmental stewardship. The organization is working toward closing the Sustainable Living Income gap for millions of households by 2030 through its flagship programs. In Ethiopia, Heifer focuses on dairy, poultry, small ruminants, horticulture, and apiculture value chains. The Access to Finance Lead provides strategic and technical leadership for financial inclusion initiatives under the USDA Ethiopia Partnership for Productivity (P4P) project, working closely with project leadership to strengthen access to finance for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, youth, and women while ensuring sustainable market participation and economic empowerment.

Key Responsibilities

Access to Finance and Financial Inclusion Management (40%)

• Provide leadership, technical direction, and oversight of access to finance interventions.
• Develop, implement, and refine financial inclusion strategies for project participants.
• Design innovative financing mechanisms and inclusive financial models for farmers, cooperatives, youth, and women.
• Conduct financial ecosystem assessments, market analysis, and identify financing gaps and opportunities.
• Engage financial institutions to design risk-sharing structures and reduce financing barriers.
• Support development of financial products including credit, savings, insurance, and other tailored services.
• Promote financial literacy, business development, savings culture, and responsible borrowing practices.
• Strengthen governance and financial management systems of cooperatives and producer organizations.
• Ensure integration of VBHCD and cooperative development principles into interventions.
• Supervise Access to Finance staff and ensure quality implementation of activities.

Project Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (30%)

• Develop annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans and budgets for financial inclusion activities.
• Oversee implementation of access to finance interventions and ensure timely delivery of targets.
• Monitor performance indicators and analyze data for continuous improvement.
• Document lessons learned, success stories, and best practices.
• Contribute to donor reports, briefs, and organizational learning materials.
• Collaborate with MEAL teams to strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems.

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Management (25%)

• Serve as the technical focal point for financial inclusion under the project.
• Build and maintain partnerships with financial institutions, cooperatives, NGOs, and development partners.
• Lead coordination meetings, forums, and technical working groups.
• Represent the project in financial inclusion and agricultural finance platforms.
• Facilitate consultations with banks, MFIs, SACCOs, and DFIs for financing arrangements.
• Promote blended finance, guarantees, and co-investment mechanisms.
• Strengthen collaboration among stakeholders for sustainable impact and scalability.

Any Other Assigned Functions (5%)

• Perform additional duties assigned by the Project Team Leader consistent with project objectives.

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Finance, Development Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Rural Development, or related fields.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in agricultural finance, rural finance, financial inclusion, enterprise development, or related areas.
• Experience managing donor-funded projects and multi-stakeholder financial inclusion initiatives.
• Proven experience working with financial institutions, cooperatives, and development actors.

Core Competencies

• Strong understanding of rural finance systems and agricultural financing models.
• Knowledge of livestock insurance, climate risk financing, and agricultural risk tools.
• Leadership and team management skills.
• Strong partnership, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Excellent analytical, planning, and reporting skills.
• Ability to design innovative and scalable financial inclusion solutions.
• Strong communication and influencing skills in English and local languages.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work across diverse teams.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% to project regions.

Skills Required:

• Accounting / Finance
• Economics / Statistics
• Sales / Marketing / Business / Management