Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.
FUNCTION
The function is an overall summary of how the job specifically relates to the global strategic mission. Impact Capital and the deployment of finance is an essential component of accelerating the impact of Heifer’s work through its Accelerate Strategy, Objective #3.
The primary function of this position is to support capital deployment for Heifer field teams and program participants; facilitate market-based enterprise development as a means of development; and maintain regional strategic finance partnerships as an extension of Heifer’s Impact Capital team. This role will liaise directly with field teams regarding the coordination of opportunity identification, information gathered, and support for analysis and recommendation to the credit committee. This position will be responsible for exploring appropriate financial service providers and maintain long-term and productive/functional relationships with funding institutions (banks/financial institutions, venture capitalists, angel investors, private investors, and other beneficiaries (individual farmers, cooperatives, community agro-vet entrepreneurs, traders, butchers and processors, etc.).
This is a regional-based position, with the final candidate working from one of Heifer’s offices located in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, or Nicaragua offices. Fluency in English and Spanish is a must, and applications must be submitted in English.**
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS
A highly motivated and inspirational leader, superb listener and communicator, relationship builder, energetic and positive, team builder, strive for a shared vision, impact-driven and innovative, organized, have strong business acumen, pro-active, respect for procedures and norms, curious, analytical, socially sensitive, values-oriented, conviction towards holistic sustainable development.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES
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A. Pipeline development, investment vetting, and portfolio management (50%)**
· Promote access to capital and finance for smallholder farmers and align with the Impact Capital mandate and deliverables.
· Originate and evaluate prospective impact investment opportunities in conjunction with Impact Capital’s investment committee.
· Assist with fundraising, fund structuring, investment due diligence, presentations to credit committees and other senior managers across the organization.
· Help to design and sculpt financial transaction terms to provide the greatest chance of delivering on both financial and impact metrics.
· In line with Impact Capital’s guidelines, policies, procedures and mandate, deploy capital into approved transactions that will meet the required financial and impact metrics.
· Help with the management of bad debt / underperforming investments and decide, in conjunction with the Impact Capital Credit Committee on appropriate interventions.
· Monitor and report, as required, on the portfolio’s risk, return and impact metrics.
DELIVERABLE
· Carry out ad hoc policy and investment research on value chain financing gaps and create/implement corresponding advocacy plans.
· Manage relationships with regional financial intermediaries and other investment-related institutions.
· Drive the availability of appropriate financial products in select value chains.
· Develop pipeline of investment transactions with opportunity for funding through Heifer Impact Capital
· Assist to negotiate, shape and conclude investments that will deliver the required financial and impact metrics.
· Manage, monitor and where necessary assist the Impact capital team on appropriate interventions.
B. Business development services (30%)
· Prepare manuals, briefs, guidelines, technical papers and other materials related to access to finance and investment transactions
· Mobilize consultants and experts as and when needed.
· Manage relationships with staff and implementing partners, including orientation and coaching.
· Provide expert advice to Heifer staff and related firms/enterprises on financial analysis and access to finance and investment opportunities.
· Support the operationalization and tracking of business and marketing plans for producer associations, hubs, and other businesses through joint planning, monitoring, and collaboration with the Heifer International country and area teams.
DELIVERABLE
· Develop staff’s capacity building plan in the field of access to finance and value chain financing, including developing and updating training manuals/materials and delivering that training to build the capacity of Heifer staff and partners.
· Establish contacts and build/maintain relationships with potential implementing partners such as financial institutions (Bank and Financial Institutions (BFIs), Private/Public/Investment funds, Impact Investing Companies, Venture Capitalists, Donors, etc.) and MSMEs/agribusinesses.
· Develop and deliver package of tools and techniques on agriculture finance and risk assessment to the staff of financial institutions and cooperatives
· Develop knowledge to document and ensure access to information to build financial intelligence, financial literacy, and financial management capacity of smallholder farmers and MSMEs.
C. Leadership and General Operation (15%)
· Lead the investment management and access to finance role in Heifer’s Latin America programs, liaise with technical leads at headquarters for increased effectiveness and align the local implementation with the global goal of Heifer’s Impact Capital team.
· Assist the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) team in providing social impacts that result from Impact Capital’s investment activity.
· Establish contacts, build, and maintain relationships with potential partners such as financial institutions, private/public/investment funds, impact investing organizations, venture capitalists, donors, and MSMEs/agribusinesses.
· Represent Heifer at relevant forums to share best practices and lessons learned while elevating the critical constraints on access to capital and finance for farming communities.
· Document and publish case studies, briefing notes, reports, etc.
· Coordinate with other team members with a high focus on Heifer’s development model (Values-
· Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) and Heifer’s Accelerate Strategy).
DELIVERABLE
· Lead with a clear timeline and deliverables as Signature projects and investments come online.
· Develop and update the strategic documents for value chain financing for projects that include implementation manual, training manual, fund guidelines, etc. within the first year of each project
· Assist the M&E team to develop the framework for investment and access to finance.
· Support programs teams on project monitoring, progress reporting, and result measurement at all milestone reviews and during annual impact monitoring.
· Relevant strategies in place to ensure participation of vulnerable groups in access to capital (women, marginalized, landless, disaster-affected, etc.)
. D. May perform other duties as assigned (5%)
Minimum Requirements
· A bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, agricultural economics, finance or related fields.
· At least five (5) years experience in fields related to agro-business finance and investment as well as international development. This person must show proof of experience in managing investment into the agricultural sector and monitoring and collections.
· Demonstrated strong writing and oral presentation skills in English AND Spanish.
Preferred Requirements
· A master’s degree or equivalent in the fields of agriculture economics, business administration, entrepreneurship, business development, finance or other related fields, plus five (5) years in a mix of value chain competitiveness, investment promotion, or agriculture development.
· Five (5) years’ management level work experience.
· Significant experience in building public/private partnerships, preferably in the agricultural and livestock sectors.
· Five years of experience in financial due diligence and credit assessment.
· Demonstrated experience in conducting business, investment analyses, and capital budgeting and sufficient evidence on how the results were used to develop viable business ideas and subsequently tangible businesses.
· Proven experience in building the capacity of agribusinesses, managing knowledge, measuring progress, planning, and innovating within the livestock industry.
Most Critical Proficiencies
· Basic knowledge and understanding of impact investment management.
· Excellent analytical skills and the ability to perform investment due diligence and verify the information.
· Knowledge of market development, value chain, and public/private sector engagement.
· Strong skills in market analysis, feasibility studies, enterprise budgeting, and finance.
· Ability to analyze and interpret financial statements, cash flow statements, financial ratios, and business projections.
· Practical knowledge and understanding of key access to finance opportunities and constraints along agriculture value chains in rural Latin America.
· Demonstrated experience in training and capacity building of financial services providers, smallholder farmers/rural SMEs and base of the pyramid consumers. Experience in addressing gender inequality in financial market systems is highly preferred.
· Ability to work independently – and take initiative while also having strong team-building skills.
· Excellent management, communication, and interpersonal skills.
· A good understanding of and sensitivity to issues associated with poverty, hunger and the knowledge of the context in which non-profit organizations operate.
· Demonstrated understanding of the economic, social, and cultural dynamics of agriculture/livestock production systems in Latin America.
· Demonstrated networks and trust relations in Latin America's financial markets.
· Experience with both formal and informal finance mechanisms.
· Proven track-record in rolling out new and innovative rural financing products, including value chain finance instruments.
· The successful candidate will have excellent technical and leadership experience in expanding access to finance.
· Experience in the financial institution and enterprise-level technical assistance, training, and training curriculum development.
· Interest in the livestock sector and women’s economic empowerment.
Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands
· Ability to prepare and present documents in a well-designed and attractive format with excellent attention to detail.
· Capacity to interact effectively with people from different cultures and work with governments and donor and DFI agencies.
· Ability to maintain the highest ethical standards at all times.
· A strong leader and team player.
· Willingness and ability to assign and review the work of direct reports.
· Proven team and customer care skills with the ability to train and work cooperatively with a diverse staff, including field staff in several locations.
· Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues both within and outside the country.
· Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
· Ability to perform multiple tasks with minimal supervision.
· Willingness to work with a flexible schedule.
· Willingness to travel both locally and internationally.
How to apply:
Please submit your application here: https://jobs.jobvite.com/heifer/job/oNvzefwP