1. Position Purpose
The Business Finance Partnership (BFP) Manager is responsible for leading Digaf MFI’s funding, financial partnership, treasury, liquidity, and financing activities.
The position plays a key role in ensuring that Digaf maintains adequate and cost-effective funding to support lending operations, institutional growth, and strategic priorities. The Manager develops and maintains relationships with banks, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), investors, shareholders, and other funding partners while ensuring effective treasury and liquidity management.
The position provides the CFO with timely funding plans, liquidity forecasts, financing analyses, and management reports to support informed financial decision-making.
2. Key Duties and Responsibilities
A. Fund Mobilization & Financing
- Develop and implement Digaf MFI’s annual and medium-term funding strategy.
- Identify and mobilize funding through appropriate sources, including equity, borrowings, deposits, credit facilities, and other permissible financing instruments.
- Assess alternative funding sources based on cost, maturity, currency, risk, security requirements, and strategic suitability.
- Prepare financing proposals, business cases, financial information, and supporting documentation required by prospective funding partners.
- Participate in negotiation of financing terms and conditions in coordination with the CFO and relevant management.
- Maintain an updated funding pipeline and monitor progress against approved financing targets.
- Support diversification of Digaf’s funding sources to reduce funding concentration risk.
B. Financial Partnerships & Stakeholder Management
- Establish and maintain effective relationships with commercial banks, DFIs, investors, shareholders, development partners, and other financial institutions.
- Identify potential strategic financial partners and funding opportunities.
- Coordinate due diligence, information requests, financing discussions, and partner reporting requirements.
- Monitor compliance with financing agreements, covenants, and other contractual obligations.
- Maintain an up-to-date database of existing and prospective financial partners.
- Represent the Finance Department in funding and partnership discussions as delegated by the CFO.
C. Treasury & Liquidity Management
- Oversee day-to-day treasury and cash management activities.
- Monitor cash positions and ensure sufficient liquidity is available to meet operational and financial obligations.
- Prepare daily, weekly, monthly, and rolling liquidity forecasts.
- Recommend appropriate allocation of surplus funds in accordance with approved policies and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor maturity profiles of assets and liabilities and identify potential liquidity gaps.
- Support effective management of funding costs and liquidity risks.
- Coordinate banking relationships, bank account administration, and treasury services.
D. Financial Planning, Forecasting & Analysis
- Prepare funding forecasts aligned with Digaf's business plan, loan portfolio growth, deposit plans, and capital requirements.
- Conduct funding gap and liquidity scenario analyses.
- Analyze financing costs and their impact on profitability and sustainability.
- Provide management with analysis on funding mix, maturity structure, concentration, and cost of funds.
- Support budgeting and financial planning processes by providing funding and liquidity assumptions.
E. Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure financing and treasury activities comply with applicable National Bank of Ethiopia requirements, Digaf policies, contractual obligations, and approved authority limits.
- Monitor liquidity, funding concentration, refinancing, interest-rate, and other treasury-related risks.
- Maintain appropriate documentation and controls over financing and treasury transactions.
- Monitor compliance with lender and investor covenants and promptly escalate potential breaches.
- Coordinate with Risk, Compliance, Internal Audit, and other relevant functions on BFP-related matters.
- Facilitate internal, external, and regulatory audits relating to treasury, funding, and financial partnerships.
F. Reporting & Management Information
- Prepare periodic funding, treasury, liquidity, and partnership performance reports for the CFO.
- Provide accurate information for ALCO, Management, Board, and regulatory reporting as required.
- Maintain dashboards covering liquidity position, funding pipeline, financing costs, maturities, covenant compliance, and partner performance.
- Immediately escalate material liquidity, financing, or covenant risks to the CFO.
G. Team Leadership & Performance Management
- Lead, supervise, coach, and develop employees assigned to the BFP function.
- Establish individual performance targets aligned with departmental objectives.
- Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback.
- Promote accountability, professionalism, collaboration, integrity, and continuous improvement within the team.
- Identify staff development and capacity-building requirements.
- Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and business continuity arrangements within the function.