The overall objective of the Micro-Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is to promote economic growth, employment creation, and poverty alleviation through support to enterprises. MESPT works with intermediaries that provide financial or business development services to improve the performance of enterprises. The aim is to strengthen financial intermediation in the sector.
Key Responsibilities
The Credit and Business Development Manager will oversee the FIYMA Loan Capital and drive portfolio strategy and development, alongside managing credit risk and partner relationships.
FIYMA Loan Capital Strategy, Growth & Portfolio Development
- Lead the design and implementation of the FIYMA Loan credit strategy in line with programme objectives, fund covenants, and partner financial inclusion models.
- Develop and maintain the FIYMA loan pipeline and disbursement plan to meet annual targets.
- Identify and onboard SACCOs and other financial intermediaries as eligible lending partners.
- Drive portfolio expansion while ensuring quality, target alignment, and sustainability of the revolving loan fund.
- Provide technical input into the structuring of scalable loan products suitable for youth-led and women-led agri-enterprises and MSMEs.
- Ensure compliance with MESPT and donor guidelines, policies, and procedures.
- Strengthen MESPT’s visibility and influence in financial inclusion and SME development.
Credit Underwriting & Approval Management
- Lead appraisal and underwriting of wholesale/partner loan facilities (and/or direct end-borrower lending where applicable).
- Conduct eligibility assessments for partner institutions, including governance, financial health, liquidity, controls, and credit management capacity.
- Ensure all lending proposals meet FIYMA credit policies, risk appetite, donor guidelines, and internal approval requirements.
- Prepare credit appraisal reports, credit memos, term sheets, and loan approval documentation for the relevant approval committees (i.e., IIC, MCC, and BOT).
- Ensure KYC compliance and adherence to sanctions screening requirements.
Partner Management & Business Development (BD)
- Proactively build and maintain strong partnerships with SACCO CEOs and credit teams, commercial banks, MFIs, and ecosystem players (aggregators, cooperatives, processors, input suppliers, county structures).
- Negotiate facility terms and performance commitments (pricing, repayment terms, reporting obligations, targets).
- Develop and implement a partner engagement plan including pipeline reviews, performance reviews, and joint growth planning.
- Identify strategic co-financing opportunities and guarantee instruments to scale outreach.
Portfolio Risk Management, Collections & Recovery Oversight
- Monitor portfolio performance and risk trends including PAR/NPL, restructures, arrears movement, recoveries, and write-offs.
- Develop and manage early warning indicators (EWIs) and credit monitoring tools for proactive portfolio management.
- Oversee partner collections performance, enforce corrective actions, and support structured recovery plans for delinquent facilities.
- Recommend restructuring, rescheduling, or enforcement actions as required in line with FIYMA guidelines and MESPT credit policy.
- Ensure adequate documentation and tracking of arrears management actions and loan status updates.
Credit Systems, MIS & Reporting
- Lead development of FIYMA Loan Fund credit dashboards and portfolio reporting (monthly/quarterly/annual).
- Maintain accurate loan documentation registers, facility tracking sheets, disbursement schedules, and repayment schedules.
- Collaborate with ICT teams to automate reporting pipelines (Power BI/Excel/SQL, as relevant).
- Submit timely and accurate reports to MESPT management, FIYMA PMU, and Mastercard Foundation, including disbursement status; portfolio quality; outreach against targets (youth, women, PWDs, refugees); and partner performance scorecards.
Compliance, Governance & Documentation Controls
- Ensure lending operations comply with programme agreements, Loan Capital governance procedures, and audit requirements.
- Maintain strong loan documentation standards: signed term sheets, security instruments, guarantees, covenants, and reporting clauses.
- Support internal/external audits by ensuring audit-ready credit files and clear approval trails.
- Ensure partner finance institutions comply with facility covenants, reporting timelines, and eligible portfolio definitions.
Capacity Building Support for Partner Institutions (Credit & BD Focus)
- In liaison with the Capacity Development Coordinator, identify credit capacity gaps among partner financial institutions and recommend targeted interventions.
- Oversee documentation of lessons learned, case studies, and success stories.
- Promote adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making.
- Ensure accountability and safeguarding mechanisms are operational and effective.
- Any other duties assigned by the Programme Director.
Key Deliverables
- Annual FIYMA Loan Fund pipeline plan and disbursement schedule.
- Approved partner onboarding documentation and facility appraisal reports.
- Monthly portfolio performance dashboards and partner scorecards.
- Partner engagement reports and pipeline review minutes.
- Arrears and recovery action plans and progress reports.
- Updated loan tracking tools and compliance.
Qualifications, Experience & Skills
Qualifications & Experience:
- BA/BSc/HND qualification.
- Minimum 7 years’ experience in credit management, lending, portfolio risk management, or business development in a bank/SACCO/MFI/development finance institution.
- At least 3 years in a supervisory/management role.
- Demonstrated experience in: credit underwriting and facility structuring; managing loan portfolio performance and recoveries; SME/agri/MSME finance and partner relationship management and institutional lending.
- Proven experience in programme design, donor reporting, and compliance.
Skills:
- Strong financial analysis, risk management, and portfolio oversight skills.
- Strong understanding of SACCO lending operations and credit systems is a strong advantage.
- Knowledge of governance frameworks, financial regulations, and cooperative sector dynamics in Kenya.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
- Strong report writing, presentation, and data analysis skills.
