VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Access to Finance Manager

Date of Issuance:
Closing Date:
Organizational Unit
Type of Appointment:
Number of Positions:
Nationality:
Duration:
Duty Station:
Gender:
Location:
Salary Level:
Submission Email:
Vacancy Announcement Number: / 15 January. 2013
05 February. 2013
AREDP
AREDP National Contracted ( Consultant )
1
Afghan Nationals only
One year and ten months
Kabul
Male/Female
Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development ProgrammeHighly Competitive salary

515/HR-AREDP
  1. BACKGROUND

The Mission of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) is to ensure the social, economic, and political welfare of rural society, especially poor and vulnerable people, through the provision of basic services, strengthening local governance, and promoting sustainable livelihoods. MRRD accomplishes this mission through donor funded national programs in the areas of governance, infrastructure and economic growth.

The Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Programme (AREDP) is aimed at harnessing the potential of the private sector for inclusive economic growth and sustainable job creation in rural Afghanistan over a 10-year time period. The program aims at building on the social capital gained under the National Solidarity Program (NSP) and transforming it into economic capital.

B.SUMMARY OF DUTIES

The Access to Finance Manager (AFM) shall work in the Program Operations at the AREDP Project Management Office in Kabul. The AFM will be responsible for supervising the development and delivery of technical services to field operations staff working to develop the ability of Savings Groups (SG) and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) to build linkages to Micro Finance Institutions or other lending institutions and to improve access to credit for rural enterprise development. The AFM will coordinate with and assist as needed the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) unit on access to financial services and lending. The AFM will manage the Partial Risk Guarantee Fund (PRGF) and dealing with PRGF Administrator.

C.DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Access to Finance Manager shall be responsible for:

  • Developing a strategy for, and establishing linkage between VSLA and MFIs to build coordination between the VSLA and MFIs;
  • Developing a strategy for SMEs to access financial services: visit all sources of finance, develop a good relationship and maintain inventory of available sources of finance and credit; summarize and classify financial products, identifying access criteria, application requirements, sample of forms, credit limits;
  • Maintaining a good relationship with Commercial Banks and other Micro-Finance Institutions (MFI) and supervise the development of an inventory of services delivered in each province and define appropriate financial products;
  • Ensuring effective management of Access to Finance Unit focusing on quality and control from formulation to implementation stages ;
  • Managing Access to Finance unit staff, both at headquarters and at provincial levels;
  • Managing the Partial Risk Guarantee Fund (PRGF) and work with the PRGF Administrator on transactions;
  • Managing the AREDP access to finance approach to meet the demand of SME’s in target areas, especially in the rural areas, while performing on-going analysis to improve the design.
  • Facilitating development of annual and monthly work plan for Access to Finance;
  • Overseeing the development of a range of services and operating procedures for the Access to Finance Unit of the AREDP including monitoring tools in collaboration with members of Senior management and short-term international Advisor;
  • Maintaining a good relationship with Commercial Banks and other Micro-Finance Institutions and supervise the development of an inventory of services delivered in each province and define appropriate financial products;
  • Working with the M&E Unit to identify key indicators for the monitoring the progress of the SGs, VSLAs and SMEs;
  • Coordinating the observation and support efforts of Provincial Enterprise Facilitators (PEFs), Village Facilitators (VFs), and Business Development Service Officers (BDSOs) with respect to SG/VSLA and Bank/MFI linkages;
  • Making regular monitoring field visits to assess technical support and advice to Provincial level teams;
  • Coordinating with Community Enterprise Development, SME, Training, and other relevant units/components on various issues in order to ensure smooth implementation of Access to Finance;
  • Handling other duties and tasks as assigned by Senior Management.

D.KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS AND ABILITIES

  1. Knowledge/ Experience
  • At least four years of experience working in Enterprise development activities with a focus on access to financial services project;
  • Experience and knowledge of business development services in Afghanistan is an advantage;
  • Knowledge of Islamic banking/lending and related financial products is required;
  • Knowledge of Credit Appraisal Monitoring is required;
  • Experience in capacity building of field staff is required
  1. Qualification/Skills
  • Qualification: A university degree is required, preferably with a business, commerce, economics, or rural development background;
  • Strong project work planning and management skills;
  • Fluency in Dari and Pashto, and good working knowledge of spoken and written English;
  • Excellent communication and problem solving skills;
  • Good computer skills using Word, Excel, and the Internet.
  1. Abilities
  • Strong team building, interpersonal and negotiation abilities including the ability to address sensitive issues with diplomacy, respect, and tact;
  • Ability to multi-task, be flexible, and lead a large team in a high pressure working environment;
  • Professionalism in appearance and demeanour;
  • Willingness to enhance knowledge through training and personal initiative; and,

Willingness and ability to travel in rural areas of Afghanistan.

E.REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to the Director of operations & accountable to AREDP senior management.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

How to Apply

Interested nationals should submit their application comprises your CV and a one-page cover letter explaining your interest and suitability for the post in writing (marked “Confidential”), clearly indicate the vacancy number on the envelope to:

BaseerFarahi

Human Resources Manager of AREDP, Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Programme, Darr-ulAmanNilaBagh Road, MRRD Compound, Kabul, Afghanistan

But all applicants are also strongly encouraged to apply online to the below email address:

Please don’t forget to type the Vacancy Announcement Number (515/HR-AREDP) in Subject while applying online.