Program:   Credit for Agriculture Producers (CAP) Project

Location:   Kyiv, Ukraine

About the Project:

CAP seeks to revitalize the credit union sector in Ukraine by creating a more transparent legal and regulatory framework for credit union operations in Ukraine to both promote growth and reduce risks, while improving access to agricultural finance for agricultural and rural micro, small, and medium enterprises through credit unions. Specifically, the project is expected to: (1) strengthen credit union regulator and national associations’ capacity; (2) advocate for an improved and updated legislative framework to meet European Union (EU) standards, enabling credit unions to compete with other financial institutions; and (3) address constraints preventing credit unions from expanding outreach and delivering high-quality lending to the agricultural sector.

Duties:

The Agrofinance & East Ukraine Specialist will coordinate his/her work with Lead Agriculture Finance Specialist and perform all tasks related to partner credit unions’ activities as required in line with project goals and annual implementation plans. Specific duties are as follows:

Technical

1)    Technical assistance to credit unions for agricultural finance methodologies 

• Help partner credit unions develop/improve borrower’s assessment methodologies given agribusiness specifics;
• Participate in selecting subgroups among partner credit unions with focus on value chain finance and agricultural land market lending;
• In coordination with other activities, work to facilitate improvements in risk assessment approaches, including by developing and implementing borrower assessment methodologies, that take into account data analysis on specific crops and identification of value chain possibilities;
• Develop a methodology for agricultural MSMEs assessments to be applied to long-term loans for the purchase of agricultural land or equipment to cultivate the land which is purchased;
• Facilitate the improvement of design and due diligence processes of loan products to make them suitable to specific value chains; and incorporate market changes brought about or exacerbated by COVID-19; and
• Support credit unions in effective communication with agricultural producers to identify their financing needs, providing financing and monitoring issued loans.

2)    Support the organization of the CAP work group activities

• Ensure coordination of CAP Project and USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) cooperation in terms of support to credit unions in Eastern Ukraine;
• Provide support to partner credit unions in Eastern Ukraine to maximize their engagement in CAP activities, as well as coordinate joint efforts for cross-learning between more developed credit unions in the west and smaller credit unions in the East; and
• Communicate with CAP credit union partners and coordinate informing members of partner associations about CAP related activities.

3)    Technical assistance to support disbursement of agricultural finance funds

• Be engaged in cooperation with USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Program to remove obstacles for credit unions to use agricultural land as collateral;
• Monitor if credit unions have procedures in place to identify environmentally sensitive activities to be financed from the Liquidity Fund, per the donor or investor requirements; and
• Support credit unions in developing and implementing an environmental due diligence processes.

 General

• Assist in designing work plans, quarterly reports, reports for the Regulator and annual reports on CAP Project and its partners, as assigned by the Lead Agriculture Finance Specialist;
• Participate in communication with international and local consultants, volunteers and experts providing support to CAP under Objective 4;
• Create training materials and hold trainings as needed;
• Travel outside of Kyiv to reach partner credit unions and their members, including credit unions in the East;
• Perform all tasks necessary to achieve the project goals under Objective 4, as assigned and requested by the Lead Agriculture Finance Specialist, Chief of Party (COP) or Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP);

 Required Qualifications:

• Masters’ degree in agriculture, management and administration (finance, marketing, entrepreneurship) or a related field preferred;
• At least 5-7 years of experience in agriculture or with agriproducers;
• Previous experience working with lending preferred;
• Previous USAID experience preferred, but not mandatory;
• In-depth knowledge of agriculture in Ukraine, and specifically agricultural finance mechanisms in Ukraine;
• Training experience preferred;
• Excellent writing, research and communication skills;
• Ability to meet deadlines and to work as a member of a team to reach a common goal;
• Native Ukrainian fluency, both written and spoken;
• Good working knowledge of English (written and spoken);
• Computer proficiency (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint);
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills;
• Culturally sensitive and able to work with multiple stakeholders in Ukraine and understand their various positions/viewpoints;
• An ambitious nature, problem-solving abilities, creativity, and a dedication to creating change in Ukraine.

Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and three reference contacts to [email protected] with the subject line: “Agrofinance & East Ukraine Specialist”. Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Thank you.