Business Manager

1\. Centralized Cross-Project BDS Support

Serve as the primary, organizational-wide focal point providing technical expertise on business development across the entire Farm Africa Kenya project portfolio.

Develop and drive implementation of Farm Africa Agribusiness strategy.

Actively collaborate with external implementing partners and internal Farm Africa Project Managers to troubleshoot, refine, and advance their specific BDS project components.

Ensure organization-wide consistency and quality control by overseeing all decentralized BDS activities, making sure they align with international best practices and institutional frameworks.

Coordinate internal resource sharing, ensuring that competent technical staff and short-term consultants are efficiently sourced and deployed to support BDS components across various active assignments.

2\. Project Design & Resource Mobilization

Lead the technical conceptualization and design of Business Development Services (BDS) interventions for all new grants, active projects, and upcoming consultancies.

Actively contribute to resource mobilization and proposal writing to ensure relevant Farm Africa pipeline submissions feature strong, competitive, and actionable enterprise engagement opportunities.

Explore blended finance opportunities and ensure integration within programmes to enhance financial leveraging.

3.Curriculum Development & Institutional Capacity Building

Design, standardize, and maintain a centralized repository of viable BDS models, training curriculum's, tools, and templates for use across all applicable Farm Africa interventions.

Provide continuous coaching, mentorship, and capacity-building support to implementing partners and project teams on enterprise development and market access.

Support project-level Business Support Advisors in diagnosing technical, managerial, governance, and financial capacity gaps within targeted small and medium enterprises.

4\. Catalyst & Catalytic Fund Management

Facilitate, direct, and oversee the implementation of centralized and project-specific Catalytic Funds (including revolving funds and challenge funds).

Develop financial disbursement systems, selection criteria, due diligence policies, and risk-mitigation reporting processes to optimize fund deployment for SME/MSME growth.

5\. SME/MSME Support & Business Performance Monitoring

Support project teams in supervising enterprise establishment, growth strategies, and market integrations for targeted MSMEs and SMEs.

Oversee periodic organizational "health checks", diagnostic reviews, and annual Organizational Capacity Assessment Tools (OCAT) across portfolio enterprises to systematically evaluate growth and correct underperformance.

Develop, review Enterprise Capacity Assessment Tools (ECAT) and take lead in conducting enterprise and market assessments to identify gaps, emerging trends and opportunities.

6\. Data Collection, Monitoring & Learning

Design and deploy standardized data collection tools to identify operational delivery gaps and harmonize information gathering across all active project sites.

Partner with the Head of MEL to finalize business performance indicators, compile comprehensive quarterly reports featuring data visualizations (graphs/charts), and extract cross-project evidence-based learning.

7\. Networking, Representation & Compliance

Represent Farm Africa, its partner networks, and central BDS interests at high-level industry networking events, government coordination forums, and donor meetings.

8.Line Management & team management

Provide leadership, mentorship and inspiration to BDS teams. Build a values-based working environment and support project staff skills development.

Set objectives for BDS teams, hold in-person supervision sessions to discuss progress against their personal development objectives and work targets and carry out in-person annual appraisals in line with Farm Africa policies and procedures.

Actively recognise and encourage strong performance from team members, deal with any poor performance effectively and promptly in line with Farm Africa policies and procedures,

Actively seek feedback on own performance and effectiveness from BDS team members, project staff and country and project teams.

9.Reporting and Compliance Requirements

Directly engage in report writing as well as provide support in reviewing project reports.

Develop and manage annual, quarterly and monthly work plans and its associated budgets, in compliance with both donor and Farm Africa’s requirements.

Ensure adherence to Farm Africa’s management processes and tools, including the quarterly reviews of the Project Management Tool and the bi-annual Project Performance Reviews.

Review monthly Budget Monitoring Reports and provide sound explanation on variances; develop plans to address potential significant variances and report on implementation progress.

Develop, coordinate review of, and submit high quality donor narrative and financial reports on time. PERSON SPECIFICATION

Degree level in relevant subject (executive business management, finance, agricultural economics, agribusiness etc.)

Masters or other post-graduate qualification in relevant subject (executive business management, finance, agricultural economics, MBA etc.) is desirable

Extensive knowledge of the agribusiness sector in East Africa

Excellent knowledge of East African trade and export regulations

Detailed knowledge of global best practice and new developments in agricultural market engagement is desirable