DANRE (Devlopman Antrepriz Nasyinal AK Rekot) is a non-profit agribusiness-development company set up by World Relief and Word en Deed in Haiti in 2011 to manage a microfinance structure that aims to make available to small farmers in Haiti financial and non-financial services tailored to their need for the production and commercialization of their products. The overall objective of the joint venture is to respond to the felt need in Haiti to set up sustainable service providers for agribusiness in a country where many short term technical assistance project are run and microcredit is mainly available for micro commerce activities. All activities to be undertaken by DANRE are made in the context of value chain development. DANRE is currently active in two value chains in regions affected by the earthquake of January 2010: poultry and vegetables. The organization is in a startup phase and break-even is expected to be reached in 2015.
Fonctions
General Function
The expert will work in close cooperation with the DANRE Director, to implement strategies agreed with the two major investors, World Relief and Incluvest. The main activities for the SRMF Advisor are four fold:
1) Set up a rural finance program. Though credit has been provided to farmers for over a year now, there is a need to structurally design financial products tailored to the needs of the value chain, and more over structure and design a portfolio that in the middle to long term has the capacity to provide sustainability to DANRE.
2) Train the DANRE Director in the use of the key performance indicators (KPI) for the management of the organization. The senior advisor will draft a plan as one of his first activities with DANRE. This will guarantee that once the advisor’s role has phased out the DANRE director will continue with the capacity to use the MIS, and specifically the KPI of the credit program for the major management decisions.
3) Train the DANRE Junior Credit Manager.
4) Influence the organizational culture into much more of an entrepreneurial culture rather than that of an NGO. The responsibilities for the execution of these tasks will be mainly at the CEO and Credit Management levels. And these in turn will influence credit agents and other DANRE staffs, as these are the ones that interact directly with clients and other actors. It will be of paramount importance that they transform the vision of their work from helping farmers, into providing services requested by different actors in agricultural value chains.
Tasks and responsibilities
The expert will work in close collaboration with the DANRE Director and will undertake the following actions:
• Develop a clear microcredit and agricultural lending strategy for DANRE, within its context of value chain development.
• Translate this strategy into microcredit activities with an eye for opportunities for expansion, opportunities for new product development, and efficiency.
• Coordinate with management to develop a business plan and 3 to 5 year financial and operational projections based on the above strategy.
• Conduct review of institutional legal compliance with government regulations, and develop proposals for institutional spin-off and formalization.
• Assist management in development of annual operating plans and budgets.
• Describe, document, and implement policies and procedures (finance manual and lending operations manual) for microcredit and agricultural lending, with particular attention to internal controls.
• Assist in the selection and guide implementation of a portfolio management system and administration system in general
• Train local junior in function of credit manager at DANRE
• Provide ad hoc management services if requested
Qualifications Requises
• Degree in economics/business/international affairs or related subject with solid professional training in microfinance (master’s degree is a plus).
• A minimum of 8 years microfinance experience with FNGOs, Rural Banks, Commercial or Development Banks.
• Knowledge of the microfinance/banking sector in Haiti.
• Experience in developing & implementing new financial products for rural areas.
• Strong knowledge/ experience of different credit methodologies suitable for rural context.
• Excellent facilitation, organization, project coordination and management skills.
• Excellent writing, reporting and computer skills (Excel).
• Willingness to work long hours, go to the field for several days at a time, and reside in Haiti.
• Proven cross cultural communication and interim management skills
• Knowledge of the French language
• Have character and morals consistent with the Mission, Vision and Values of DANRE and its partners: World Relief, Word en Deed, and Incluvest. Visit http://worldrelief.org/mission-vision; http://www.woordendaad.nl/woord-en-daad/english and http://incluvest.com to learn more.
We offer:
• Challenging task in a challenging environment which you face with a young and dedicated team
• Institutional support from two professional organizations that have a long joint track record
• Fringe benefits according sector norms
