Job Title: Portfolio Officer – West Africa (WA)

Location: Cote d’Ivoire

Reports to: Senior Programme Officer – REACT HS

Start Date: Immediately

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) is a leading development finance organisation that supports businesses to innovate, create jobs and leverage investments in order to create resilience and sustainable incomes in rural and marginalised communities in Africa. Launched in 2008, AECF has invested in 292 businesses across more than 40 value chains and 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We focus specifically on agribusiness, renewable energy and climate technologies, while also addressing the cross-cutting themes of gender, youth and fragile contexts. In just over a decade, we have impacted more than 27.7 million lives, created close to 24,000 jobs, and leveraged over US $740 million in matching funds. AECF is headquartered in Kenya, with offices in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania.

REACT Household Solar (REACT HS)

The Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Technologies (REACT) window supports the private sector in bringing clean energy technologies to Africa’s rural communities. It has contributed to providing over 6.5 million people with access to low cost, clean energy from solar home systems, mini grids, and clean cooking solutions through the investees. The support focuses on reducing risk, stimulating advances in technology, testing alternative business models and financial services, and addressing other constraints that inhibit market development with products and services that specifically target the rural poor. Initial investments from the AECF have been concentrated in East Africa but subsequent funding has expanded this geographical reach to cover West and Southern Africa. REACT is currently implementing two flagship programmes: REACT Sub Saharan Africa and REACT Household Solar.

REACT HS Programme

The REACT Household Solar programme delivers financial and technical support to companies offering Solar Household Systems (SHS) products and services in the form of grants, repayable grants, and technical assistance to accelerate access to modern electricity for 450,000 households. The first round of the programme begun in 2018 with implementation in Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The second round of the programme will be implemented in Somalia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria.

Job Summary:

The Portfolio Officer is responsible for providing broad-based technical and grants management support to the task of selecting, managing, and monitoring the AECF portfolio of projects in Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria. The incumbent is expected to work flexibly and collegially in offering support to the Senior Programme Officer and other internal stakeholders, as well as in processing grants and maintaining the AECF grant database.

Key responsibilities

• Develop portfolio management plans, in line with the program and the overall AECF operational and technical management strategy.

• Work with the AECF competition team to execute competition activities, including marketing open windows, evaluating concept notes and business plans, conducting due diligence, supporting business plan development at the applicant stage, and contracting selected companies.

• Carry out on-going portfolio management of selected companies, monitoring project implementation to achieve program goals. This will include review of investee reports and conduct regular site visits.

• With support from the AECF Impact Team, develop results measurements plans together with each investee company, support monitoring and evaluation activities at the investee level during implementation, to ensure quality impact reporting.

• Contribute to identification of investees who require technical assistance and arrange to deliver services based on the AECF Technical Assistance and Learning service delivery framework.

• Manage the flow of grants, including disbursements as well as program expenditure, against the program budget.

• Participate in assessment of fiduciary risk and regularly update risk registers.

• Maintain a revolving funds ageing analysis and schedule and follow up with the investees on recoverability of outstanding revolving funds.

• Ensure program compliance with all AECF and implementing partner policies and procedures, local laws and regulations that govern AECF.

• Contribute to the establishment of appropriate linkages with the relevant state/government departments, implementing partners, donors, private sector bodies, potential project partners, and civil society.

• Contribute to the wider learning agenda of AECF (in liaison with Knowledge & Insight team), to further the reputation and capability positioning of the Fund, have a wider systemic impact on the relevant market systems in Africa, and promote relevant advocacy efforts.

• Participate in the development of AECF periodic progress and impact reports.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics, or other relevant field of study.

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or hold an equivalent professional accounting qualification e.g., ACCA (desirable).

• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in one or more of the following areas: finance, agriculture, agribusiness, SME finance, rural financial services, renewable energy, and adaptation to climate change.

• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in financial and grants management, with the ability to review, analyse and interpret budgets, financial management systems; financial statements (including income and expenditure statements and cash reconciliation statements) and audit reports.

Relevant Experience

• Must possess excellent organizational and project management skills.

• Must have good interpersonal and client relationship management skills.

• A good understanding of rural and/or financial services markets in Africa.

• Demonstrate an understanding of donor and international development organisations.

• Excellent analytical and communication skills with the ability to prepare proposals, reports and concept papers to a high level of proficiency.

• Excellent English and French (desirable) language skills.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, highly numerate and inquisitive and financial statement analysis, and determination of credit worthiness.

• Should be able to work with tight delivery schedules to ensure quick turnaround time, lucid and error free presentation.

• Initiative, high integrity and dependability. Be strong on influencing and negotiating skills.

• Ability to work independently, consult and clarify where necessary and make informed and firm decisions.

• Be proficient in computer skills with good working skills of various programs.

• Ability to set and deliver business goals specifically in the areas of portfolio quality and profitability.

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.