Fund Management and Private sector Investment Advisor- FRESHWAY Project

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Background of the Project 

FRESHWAY is a four-year project that aims to strengthen Ethiopia’s fruit and vegetable agrologists system along the Arba Minch–Hawassa–Addis Ababa–Mojo corridor. It focuses on reducing postharvest losses, improving food safety, and attracting private investment in cold chain infrastructure, aggregation, and market linkages, in line with the national Postharvest Management Strategy and growing market demand.

The project combines policy reform, private sector support, aggregation hubs, and skills development to create a sustainable horticulture logistics ecosystem.

Key components include:

• Regulatory strengthening: Supporting the Ethiopian Agricultural Authority to improve food safety systems, including pesticide residue monitoring and the implementation of Ethio GAP standards.
• Market integration: Establishing private sector-led aggregation hubs to link farmers with markets, improve product quality, and increase incomes.
• Export promotion: Supporting selected farms and companies to access regional and international markets, including through the Mojo cool port.
• Capacity building: Enhancing agrologists training and workforce development through A-TVETs, focusing on cold chains, certification, and postharvest management.

Purpose of the Job

The advisor will establish and manage the Innovation Fund and grant scheme. The fund management, private sector  advisor, should hold a degree in agribusiness, agricultural economics, logistics, or a related field, with at least 3–5 years of experience in managing or supporting grants in agri-food systems. The candidate should demonstrate strong understanding of horticulture value chains and agrologists (including aggregation, cold chain, and transport), combined with experience in financial analysis, business plan assessment, and donor compliance. Strong analytical, reporting, and stakeholder coordination skills are essential

The Innovation Fund will be established and managed by FRESHWAY as part of the overall programme governance structure, ensuring full alignment with donor requirements, financial management procedures, and monitoring and reporting systems. FRESHWAY will be responsible for the design, launch, and administration of the fund, including the organisation of Calls for Proposals, due diligence processes, contracting, disbursement, and performance monitoring of supported companies. Appropriate internal controls and oversight mechanisms will be in place, including technical review, financial verification, and milestone tracking, to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective use of funds.

The fund will operate as a matching grant facility, aimed at de-risking innovation and catalysing private sector investment. Selected companies will co-invest alongside the fund, typically on a matching basis, ensuring strong ownership and commercial commitment. 

Support will be awarded through a competitive Call for Proposals process, targeting both early-stage innovators and more established companies piloting new technologies, business models, or service delivery approaches within the agri-food and agrologists system.

Disbursement of funds will be milestone-based, linked to clearly defined technical and commercial progress indicators (e.g. pilot implementation, rollout of services, or proof of business model viability). In addition to grant support, companies will receive targeted technical assistance to strengthen business models, investment readiness, and market integration. The fund is designed as a catalytic and temporary instrument, with the objective of enabling viable innovations to transition towards commercial financing and sustainable market uptake, rather than creating long-term dependency on grant funding.

In line with applicable donor regulations and state aid considerations, the Innovation Fund will not provide direct financial support to Dutch-registered companies or entities. Financial support will be exclusively targeted at eligible locally registered companies and value chain actors operating in Ethiopia. International (including Dutch) companies may be engaged as technology providers, service providers, or implementation partners where relevant, but will not receive grant funding from the facility. (Dutch) companies will instead be supported through targeted studies, market access facilitation, and the strengthening of market linkages, including connections to local partners and value chain actors. This approach ensures compliance with state aid rules while enabling the programme to leverage international expertise, technology, and market linkages in support of local private sector development.

A specific grant scheme will be developed targeting companies in the horticultural value chain. A financial needs assessment is conducted which will lead to tailored financial solutions for selected companies. Based on its findings, tailored financial products (e.g. blended finance products, derisking facilities, co-financing, guarantee facility) will be developed to effectively address these needs.

Key Responsibilities

Design & Operationalisation of the Innovation Fund and grant scheme

• Lead the full setup, operational design, and implementation of both schemes, ensuring alignment with the project’s objectives, donor compliance and Ethiopia’s horticulture context.
• Develop eligibility criteria, scoring frameworks, selection processes, disbursement protocols, milestones, and reporting templates for grantees

Technical & Business Capacity Support to Grantees

• Provide (or coordinate) technical assistance to grantees on business plan development and specific TA.

Technical Leadership in developing, implementing and monitoring PURE financial instruments

• Provide high-level technical advisory services on the deployment of financial instruments and their applications in supporting PURE solution providers, such as in solar-powered irrigation, cold storage, biodigesters/bioslurry and energy-efficient agro-processing.
• Lead business plan competitions, to identify PURE solutions which can be piloted under the Innovation Grant Facility.
• Support the development of business models and financing mechanisms to scale identified horti logistic solutions.

Gender, Youth & Social Inclusion in Innovation

• Ensure that innovation fund recipients intentionally target women, youth, and marginalised groups in access, affordability, and business participation.
• Embed inclusive design principles in product features, financing mechanisms, and distribution strategies.

Basic Qualifications: 

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Logistics, or a related field, with demonstrated knowledge of horticulture value chains and postharvest systems.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience with a Bachelor's degree is required. A Master's degree is preferred.
• Proven experience of a minimum of 3 years’ experience managing, implementing, and/or supervising financial instruments, including grant schemes targeting private sector.
• Demonstrated experience in managing EUR 1 million plus, innovation grant facilities, preferably in horticulture.
• Good knowledge of business principles and being able to develop business models and apply the business canvas.
• Working knowledge of agrologistics systems, including aggregation, cold storage, transport, and market linkages within horticulture value chains.
• Experience in evaluating business plans and supporting SMEs in accessing finance, with strong understanding of commercial viability in agri-food systems.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with experience in tracking grant performance, financial utilisation, and results against project indicators
• Good communication skills in English, both written and spoken, with excellent reporting facilitation and presentation skills.
• Excellent business analytical skills.
• Pro-active and solution driven.
• Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply

Competencies:

• Problem analysis
• Coaching
• Focus on quality
• Focus on quality
• Result orientation
• Persuasiveness

Additional Information

Contract Type: National

Expected start date: September 1,2026

Duty Station:  Arba Minch, Ethiopia

Contract Duration: The contract is for one year, with the possibility of extension based on performance and budget availability.

How to Apply
If you believe that your credentials meet the outlined profile, we invite you to apply by uploading your CV and a letter of motivation before/on the 16th of July 2026. Please submit your application only via Smart Recruiters. All information will be kept in the strictest confidentiality. 
If we see that your experience and skills match the requirements of the position, we will contact you to advise on the next steps in the recruitment process.

Working at SNV  
SNV offers a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit form and contribute to, an internal and global network of experts.

At SNV, inclusivity is at the heart of our ethos. We celebrate the diversity of our workforce and uphold a policy of non-discrimination based on factors such as disability status, religion, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, and more.

Vetting
SNV carries out rigorous background and reference checks concerning possible safeguarding incidents for all candidates applying for both national and International determined positions. As SNV participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a request to past employers to fill in a questionnaire regarding Misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment), the “Statement of Conduct". This Statement of Conduct adopts the definitions used in the Scheme.  

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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