RABO FOUNDATION JOB VACANCIES 2020
Assignment: Investment Officer/Project Manager
Keywords: Smallholders, development finance, food & agriculture, impact investing
Type of assignment: Independent Consultancy
Period of assignment: Starting date July 1st, 2020 (TBD)
Geography: Jakarta, Indonesia
Closing Date: May 31st, 2020
Contact person: Mark Koppejan (Mark.Koppejan@rabobank.nl)
BACKGROUND
Rabo Foundation seeks an experienced independent consultant with a network in smallholder finance in Indonesia. You will support the management and expansion of the project and lending portfolio of Rabo Foundation across Indonesia.
Rabo Foundation (RF) is the corporate foundation of Rabobank: the global leader in food and agriculture lending. Headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands, RF invests in the self-reliance of smallholder farmers by working with small and medium-sized enterprises and farming cooperatives in over twenty countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Agribusinesses and cooperatives that have outgrown donations and microcredit but are not yet eligible for standard bank loans often have great difficulty in attracting financing. We aim to plug this gap by providing access to finance, knowledge and our network. In addition, new technological developments and digitization solutions are explored to help serve smallholder farmers even more effectively.
In Indonesia, we partner with a broad portfolio of cooperatives, SME’s, MFI’s, NGO’s and multinationals to support and expand sustainable production of coffee, dairy, rice, fisheries, spices, soy, cacao, and many more food and agricultural products. We provide working capital, trade finance facilities, investment loans, or long-term loans, where needed supported by technical assistance. We also work with local financiers and co-finance, for example, by issuing guarantees. This way our partners can build a track record, create financial buffers and obtain collateral. When partners become self-sufficient and no longer require RF’s support, our mission is complete.
Impact. Our aim is to have an economic impact at the farmer level: by increasing productivity, boosting diversification, and creating transparent and effective agricultural supply chains. We also strive to have an environmental impact: empowering farmers with environmentally sustainable businesses by reducing post-harvest losses and improve climate change adaptation. Both will lead to social impact: to improve the inclusiveness of farmers with the lowest incomes and their communities by creating jobs and increasing diversity.
The Consultant will focus on acquiring potential partners within RF’s scope and monitoring the current portfolio with activities including (a) frequent field visits to the partners, (b) writing project proposals (including financial analysis), (c) assisting the partners in the application process (due diligence), (d) monitoring and assessing the impact achieved (using surveys), (e) finding solutions with partners in case of defaults and (f) maintaining MIS for control and monitoring. You will work closely with two other independent consultants, RF’s Programme Manager and Project Coordinator for Asia plus a diverse range of stakeholders. Please note that the Consultant will work on an independent basis. We expressively do not intend to conclude an employment contract.
EXPECTED QUALIFICATIONS
- At least 5 years of relevant work experience in (rural) banking, (development) finance, impact investing and/or the food & agriculture sector with an emphasis on smallholder finance
- Experience with farmer organizations, agricultural cooperatives, development and/or donor organizations in Indonesia preferred
- Prior experience as an independent consultant preferred
- Familiarity with, or keen interest in, Ag- and FinTech linked to smallholder finance
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in finance, economics, business, agriculture or related field
- Fluency in Bahasa Indonesia and English
- Analytical skills, including credit analysis and use of Microsoft Excel
- Excellent communication skills, including written and spoken English and use of Microsoft PowerPoint and Word
- Positive interpersonal skills, with demonstrated experience collaborating with teams
- Social responsibility, result-driven, pro-activity, taking initiative, hands-on and ownership are words that would describe your work ethics
- Ability to travel to remote areas within Indonesia for approximately 25% of the time
Interested consultants please submit a cover letter and resume to Mark Koppejan, Programme Manager Asia, via mark.koppejan@rabobank.nl.
