Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, July 21, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Organization details
The Agricultural Business Initiative (aBi) is a social enterprise with the overall vision to contribute to ‘a competitive and sustainable agriculture and agribusiness sector in Uganda in support of equitable wealth creation in Uganda’. aBi consists of two companies Limited by Guarantee; aBi Finance and aBi Development (formerly aBi Trust). aBi Finance expands access to business finance for agricultural producers and agribusinesses by offering to Financial Institutions (FIs) financial incentives and infrastructure that make lending to the agricultural sector more attractive and less risky.
aBi Development Ltd channels development funding as matching grants and Business Development Services to agricultural producers and agribusinesses. Over the period 2014-18 alone, aBi Development implemented around 130 matching grant projects with a total estimated value of USh. 404bn to reach over 934,462 farmers and contributed to increasing employment, incomes and employment of Ugandan farmers and agribusinesses. aBi Development Ltd has also worked with farmer organisations and NGOs in order to serve the more vulnerable and less commercially developed value chain actors.
Number of vacancies: 1 Sector: Civil society Industry: ,Financial Accountability ,Strategy & Planning ,Risk Management

Knowledge, Skills & Competences
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to motivate others; coaching, mentoring and successful leadership of diverse teams
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in budgeting and forecasting for business operations.
• Extensive knowledge of international financial reporting standards and other accounting best practice.
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience in budgeting and forecasting for business operations

Responsibilities
Main/over all purpose
• The COO Corporate Services is responsible for ensuring that all of aBi's resources are managed and used in a cost-effective and efficient operational manner with a secure system of controls and safeguards that ensure the safety of all of aBi assets including the staff.
• Management, reporting and accountability to the Board and Funders across all of the support service areas which facilitate the operations of aBi including Finance, Grant Management Control, Risk Management, ICT, HR & Shared Services, Legal &Compliance and Procurement is the major function of the role.
• Oversight of the use of funding, including fraud management, enterprise risk management, legal action and compliance are central pillars of the role.

Key Roles & Responsibilities
Strategy & Planning
• As a member of the Senior Management Team, support the organisation in strategic & operational planning and budgeting; facilitate decision making to optimise value-for-money in the deployment of resources.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the strategic and business planning processes and the ongoing management of the organisation
• Advise the Senior Management Team on the management and resource implications of strategy and policy issues, drawing attention to any matters that warrant concern; includes analysing and reporting on key resource management metrics and operational to total costs
• Oversee the development of both long-term and annual resourcing projections in consultation with the Senior Management Team and, in conjunction with CEO; present and agree this with the aBi Development & Finance Boards of Directors
• Develop and update, operational manuals, policies, resource-management systems and technologies across all support sections; aiming to manage the efficient and effective use of funding and achievement of operational targets

Strategic Financial Accountability
• Serve as the Chief Financial Officer for the organization; ensuring the sound use and management of organisational finances, following generally accepted accounting principles and IFRS.
• Support the CEO in liaising with the Board of Directors, and specifically the ARCC (Audit Risk& Compliance) & PIC (Procurement & Investment )Committee, to set agenda and engage Board members in executing their fiduciary responsibilities
• In collaboration with the COO aBi Finance, guide the organisation in creating an appropriate capital structure of debt and equity to fund the business (in light of our growth and sustainability targets and risk, our Investors and Development Partner's risk tolerance, and the availability of debt and equity capital on advantageous terms)
• Lead the development and ongoing implementation of aBi's financial management system, ensuring that funds are managed in accordance with good practice and in a manner that meets the resourcing and information needs of key stakeholders (management, investors, government of Uganda)
• Guide the Head of Finance in determining sophisticated financial projections; includes developing a deep understanding of the drivers of aBi's business to provide critical analysis of all aspects of our business models for loan portfolios and non-profit activities
• Establish, in conjunction with the Head of Finance, rigorous financial performance analysis to inform strategy and bolster the accuracy of financial statements

Resource Management
• Lead the organisation in effective and efficient management of resources; seeking to maximise the impact of aBi’s deployment of resources
• Oversee the development and implementation of effective procurement policies and procedures that will ensure best practise whilst achieving the timely provision of resources
• Guide the Head of HR & Shared Services to ensure the alignment and integration of human capital and talent management strategies with organisational business plan and objectives
• Work with the Technical Manager to ensure the development of an effective Technology Strategy and integration of systems across the organisation
• Oversee the development, implementation and continual improvement of administration systems and procedures for human resource management, procurement and asset management
• Work closely with Head of Finance/Grants Management Controller on the annual external audit and follow up on correction of highlighted management letter points and Implementing Partner issues where misuse of funds has been identified

End-to-end Grant Management
• Support aBi’s Management in securing, disbursing and accounting for investor funds; aiming to optimise aBi’s beneficial impact on the growth of the agricultural sector in Uganda.
• Support the CEO in the development, approval and implementation of aBi finance strategy for attracting both private and public investors; personally contribute by building relationships with potential and current investors
• Ensure the existence of an impressive system for responding to expressions of interest from potential investors and securing funding; lead the development, review and signing of contracts, ensuring that terms are fair, and risks are managed
• Act as a focal point between aBi and major funders, especially the Royal Danish Embassy, facilitating strategic resource planning and decision making, for development of an effective implementation plan and long term relationships of mutual trust.
• Actively participate in the grants selection process ensuring value for money and overall integrity of projects; participate as a member of the various committees i.e PIC, FMC, MIC and GMC, making informed decisions concerning the granting and lending of aBi funds
• Work with the Head of Finance and Grants Management Controller to ensure that an effective system is in place and implemented for end-to-end grants management; approve quality standards for partner assessments, due diligence and end-of-project audits
• Lead the organisation in determining and complying with investor requirements for reporting and due diligence; includes cooperating with investor's due deligence and monitoring activities

Risk Management:
• Oversee the management of risk across all of aBi’s activities; ensuring that a comprehensive understanding of aBi’s risks has been developed and that strategies are in place and implemented for effective mitigation.
• Review organisational risks across all of aBi's activities and ensure that effective enterprise risk management strategies are in place and adhered to
• Ensure program management and administration operates within the legal and regulatory requirements of Uganda
• Co-ordinate Audit, Monitoring & Results Measurement, Legal & Compliance and Finance team members to ensure that all compliance/due diligence checks are conducted in accordance with the Finance and Risk Management Manuals and that payments are released to implementing partners as soon as requirements are satisfied
• Support the Legal and Compliance department in complex and high risk contract negotiations and advise on legal actions to be taken including discussions with the external lawyers
• Safe Guard aBi final resources by giving due consideration before signing approvals; whilst contributing towards efficiency with a quick turnaround time

Team Leadership
• Lead the Corporate Services Team in a manner that empowers them to add value to the organisation and deliver high standards of performance
• Communicate to the Corporate Services Team a clear and exciting vision for the work of the organisation and the importance of their personal contribution
• Ensure the team is resourced with the expertise necessary to deliver on strategy; through a combination of recruitment and management of staff and procurement of consultants
• Plan and organise the work of the team to accomplish strategic & project goals and targets in the most cost-effective and impactful manner possible
• Ensure that each team member is provided with clarity concerning expectations; provide training, coaching and accountability to support them in achieving results and delivering required standards and behaviour
• Recognise and foster team talent through on-going learning & development, succession planning, career management and utilisation of a leadership style that will drive employee engagement

Qualifications
• Master’s Degree in Finance, Business Management or an Accounting Professional Qualification
• Degree in Commerce (Accounting) / Business Administration (Accounting) and related field
• Full membership of ICPAU, ACCA, CPA

Details of experience
• You must have10 years’ progressive experience in financial and operational management in medium to large size Development Partner funded organisations with 5 years as Chief Financial Officer.
• Proven expertise in developing and implementing financial controls and processes as well as experience with implementing financial software and optimizing business processes
• Demonstrable experience in managing grants and knowledge of Development Partner funding rules and regulations and extensive knowledge of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and other accounting best practice.
• Experience in the context of agricultural lending (preferred).
• Experience of Organisation Development and/or managing organisational change (preferred)

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

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Job application procedure
All interested and qualified persons are encouraged to only apply online on www.futureoptions.org or by email: careers@futureoptions.org.  Deadline for submissions is; 9th of August 2021 at 5:00 pm.
Application deadline: 2021-08-09

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