Operations Manager – Dodore Rwanda Limited

Job Description

About Dodore Rwanda Limited

By 2050, the population of Africa is projected to have doubled. This means smallholder farmers who provide over 70% of food in Africa will have to increase their food production considerably on even smaller tracts of land. This means that farmers will need to use innovative solutions and technologies to increase their productivity. One of the solutions is timely access to financing options that serve them best. We, Dodore Rwanda Limited look to partner with main value chain actors using a market-led value chain approach to financing: we finance the farmer to increase production; finance the last mile input supplier to provide quality inputs to the farmer and the off-taker to buy efficiently from the farmer.

Dodore Rwanda Limited is a startup company in Rwanda. Dodore has developed and implemented a digital financial platform Agri-wallet in Kenya for the last two years and looks to expand into new markets, first being Rwanda.   In Kenya Agri-wallet is serving over 22,000 farmers, over 50 buyers and over 120 input suppliers and want to reach a few million farmers in Africa in the next 5 years.

We are young and pretty ambitious company and we are seeking to bring on board an equally ambitious, hands on and agile individual to take up the role of Operations Manager-Rwanda. This individual will be a pioneer in revolutionizing how small holder farmers access finance in Rwanda and will ensure Agri-wallet clients in Rwanda are well served.

The Operations Manager will be responsible for managing operations, develop business, managing the team and financial planning of all Agri-wallet activities in Rwanda. This involves taking responsibility for profit, revenue, cash and quality targets.

The Operations Manager job description involves a very high level of responsibility, autonomy and self-drive.  Some of the duties of an Operations Manager job include:

People Management:

• Anticipate and identify human capacity deficiencies and plan efficiently to manage the process of recruitment, selection and training of new staff.
• Supervise, coach and offer overall leadership to the team in Rwanda in terms of motivation, staff development and discipline.
• Evaluate and manage the performance of the country team by taking the lead in appraisals and job evaluations.

Finance:

• Manage the operational budget making sure to plan to keep expenditure within the stipulated budget.
• Preparing country financial reports on a regular basis to be shared with management.
• Review and approve staff operations expenditures (e.g. transport) and also assist in the review of quotes.
• Inform senior management timely of the risk of overspending and come up with ways to mitigate it.
• Maintain a healthy portfolio of clients’ finances and giving relevant on ground information to finance and risk management to mitigate excessive risk exposure.

Operations and Logistics:

• Formulation and implementation of SOPs and policies for the smooth operations of the company.
• Adapt the Agri-wallet business model to be culturally relevant in country without losing its identity.
• Pro-actively seek opportunities for improvement of systems, processes, services or products (platforms).
• Establish and maintain good relationships with partners, clients and other external partners.
• Maintain operational and customer service excellence in serving clients by keep a keen eye on details and zoom in and out seamlessly.
• Proactively identify gaps in operational processes and rectify them and when needed escalate to senior management for strategic direction.
• Review, approve and monitor the preparation and completion of team members’ work plans.
• Offer logistical and financial support to the team to be able to implement the work plans.
• The role is client facing and so daily contact with farmers is a big part of an Operations Manager’s job, therefore the ability to communicate effectively to different clients is essential.
• Produce business performance reports periodically on progress and development.
• Manage every aspect of our newly expanding operations in the country.

Business Development and Partnership management:

• Network effectively with local clients and develop strong professional relationships with clients and partners
• Conduct extensive research regarding the market and agricultural finance landscape in the country and advice management on possible strategies to consider.
• Identify, build and maintain good working relationships with new, existing and potential clients and partners while also strategizing and exploring on more business opportunities with them.
• Represent the company’s business development interests at relevant meetings, events, conferences etc. as relates to Dodore Rwanda’s strategic interests.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Microfinance, Business Administration, Agribusiness Management, Banking and Finance or any other relevant degree. A Master’s Degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• Minimum three years working for a bank, non-governmental organization, or a reputable international/national organization in the agriculture sector. Strong preference will be given to candidates with agricultural finance experience.
• Experience with mobile money, Agri-financial services and/or technology for development preferred;
• Excellent Computer, verbal and written communication skills, including report development, writing and editing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills at all levels, including people-management, leadership and networking skills.
• Highly pro-active and self-disciplined;
• Demonstrated analytical and problem solving skills with attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Demonstrated experience in project management and ability to deliver the highest standards of customer service.
• The ability to recruit and train staff and monitor performance.
• Should be able to communicate effectively in English, French and Kinyarwanda both written and verbal.

Success Factors:

The ideal candidate will have a curious mind for learning and understanding and a strategic thinker.

S/he will be an excellent communicator, communicating effectively to diverse people, from smallholder farmers to exporters/processors to potential partners.

S/he will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in ambiguous and unstructured situations and follow procedures.

S/he will have the ability to build and motivate a team with a positive attitude toward problem solving, team-building and capacity building of staff.

How to apply

APPLY ONLINE AT https://talentacquisition.rightseat.rw/recruit/Portal.na

Application deadline: October 25,2019