FSA Project Officer
Mityana or Masaka, Uganda
Contracted
AgFinance - Client Services
Entry Level
The Farmer Support Agent (FSA) Project Officer will manage groups of FSAs in Uganda, delivering capacity-building training to rural client groups, including Village Savings & Loans Associations (VSLAs), facilitate linkages for these clients to Opportunity International’s financial institution partners, and support the collection of client surveys to measure impact. The FSA network project officer is also responsible for developing and maintaining partner relationships, conducting value chain assessments, identifying key risks, ensuring project deliverables, and proposing recommended solutions to implementation hurdles. Available roles (2) will be based in either Mityana or Masaka.
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
ABOUT AGFINANCE
Opportunity’s AgFinance model is structured to bring scalable and high-impact loans and training to rural families living in poverty to build thriving rural communities. AgFinance accomplishes this by building relationships with financial institutions to support the provision of tailored agricultural credit products and services to smallholders and agribusinesses while providing technology-enabled training and services directly to farmers.
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Provide Management Support
- Assist the Agriculture Finance team with overall management and administration support of the FSA network with various project partners.
- Take a lead role to ensure cordial working relationships with all stakeholders, including farmers, financial institution partners, private sector partners, and Ugandan government staff.
- Monitor the data collection activities of the FSAs & provide technical support where necessary.
- Provide troubleshooting and systems support to the partners & FSAs utilizing the client management system (CommCare).
- Facilitate the regular FSA training of trainer sessions in coordination with the project partners.
- Ensure the effective delivery of the FSA led training at the farmer group level.
- Identify hurdles & bottlenecks to the success of the model and where possible, suggest and implement solutions.
Partner Coordination
- Develop a clear understanding of the aims and objectives of project partners. Determine if the model can be improved to accommodate partner objectives better.
- Lead on effective use of data, ensuring value addition for Opportunity and all partners, and work with financial institution partner staff to pursue common goals in developing and growing business through the project.
- Develop a good working relationship with the financial institution's partner agricultural finance staff and a good working knowledge of the financial products offered.
- Coordinate with financial institution partner branches to ensure seamless communication regarding on-the-ground factors affecting project success.
- Liaise between financial institution partner staff and Opportunity, ensuring alignment in project purpose and goals.
Reporting
- Support data collection for the development of internal and external narrative reports.
- Regularly monitor data integrity and output metrics.
- Identify data needs and produce monthly reports to share with relevant partners.
- Work with the Opportunity Agriculture Finance team to develop effective management reporting systems & procedures.
- Weekly update reports to Opportunity Agriculture Finance management noting progress on project deliverables and challenges faced.
Monitoring & Evaluation
- Assist Opportunity in conducting impact assessments using monitoring and evaluation tools.
- Monitor progress against logical framework indicators.
- Track client success stories.
- Report into Opportunity with data on impact, to assess the effectiveness, scalability, and impact of the new products and to recommend any further refinement.
- Supervise Farmer Support Agents
- Degree or Diploma in agriculture, community development, finance or related fields.
- Minimum of two years xperience working with rural communities.
- Practical experience working with community based financial organizations (VSLAs, etc.)
- Project management skills to effectively perform activities/tasks in a manner that consistently achieves high standards.
- Proficiency in use of MS Office applications, Android Apps. Must be able to demonstrate competency.
- Self-empowerment to enable development of open communication, teamwork and trust that are needed to support performance and customer-service oriented culture in agriculture.
- Relevant professional qualifications in agriculture, microfinance, banking, ICT, extension services, finance, or marketing provide an added advantage.
- An understanding of and a commitment to advancing the mission and core values of Opportunity International.
- Written and verbal fluency in English and one local Ugandan language required. Must be able to attend & fully participate in meetings conducted in English.
- Position to be based in Mityana with frequent domestic travel up to 70% throughout project areas.
- International travel may be required 1-2 times per year for team meetings or cross-learning trips.
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
ABOUT AGFINANCE
Opportunity’s AgFinance model is structured to bring scalable and high-impact loans and training to rural families living in poverty to build thriving rural communities. AgFinance accomplishes this by building relationships with financial institutions to support the provision of tailored agricultural credit products and services to smallholders and agribusinesses while providing technology-enabled training and services directly to farmers.
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.
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