About This Role
This role positions you as a strategic bridge between small-scale enterprises and financial systems in a multi-country development context. As Access to Finance Manager, you will not just facilitate loans but design and implement financial inclusion pathways for nano and micro businesses, with a sharp focus on underserved youth and women in rural Kenya. It suits a professional who thrives on translating complex development goals into tangible, on-the-ground financial solutions, combining economic consulting rigor with grassroots impact.
What the Requirements Say About This Role
The emphasis on 5–8 years of senior experience signals a need for someone who has moved beyond theory into proven execution of financial inclusion programs. You are expected to possess a blend of credit risk analysis, stakeholder management, and program design skills, likely with a background in microfinance, development finance, or agri-business lending. The requirement implicitly demands fluency in navigating both donor expectations and local financial institution realities, as well as the ability to manage teams across dispersed rural and peri-urban locations.
How to Approach This Application
In your application, lead with concrete examples of how you have improved access to finance for nano or micro enterprises, particularly for women and youth in low-infrastructure settings. Highlight any experience with multi-country or multi-donor programs, as this role is part of a larger consortium initiative. Emphasize your ability to build trust with informal sector clients and negotiate terms with local banks or microfinance institutions—this is more valued than generic financial analysis credentials.
Who This Role Suits
This role is ideal for a seasoned development finance professional who enjoys operational fieldwork as much as strategic thinking, and it is likely to be moderately competitive, attracting candidates from international NGOs, microfinance networks, and economic consulting firms in East Africa.
ABOUT FC Africa
FC Africa is a leading economic development consulting firm established in 2006, implementing high-impact programs across agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors in Ethiopia and beyond. FC combines deep local context understanding with strong execution capability to deliver measurable outcomes in job creation, enterprise growth, investment mobilization, and inclusive economic development.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
FC Africa is currently exploring participation as implementing partner in an upcoming multi-country program focused on enterprise development, access to finance, and inclusive job creation across selected African markets. The initiative is expected to target nano and micro enterprises, with a strong emphasis on youth and women, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas in green economy. FC Africa will play a central role in program design, coordination, and oversight, working with a network of local partners to deliver scalable and impactful interventions. The program is anticipated to adopt a market-driven and ecosystem-based approach, integrating enterprise support, financial inclusion, and skills development to drive sustainable livelihoods and economic resilience.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Kenya Access to Finance Manager will lead and coordinate access to finance interventions under the new program in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. The position will be responsible for strengthening access to finance for nano and micro enterprises, particularly youth- and women-led green enterprises operating in rural and peri-urban areas across three countries.
The Manager will work closely with SACCOs, MFIs, banks, digital finance providers, cooperatives, aggregators, anchor buyers, and ecosystem actors to improve enterprise finance readiness, facilitate market-based financing solutions, and strengthen enterprise access to working capital and productive green technologies.
The role will contribute to the programme’s objective of creating dignified and fulfilling green jobs for youth through integrated enterprise support, green upgrading, market linkage, and financial inclusion pathways.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the implementation and coordination of access to finance interventions under the new program in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda.
- Support finance readiness assessments for nano and micro enterprises.
- Facilitate linkages between enterprises and SACCOs, MFIs, banks, and digital finance providers.
- Support enterprises to access supplier credit, lease-to-own arrangements, and value-chain financing opportunities.
- Work with enterprise support teams to integrate finance facilitation into Green Opportunity Linkage pathways.
- Support women- and youth-led enterprises to improve access to appropriate green finance products and services.
- Coordinate with ecosystem actors including county governments, cooperatives, TVETs, and anchor buyers to strengthen enterprise financing and market systems.
- Support the identification and development of innovative green finance solutions tailored to nano and micro enterprises operating in priority green sectors.
- Engage and maintain relationships with financial institutions, SACCOs, private sector actors, and ecosystem partners to strengthen enterprise financing pathways.
- Support enterprise segmentation and finance readiness processes aligned with differentiated support pathways for nano and micro enterprises.
- Contribute to the development of partnerships with anchor buyers, aggregators, and lead market actors that improve enterprise sustainability and bankability.
- Support monitoring, documentation, and reporting of access to finance interventions, lessons learned, and enterprise financing outcomes.
- Coordinate with MERL and programme teams to ensure finance-related indicators and Youth in Work outcomes are accurately tracked and reported.
- Track enterprise finance uptake and contribute to programme reporting and performance monitoring.
- Support partnerships with financial institutions and community-based savings structures to strengthen financial inclusion and enterprise growth.
- Participate in programme learning, adaptive management, ecosystem coordination, and cross-country knowledge sharing activities.
- Collaborate with consortium partners and programme stakeholders to strengthen integrated enterprise support delivery.
Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor.
Reporting
- Reports to Regional Program Director
Required Skills, Qualifications and Experience
Education: Minimum MBA/ MSc (in Economics, Finance, Management or other related fields) is an advantage.
Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience in financial sector/ Development works and advisory services
Understanding of the Ethiopian Financial Sector and MSMEs Eco-system
Strong command of English and Amharic languages
Competency in MS Office are required
- Experience working with nano & micro enterprises in developing markets
- Experience supporting green finance and climate-related investment readiness
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills (government, private sector, development partners
How To Apply
FC Africa invites qualified candidates to apply. Interested applicants should submit an updated CV and a one-page cover letter to [email protected]. Applicants must indicate the position title “Access to Finance Manager- Kenya based” in the subject line of their email
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Access to Finance Manager- Kenya based
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