Finance Innovation Manager– Africa
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Job summary
KickStart seeks a Financing Innovations Lead to spearhead the development, testing, and scaling of financing models that make irrigation technologies accessible to smallholder farmers
Min Qualification:
Bachelors
Experience Level:
Mid level
Experience Length:
7 years
Job descriptions & requirements
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Travel: Up to 30% travel across KickStart priority countries in Africa
Time Frame: 12-month fixed-term contract with potential conversion pathway.
Reports to: President & Chief Operating Officer
About KickStart International
KickStart International is a nonprofit social enterprise helping millions of smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa lift themselves out of poverty. We design and deliver innovative, low-cost irrigation pumps, tools, and training that enable farming families to grow year-round, earn more income, and build resilience against droughts and floods.
Position Overview
KickStart seeks a Financing Innovations Lead to spearhead the development, testing, and scaling of financing models that make irrigation technologies accessible to smallholder farmers. This role owns the end-to-end design of financing mechanisms—from early concept through field testing to strategic scale-up.
You'll work directly with MFIs, SACCOs, banks, cooperatives, agribusinesses, and last-mile extension agents to build a robust pipeline of financing pilots and translate evidence into an organization-wide financing strategy. This role requires strong financial product-design skills, deep understanding of smallholder economics, and ability to work across diverse markets. As irrigation financing is an emerging field, we need someone with a creative, experimental mindset who can design solutions beyond conventional microfinance.
Key Responsibilities
1. Financing Strategy & Model Development
• Build KickStart's financing innovation roadmap for different farmer segments and value chains
• Design and structure diverse financial products: revolving funds, microfinance loans, value-chain financing, lease-to-own solutions, and blended-finance mechanisms
• Model customer economics, repayment scenarios, and partner incentives to ensure commercial viability and farmer affordability
• Apply creative problem-solving to build financing models that respond to farmer realities
• Guide leadership on strategic trade-offs, investments, and scale potential of different solutions
• Collaborate with Country Directors, Sales, Product, and Impact teams to integrate financing into strategies
2. Pilot Design, Testing & Iteration
• Lead full lifecycle of financing pilots across Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and other priority countries
• Develop pilot concepts, budgets, implementation plans, risk frameworks, and learning agendas
• Support country teams through launch, implementation, and troubleshooting
• Synthesize evidence to refine models and inform scale-up decisions
3. Partnership Development & Ecosystem Engagement
• Build relationships with financial service providers, cooperatives, and market actors
• Co-create financing programs with partners and negotiate operational terms
• Embed financing into value chains and last-mile distribution systems
• Represent KickStart in agricultural finance and financial inclusion forums
4. Data, Evidence & Portfolio Economics
• Develop monitoring frameworks for financing pilots and partner portfolios
• Analyze repayment performance, default rates, customer behavior, and adoption dynamics
• Produce actionable insights that shape KickStart's financing strategy
• Document models with strong evidence bases and build replication toolkits
Success Metrics (12-24 months)
• Launch and manage multiple high-quality financing pilots across priority countries
• Establish strong partnerships with financial institutions and value-chain actors
• Produce evidence and economic models guiding KickStart's financing scale strategy
• Deliver roadmap for replicable, scalable financing solutions
Qualifications
Required:
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, business, agricultural economics, or related field
• 7-10 years experience designing/managing financial products in emerging markets
• Direct experience with MFIs, SACCOs, banks, or agribusiness financial programs
• Demonstrated ability to design, test, and iterate inclusive-finance models
• Strong skills in financial modeling, unit economics, risk assessment, and portfolio analysis
• Rural market experience and comfort with field work
• Track record of launching pilots that generated actionable learning
Preferred:
• Master's degree in relevant field
• Experience in smallholder agriculture, value-chain finance, embedded finance, or climate-smart financing
• Experience working across multiple African markets
Key Competencies:
• Entrepreneurial thinker who enjoys testing, learning, and iterating
• Strong analytical and financial-design capabilities
• Ability to understand farmer cashflow cycles and design appropriate products
• Clear communicator across diverse stakeholder groups
• Skilled partnership-builder navigating complex institutions
• Strong project management and coordination abilities
• High integrity with commitment to farmer-centered financing
Compensation: Competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience
To Apply: Submit resume and cover letter to hr@kickstart.org by January 15, 2025
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