Program Manager at Equity Bank Tanzania

Job Title: Program Manager
Position Grade / Job Level: Senior Manager / Manager
Reports Into: Head of Agriculture
Function / Department: Commercial
Subsidiary: Equity Bank Tanzania

1.0 About Equity Bank Tanzania

Equity Bank (T) Limited is a subsidiary of Equity Group Holdings PLC, a Pan-African Financial Services Group with operations in six countries namely:

• Kenya
• Rwanda
• DRC
• Uganda
• Tanzania
• South Sudan

The Group also has ambitions to expand its footprint to a further six countries by 2030.

The scope of business cuts across:

• Banking
• Insurance
• Technology
• Social Enterprise

The business model is underpinned by Social, Economic and Sustainability engines (Tri-Engine Model) that capacitate value chains sustainably and support communities.

Purpose:
"Transforming lives, giving dignity, and expanding opportunities for wealth creation."

Vision:
"To be the champion of the socio-economic prosperity of the people of Africa."

Mission Values (PICTURE):

• Professionalism
• Integrity
• Creativity & Innovation
• Teamwork
• Unity of Purpose
• Respect
• Effective Corporate Governance

The Group's strategic ambitions are articulated in the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP).

2.0 The Role Purpose

The Senior Program Manager will provide strategic leadership in implementing and scaling Food and Agriculture projects across Tanzania.

The role is responsible for mobilizing and supporting thousands of:

• Smallholder farmers
• Youth
• Women
• Ag-MSMEs

through transformative interventions that drive:

• Financial inclusion
• Productivity
• Market access

The Senior Program Manager will serve as a key pipeline builder for Equity Bank Tanzania, ensuring robust beneficiary acquisition and integration into sustainable agri-food ecosystems.

3.0 Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic design, implementation, and monitoring of large-scale agribusiness and food systems programs, ensuring alignment with EBTL's national and regional objectives.
• Mobilize, recruit, and conduct sensitization forums for target participants, partners, and value chain actors, including smallholder farmers and Ag-MSMEs, with a focus on youth and women.
• Oversee the enrolment of targeted beneficiaries into Equity Bank and related financial products, ensuring achievement of project-set targets and timelines.
• Deliver advanced training on:
  • Financial education
  • Agribusiness management
  • Good agricultural practices
  • Climate-smart agriculture
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Adoption of digital technologies and mechanization
• Support farmers and other value chain actors to improve:
  • Technical skills
  • Financial skills
  • Entrepreneurial skills
  in order to increase productivity and profitability.
• Facilitate access to Equity Bank's financial services and support beneficiaries in utilizing bank products and services according to their financial needs.
• Organize and coordinate regular:
  • Farmer group meetings
  • Mentoring sessions
  • Coaching activities
  to enhance capacity, track project interventions, and promote ecosystem participation.
• Respond to farmer queries on agribusiness and financial services, supporting informed decision-making and business growth.
• Prepare comprehensive:
  • Weekly reports
  • Monthly reports
  • Quarterly reports
  for senior management, including analytical and critical data for program monitoring and evaluation.
• Organize, coordinate, and execute project activities including:
  • Field days
  • Exchange visits
  • Value chain meetings
  as per the project work plan and targets.
• Represent EBTL in agriculture engagements with:
  • Equity staff
  • Local partners
  • Stakeholders
  at branch and national levels.
• Collaborate with the monitoring and evaluation team to:
  • Collect high-quality data
  • Track program impact
  • Ensure timely reporting on commercial and program targets
• Undertake any other business activities as required by organizational needs.

4.0 Core Accountabilities and Deliverables

Financial

• Combined revenue in:
  • Deposits
  • Loans
  • Income
  • Client accounts
  • Portfolio at Risk (PAR) metrics
• Support growth of Food & Agriculture loans and deposit portfolios within the region.
• Ensure strong and sustainable agribusiness pipeline development through advisor-led interventions.
• Number of:
  • Farmers reached/trained
  • MSMEs reached
  • Ecosystems onboarded
  • Partners activated
• USD secured in:
  • Grant funding
  • Derisking facilities
  • Blended finance instruments
  • Guarantees
• Number of funding and strategic formal partnerships.

People

• Team size:
  • Up to 13 staff members
  • Up to 5 direct reports
  • 1–3 matrix reports

Processes

• Pillar procedures and policies.
• Audit and compliance requirements.
• Adoption and adherence to all EBTL:
  • Policies
  • Procedures
  • Regulations
  • Code of Conduct

Systems

• ERP
• PowerApps

Customers / Clients

• Smallholder farmers
• Farmer groups
• Cooperatives
• Agribusiness MSMEs
• Anchor partners
• Off-takers
• Value chain actors

5.0 Key Decisions Made by the Job Holder (Not Recommendations) and How Often

• Identification of strategic partners and escalation of programme risks.
• Approve weekly Regional Manager activity plans and partner onboarding decisions (weekly).
• Allocate regional budgets across counties and interventions (monthly).
• Authorize field training schedules and demonstration events (bi-weekly).
• Sign off monthly and quarterly regional reports and data submissions to national M&E (monthly/quarterly).

6.0 Complexity Expected in the Role

High degree of complexity involving:

• Multiple internal counterparts
• Multiple external counterparts
• Several countries
• Cross-functional responsibilities
• Team management
• Program design and execution
• Stakeholder relationship management
• Partnership management

7.0 Critical Relationships / Stakeholders / Contacts

A: Internal

• Own Team
• Commercial Units in the Banking Subsidiaries
• Shared / Support Service Units
• Executive Committee (ExCo)
• Board

B: External

• Funding partners
• Farmers
• MSMEs
• Farmer organization leadership
• Private sector agriculture ecosystems

8.0 Key Technical Skills & Leadership Competencies

• Ability to evaluate and solve complex challenges at enterprise level.
• Proficiency in:
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis
  • Reporting using statistical software
  • Agricultural technology such as:
    • GPS
    • GIS
    • Farm management systems
• Experience in developing and implementing agribusiness development programs that enhance market access and profitability.
• Strong skills in facilitating connections between:
  • Farmers
  • Processors
  • Distributors
  • Markets
• Proven track record in providing business development services to MSMEs, including:
  • Financial analysis
  • Business planning
  • Market access facilitation
• Excellent:
  • Communication skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Negotiation skills
• Experience in:
  • Creating digital training programs
  • Delivering digital training programs
  • Leveraging digital tools for program delivery
• Proficient in:
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint

9.0 Experience Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in agribusiness program management.
• At least 5 years in senior leadership roles such as:
  • Leading large-scale projects
  • Managing multi-million USD budgets
  • Overseeing national and regional program portfolios
• Extensive practical experience in:
  • Agricultural production
  • Agricultural management
  • Sustainable agriculture implementation
  • Climate-smart agriculture implementation
• Deep understanding of:
  • Agronomic principles
  • Seed selection
  • Fertilizer application
  • Irrigation management
  • On-farm demonstrations
• Strong experience in MSME development including facilitating access to:
  • Microfinance
  • Credit guarantee schemes
  • Government grants
• Experience in:
  • Planning agricultural development projects
  • Implementing agricultural development projects
  • Monitoring agricultural development projects

10.0 Academic Qualifications and Certifications

• Advanced university degree in:
  • Agriculture
  • Agribusiness Management
  • Agricultural Economics
  • Related field
• Business or finance courses with agriculture program exposure will be an added advantage.
• Highly motivated and results-oriented professional with at least 10 years of progressive experience in:
  • Agribusiness
  • Agricultural production
  • MSME development
  • Extension services
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  • Agronomic principles
  • Agribusiness management
  • Market linkages
  with a proven ability to drive sustainable growth and innovation.
• Proven track record in:
  • Conducting farmer training
  • Conducting MSME training
  • Developing business plans
  • Facilitating access to finance
  • Facilitating access to markets for smallholder farmers and Ag-MSMEs
• Commitment to empowering rural communities and fostering economic development through sustainable agricultural practices.