Head of Advisory, Africa

About Us

Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. At the same time, they face increasingly urgent challenges, from volatile crop prices to extreme weather.

Root Capital is a social impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises so that they can transform rural communities. We work with enterprises in the “missing middle” of agricultural finance: those whose credit needs are too big for microfinance and too small or risky for commercial banks.

Since 1999, we have loaned over $1.9B to more than 800 businesses and we have trained more than 1,800 ones—improving the lives of 10 million people. As these agricultural businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for their local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, uplifting women and young people, preserving vulnerable ecosystems, and building rural prosperity.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital currently works in a dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and has staff in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.

Proud winner of the 2024 SCA Sustainability Award for Non-Profits. Learn more here.

Position Overview

The Advisory department provides customized capacity strengthening services along our impact pathways in areas including climate action, gender equity, bankability, and jobs for the next generation. Advisory is critical to achieving the organization’s mission of building prosperous rural communities through our credit and capacity model.

The Head of Advisory, Africa, integrates the capacities of a team of area experts, Coordinators, logistical powerhouses, Associates, and indirectly manages a team of 40+ advisors across multiple countries in Africa, who deliver direct services to rural agribusinesses. Leadership of this critical client-facing team coordinates and aligns with the broader Client Service department, specifically Lending and Business Development, to ensure effective design, planning, provision, and evaluation of integrated Advisory services that differentiate Root Capital from other impact investors and technical assistance providers.

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose

Advisory Management (70%)

• Oversee the planning, execution, and monitoring of regional Advisory activities in accordance with the organizational strategy, donor commitments, innovation priorities and available budget.
• Bridge specialist capacities, financial resources, client needs, external commitments, and internal inputs within Advisory and across teams (i.e., Risk, Impact) to create an effective internal operating system and as a result, impactful client service.
• Lead knowledge management activities within Africa Advisory that stimulate dialogue across different strategic areas, for example, our Learning Agenda, on best practices and challenges to sustain relevance and innovation.

Engagement

Partnerships, Fundraising & Thought Leadership (15%)

• Collaborate with team members in pursuing innovative approaches which advance the program and align with strategy, including mentoring and offering regular feedback to direct reports on performance, goals, their work plan, professional growth and learning opportunities.
• Network across Root Capital both regionally and globally, to build collaborative relationships as well as with local implementing partners, agribusiness networks, and investors/donors (as required) to develop robust proposals and execute quality services.
• Represent Advisory to internal and external stakeholders to build the organization’s reputation, contribute to strategic direction and process, thought leadership around evidence of impact, learning and positioning in the region.

Delivery

Monitoring, Reporting, and Quality Assurance (15%)

• Plan the effective execution of the regional advisory activities and related budget to meet strategic targets and priorities with minimal variance.
• Identify deviations, develop corrective actions, and proactively communicate on the same regarding plan and budget execution to Grants Management, Finance and Advisory Leadership in a timely fashion.
• Organize direct delivery of services by ensuring alignment with and adherence to global quality standards, administrative process, internal policy (i.e., accounting, procurement), donor commitments and responsible stewardship of resources.
• Craft mechanisms of effective collaboration and feedback loops within Advisory, Client Services and other departments like Strategy, Innovation, Impact, and Risk, at regional and global levels to design and deliver a unified service to agribusinesses.
• Integrate best practices within Africa Advisory that are shared across the organization and contribute to global learning exchanges, knowledge management and continued improvement across Advisory to drive a sustainable, scalable model for replication.

Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 10 to 15 years of experience in training methodologies and coordination of workgroups, with an emphasis on financial training for rural companies. Previous work-related to small- and medium-sized rural businesses.
• Degree in Finance, Business Administration and Development studies. Masters in business administration (MBA), development or related area or equivalent experience desirable
• Work experience with groups of small-scale producers in the Africa region, especially in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. Knowledge of the regional context in the financial sphere.
• Direct experience in the management of projects or initiatives in Africa, preferably in the areas of social entrepreneurship, impact investing, finance education and training, impact monitoring and reporting.
• English fluency required, Kiswahili, French, Kinyarwanda, Spanish a plus.
• Enthusiasm and experience coordinating and motivating teams in a multicultural environment; experience in a global and multi-location work environment is highly desired.
• Committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion and embracing transparency and authenticity in daily work life.
• Proactive approach to problem-solving with demonstrated decision-making capabilities.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to a dynamic environment.
• Experience working and communicating in a remote environment.
• Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
• Flexible to travel within rural areas of Africa.
• Passionate about Root Capital mission.
• Authorized to work in Kenya, Rwanda, or Uganda

Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of accountability, empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.