Mozambique: Portfolio Officer

Job Title: Portfolio Officer

Locations: Harare, Zimbabwe with extensive travel to Mozambique and Nairobi, Kenya

Reports to: Programme Manager

Position Level: JG 6

Start Date: January 2019

Department: Investment and Portfolio Management

The AECF is a development institution which supports businesses to innovate, create jobs, leverage investments and markets in an effort to create resilience and sustainable incomes in rural and marginalized communities in Africa. In the new 2018-2020 strategy, our goal is to “double our impact in half the time”. To achieve this, we will continue to focus on the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors, increase support to climate-smart technologies, refine our challenge model, expand regional presence, deepen focus on gender, youth and employment by expanding our products and partnership approach to better meet our investees’ current needs; and ensure they rapidly scale and transition to external financing and sustainability thereby attaining our vision of ‘A Prosperous and Enterprising Rural Africa’

Position Overview:

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

Key Responsibilities Areas:

a)Proposal Development, Review and Portfolio Growth:

· Support (in certain cases lead) the development of portfolio management plans, in line with the overall AECF Limited operational and technical management strategy.

b)Managing potential investees:

· Work with AECF Limited competition management team to design the marketing strategy and market new funding competitions/challenges.

· Review and assess project applications, concept notes and business plans as well as conducting basic pre-funding due diligence. Assure quality of outcomes. This includes conducting pre-grant capacity assessments of potential grant recipients and provide capacity building assistance where required.

c)Managing/ monitoring of existing investees:

• Conduct project site visits on a periodic basis to ensure that: project implementation is on track; performance targets are being met; progress reporting is timely and accurate and project funds are utilized in an appropriate and transparent manner.
• Follow - up with AECF Limited investees to ensure that project to project linkages are established and reported, open source initiatives are supported and information on outcomes/ progress markers is collected, reported and shared within agreed networks.
• Provide mentoring and coaching to support investees implement their M&E and reporting systems.

d)Networking/ Linkages, relationship building and management

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

Required qualifications and experience:

· Relevant undergraduate degree from a reputable institution.

· Graduate qualification in Finance, Business, Economics, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics or other relevant fields of study. Masters qualification in a relevant field of study is an added advantage.

· Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or an equivalent professional accounting qualification e.g. ACCA (Desirable).

· Minimum 3 years of experience in one or more of the following areas: oversight/ management micro and medium renewable energy enterprises, climate-smart technologies, NGO management, social enterprise development and management, natural resource management, value chain development and management, SME financing, rural financial services and information services.

· Minimum of 2 years of experience in financial and portfolio management, with the ability to review, analyze and interpret budgets, financial management systems; financial statements and audit reports.

Required Skills and Competencies:

· Proven project management and implementation skills with the ability to work with diverse groups of clients.

· A good understanding of rural and/or financial services markets in Africa, preferably Southern Africa.

· An understanding of the operations of donors and international development organizations.

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

· Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in cross-cultural teams.

· Fluency in English and Portuguese is a requirement.

If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the relevant criteria for the role, please submit your application quoting the Job Title on your application letter, and attach a detailed CV, e-mail and telephone contacts. To be considered, your application must be received by 10^th December 2018 addressed to recruitment@aecfafrica.org