- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Agriculture, International Development, Economics, Marketing, Finance, or a related field.
- Minimum of 5 years of proven experience in business development, strategic partnerships, client relationship management, and revenue generation, preferably in agriculture, agritech, commodities, financial inclusion, or development-related sectors.
- Strong track record in building and managing high-value partnerships across agribusiness, financial institutions, NGOs, commodity ecosystems, and public or private sector stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to establish, grow, and maintain effective working relationships with business leaders, ecosystem actors, customers, and internal teams across multiple markets.
- Strong professional network relevant to Farmerline’s focus areas, especially in agriculture, cocoa, coffee, financial services, NGOs, and ecosystem partnerships. Candidates should be assessed not only on who they know, but also on how relevant, active, and usable those networks are for generating partnerships and revenue.
- Good working knowledge of the cocoa and coffee sectors across Africa, including crop calendars, value chain structures, key actors, commercial cycles, and regional market dynamics.
- Strong understanding of sustainability and compliance topics relevant to agricultural value chains, including child labour risks, premium payment structures, deforestation issues, and EUDR-related requirements. Candidates should be able to connect these issues to commercial opportunities and client needs.
- Good understanding of financial inclusion models in agriculture, including farmer profiling, KYC, digital payments, credit enablement, partnerships with financial institutions, and data-driven services that support farmer and SME financing.
- Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple opportunities, deadlines, and stakeholder relationships simultaneously.
- Excellent writing, presentation, and communication skills in English, including strong proposal development, concept note drafting, commercial writing, and budget preparation skills.
- Proven experience in client prospecting, opportunity shaping, negotiation, closing, and account growth, with a consistent ability to meet or exceed business development targets.
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, absorb new sector or product knowledge, and apply learning effectively in live business situations. This should be assessed through practical case discussions, role plays, or scenario-based exercises rather than relying only on interview answers.
- Strong adaptability and ability to work in fast-changing environments, including taking initiative, responding to ambiguity, and translating strategy into execution.
- Advanced proficiency in productivity tools and sales systems, including CRM platforms such as Pipedrive, as well as strong digital working habits.
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