About the Role
Aceli Africa ("Aceli") is a market catalyst mobilizing finance for small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector in East Africa. Informed by original data on the economics of agri-SME lending, Aceli Africa is designed to align capital supply and demand to mobilize $500M in lending to agri-SMEs while creating a more sustainable and competitive marketplace.
The Manager, Lender Capacity Building will lead the strategy and continuous improvement of Aceli's lender capacity building program, which supports Aceli’s lending partners to grow and deepen their agricultural SME lending portfolios. The program operates through a pre-qualified panel of specialist advisory firms delivering bespoke and cohort-based technical engagements to commercial banks, Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs), and SACCOs.
The Manager will oversee the full Capacity Building program cycle: from lender pipeline development and engagement design, to delivery oversight, monitoring and evaluation, and program-level learning. The role necessitates extensive external collaboration and requires a disciplined project manager capable of coordinating a diverse range of stakeholders. The Manager is expected to exercise sound professional judgment in program design, execution, and continuous quality assurance.
The role reports to the Associate Director, Innovation & Partnerships and collaborates closely with Country Teams, Impact & Learning, Product, Finance, and Procurement.
Key Responsibilities
Program Strategy & Implementation
- Review and own Aceli’s lender Capacity Building strategy. Lead operationalization, translating strategic priorities into actionable annual workplans covering bespoke and cohort-based engagements across the five countries.
- Work with Country Teams to identify and qualify Capacity Building candidates across the lender portfolio, with attention to institutional readiness, executive commitment, and agri-SME lending intent.
- Facilitate development of lender Capacity Building plans, conduct lender assessments, coordinate lender applications for Capacity Buildings, validate lender readiness for Capacity Buildings, and co-design engagement scopes.
- Oversee active Capacity Building engagements across all five countries: track against timelines, review deliverables, manage escalations, and ensure adherence to standardized templates and KPIs. Coordinate project management meetings (steering committee meetings, etc).
- Coordinate with the Impact & Learning team on thematic Capacity Building engagements, currently focused on gender and climate.
- Review and reshape the Capacity Building strategy periodically to enhance the impact of the program.
Provider Procurement and Management
- Issue task order solicitations to pre-qualified providers, evaluate proposals against stated criteria, and oversee task order award processes.
- Monitor validity of Master Services Agreements (MSAs) with pre-qualified providers, oversee extensions/modifications to the MSAs.
- Actively manage provider performance across all active engagements: monitor output quality, conduct quarterly provider scoring, and backstop providers where needed.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)
- Review and own the Capacity Building MEL framework: update and maintain standard templates (diagnostic, implementation plan, activity budget, KPI tracker, post-implementation report).
- Ensure all new engagements from January 2027 onwards deploy standardized MEL tools.
- Compile and analyze program-level Capacity Building data for internal reviews, donor reporting, and Aceli's learning outputs.
Budget and Financial Management
- Manage the Capacity Building program budget, including tracking Aceli contributions and lender co-investments across all active engagements.
- Review and approve activity-based budgets for each engagement; ensure value-for-money principles are applied.
- Provide periodic budget updates and forecasts.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, or a related field. A Master's degree is an advantage.
- Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience, of which at least 4 years must include either advisory experience, or experience working in/with financial institutions.
- Demonstrated understanding of agricultural lending practices in sub-Saharan Africa, including agri-SME credit appraisal, loan structuring, and portfolio risk management.
- Proven project management skills: experience managing multiple simultaneous assignments, external service providers, and client relationships to time and budget.
- Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to conduct and/or review financial institution diagnostics, interpret portfolio data, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of high-quality reports, engagement briefs, presentations, and terms of reference.
- Experience managing or contributing to MEL frameworks in advisory or program contexts.
- Demonstrated ability to engage credibly with senior leadership of financial institutions, including C-suite-level stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience at a management consulting firm, specialist advisory firm, or development finance institution with a financial sector advisory mandate.
- Familiarity with the agri-finance ecosystem in East Africa, including knowledge of key lender segments, regulatory environments, and value chain financing models.
- Exposure to climate finance, gender-lens lending, or ESG integration in financial institutions.
- Experience procuring and managing external consultants or technical service providers.
- Proficiency in data tools such as Excel (advanced), Power BI, or Salesforce for program reporting.
Key Competencies
- Advisory credibility: Able to engage as a peer with senior financial institution leaders; brings substantive knowledge of lending operations.
- Program ownership: Takes end-to-end accountability for delivery quality and outcomes; proactively identifies and resolves issues without waiting to be directed.
- Analytical rigor: Comfortable with financial data, portfolio diagnostics, and evidence-based program design; translates complex information into clear recommendations.
- Provider management: Skilled at holding external service providers to high standards while maintaining productive working relationships.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Works effectively across diverse internal teams and navigates organizational complexity with maturity and diplomacy.
- Learning orientation: Curious and reflective; actively seeks to improve program design.
- Organizational discipline: Manages multiple workstreams simultaneously with structured planning, consistent follow-through, and attention to detail.
