Manager, EXDE (SME Incubation & Capacity Building) HQ

About Afreximbank African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade.

For 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries to effectively participate in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion. The Bank disbursed more than US$104 billion between 2016 and 2023. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure, (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

The overarching objective of this role is to facilitate the provision of structured non-financial interventions to African SMEs and Financial Intermediaries under the Bank’s Export SME Development Programme (ESDP). The ESDP is focused on integrating export-oriented SMEs into global value chains by facilitating access to finance, skills development (through capacity building) and market access to SMEs in priority sectors (including Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Creatives, Women and Youth)

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the annual ESDP capacity building plan, covering all non-financial aspects of the Bank’s SME Development programme

• Establish and manage relationships with technical partners that support the delivery of capacity building / market access initiatives to African SMEs under the ESDP.

• Implement the framework for deploying Technical Assistance (T.A) to financial intermediaries under the ESDP

• Build partnerships with other development partners and mobilize funding (and other resources) to support capacity building and market access initiatives under the ESDP

• Build and manage monitoring processes that track the development impact of capacity building and market access interventions under the ESDP

• Conceptualize and implement targeted programs and export readiness workshops for SMEs in priority sectors including Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Automotives, Creatives, Climate etc

• Provide additional value to African SMEs through mutually beneficial partnerships with internal stakeholders including the Africa Trade Gateway, Africa Quality Assurance Centres (AQACs), Africa Buyer Programme, and Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF) amongst others

• Understand and adhere to the Bank's AML, Regulatory and Conduct Compliance policies and procedures, notably [insert reference to Afreximbank Compliance agreement policy document

• Report any suspicious or non-compliant activities or matters relating to the Bank’s staff or the customers to the Compliance Department.

• Complete the Annual Compliance Training/Assessment.

• Any other duties as may be assigned by the Head of Department

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum Qualifications

• Relevant bachelor’s and master’s degree or professional qualification in lieu of master’s degree.

Years & Nature of Experience

• Sound experience of at least 8 years with a leading financial institution

• Familiarity with the financial and non-financial barriers to SME trade including access to finance, access to markets, limited technical capacity and policy constraints

• Ability to communicate and function in a culturally diverse and change oriented setting

• Ability to meet senior officials of banks, corporates and governments and win their confidence

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of the Bank's other working languages is an added advantage

• Willingness to travel extensively and to work long hours where required in order to achieve the Bank's objectives.

• Demonstrated leadership capabilities, including ability to organize and manage human resources to attain goals.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Experienced professional managing processes, coordinating resources, and producing technical material.

• Acts as a subject matter expert within own area, providing technical guidance to colleagues across Afreximbank Group while maintaining required integrity.

• Coaches, motivates and mentors junior colleagues. May have formal line management responsibilities for a limited number of junior professionals and clerical staff.

• Identifies and addresses training needs for the team, including preparing and delivering training programs as directed by senior management.

• Proactively builds and manages effective working relationships and networks both internally and (where relevant) externally at different organizational levels to support project outcomes.

• Influences decisions at functional level and may support external negotiations.

• Sharing complex technical information to diverse audiences in a clear and concise manner for purposes of driving results and promote a learning culture.

• Solves more complex non-routine problems based on sound critical analysis, technical knowledge and prior experience, whilst considering the potential long-term consequences and benefits of different courses of action.

• Acts with flexibility as a first escalation point for technical issues encountered by junior colleagues.

• Impacts own function by managing a specific area or sub-function, sometimes inputting to functional strategy and policies and providing technical guidance across the organization.

• Has a substantial understanding of Afreximbank Group’s products and services and how own area contributes to Afreximbank Group’s values and mission.

• Has good knowledge of the Continent and African Diaspora’s political, economic and trade landscape and is able to offer well informed opinions on the subject internally and to external counterparts.

• Identifies practical ways in which Afreximbank Group’s values and mission can be cascaded to junior colleagues and external parties.

• Commitment to Africa and supporting the emancipation and empowerment of Africans

Key Attributes

• Uncompromising integrity
• Passion for Learning and Drive
• Teamwork
• Trust and Respect for the Individual
• Innovation, Excellence and Flexibility
• Professionalism and Responsiveness

KEY INTERACTIONS

• Digital Business
• AU Relations & Trade Policy
• Creative Africa Nexus
• Trade Facilitation & Investment Promotion
• Capacity Building Partners
• Export Oriented SMEs
• Development Partners / Donor Organisations