Programme Director - Agricultural Finance & Institutional Transformation

About the role

SkyQuest Technology Consulting is delivering a 24-month technical assistance programme to strengthen a national agricultural development finance institution in Nigeria, aiming to improve the mobilisation and deployment of finance to agricultural enterprises and organisations serving smallholder farmers, especially women and underserved producers. You will lead a multidisciplinary Technical Support Unit (TSU) and act as the main link between the Institution's CEO and executive management, the funding partner and specialist teams. The role is based in India with extended travel to Nigeria.

Key responsibilities

• Lead programme governance, planning, decision-making, escalation, risk and issue management, and phase-gate reviews.
• Manage a multidisciplinary team of specialist leads, set accountabilities, monitor delivery and review deliverables before submission.
• Act as principal counterpart to the Institution's CEO and executive management and main contact for the funding partner; lead executive validation sessions, strategic reviews and Board presentations (subject to CEO approval).
• Direct the institutional diagnostic, maturity assessment, prioritisation and resourced implementation plan.
• Integrate work across agricultural finance and credit risk, technology and data, agribusiness investment readiness, blended-finance capital mobilisation and climate finance.
• Oversee the design and testing of a multi-source financing facility, including capital structure, blended-capital architecture, documentation and mobilisation strategy.
• Ensure pilots are evidence-based, evaluated and refined for the benefit of smallholder-serving organisations.
• Lead performance management, MEL, quarterly reviews and the formal mid-term review.
• Oversee institutionalisation, capability transfer and handover of validated policies, tools, models, SOPs and operating arrangements.

Required profile

• Master's degree in Finance, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Business Administration or a related field.
• 16+ years in development finance, agricultural finance, financial-institution advisory or large-scale technical assistance programmes.
• Substantial hands-on experience in agricultural lending, credit appraisal, risk assessment and portfolio management.
• At least 8 years leading multidisciplinary teams on complex, multi-stakeholder programmes.
• Experience advising CEOs, executive committees and Boards of banks, DFIs or public financial institutions.
• Proven track record with development partners such as the World Bank Group, AfDB, FCDO or major foundations, and delivering institutional transformation programmes.

Required skills

• CFA, ACCA, ICAN, PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent is an advantage.
• Programme governance, integrated planning, risk management and results-based management.
• Sound understanding of DFI operating models and blended-finance instruments.
• Desirable: experience with Nigerian or Sub-Saharan African DFIs, financing facility design, MEL frameworks, gender-inclusive finance and smallholder impact measurement; knowledge of Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo.