Incentives are Aceli’s primary “product” and are used to unlock increased private sector lending to agricultural SMEs. The Product team manages the incentives program, ensuring that loans submitted by lenders are aligned with Aceli’s impact criteria and running Aceli’s quarterly incentive payments to lenders on the loans that qualify.
The Product Associate role covers two functions:
1) Supervising a group of loan review “Fellows” who will be responsible for the first review of loans submitted by lenders;
2) Contributing to other aspects of Aceli’s product operations, such as running quarterly payments, providing inputs on process improvements, and participating in User Acceptance Tests on Aceli’s tech platform.
The role will report to the Head of Product and is a full-time position with Aceli Kenya, a Company Limited by Guarantee registered under Kenyan law, and affiliated with Aceli Africa, a US nonprofit entity.
Key responsibilities:
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Supervise group of Fellows: Oversee the day-to-day management of a group of 4-6 loan review fellows (the target profile is recent university graduates) ensuring that they meet their daily KPIs and providing guidance on challenges they may encounter in delivering the work.
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Conduct QA on work of Fellows: Complete Quality Assurance on a sample of the loans reviewed by the fellows to ensure that their recommendations on eligibility meet Aceli’s criteria.
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Review loans: Review loan data submitted by participating lenders on the Aceli web platform to assess eligibility for financial incentives in line with the established Aceli guidelines, and make recommendations on which loans should be approved or rejected per Aceli’s criteria. (Note: these loans undergo a second/final review by more senior members of Aceli’s team).
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Support quarterly payments process: Support the Senior Associate on the Product team in running quarterly payments to lenders, performing verification of lender documents as well as expected vs. actual lender-level payments, and approving claims on Aceli’s platform for review by senior leadership.
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Provide input on process improvements: Keep track of trends that arise in the data from the loans being reviewed that could influence process or system changes for Aceli. Provide input on the operational considerations whenever called to do so.
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Participate in User Acceptance Tests: Be one of the primary individuals running user acceptance tests (1-2x per quarter) whenever technical changes are made to Aceli’s platform, and provide feedback to the developer.
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Contribute to lender trainings – online or in person, in any of the markets where Aceli operates in East and Southern Africa. These trainings cover Aceli’s criteria for the eligibility of loans, as well as the process for submitting loans on Aceli’s platform.
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Support ad-hoc analyses for internal use.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in finance, accounting, agricultural or general economics
- 3 to 7 years of professional experience
- Experience managing a team of junior staff in a data entry / micro-outsourcing or in a customer service or call center environment
- Keen attention to detail
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel
- Strong verbal communication skills and fluency in English
- Excellent time management and prioritization skills
- Customer orientation
- Personal commitment to having a positive impact on farmer livelihoods and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Aceli Africa is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Interested candidates should submit a one-page cover letter, expressing their interest and qualifications for the role, along with an updated CV by Friday, October 4th, 2024.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Only Kenyan nationals are eligible to apply.
