Project Manager - Access to Finance & Agricultural Investment

About the role

CRS Afghanistan is recruiting a Project Manager to lead agricultural access-to-finance interventions under its Resilient Rural Livelihoods portfolio. The role expands commercially sustainable finance for farmers, producer organizations, agribusinesses, SMEs, processors and traders along priority agricultural value chains, using a Market Systems Development approach. It works through partnerships with financial institutions, guarantee facilities and investment funds, and emphasizes private-sector engagement, value-chain finance, Sharia-compliant financing and financial inclusion. The position is contingent on donor funding.

Key responsibilities

• Lead assessments of agricultural finance constraints, financing opportunities and investment needs across priority value chains, agribusinesses and producer organizations.
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline of agribusinesses, SMEs, producers and traders ready to access repayable finance.
• Design and oversee finance-readiness interventions such as business diagnostics, financial record strengthening, cash-flow analysis, investment planning and business case development.
• Set up referral mechanisms linking finance-ready businesses with banks, MFIs, ACGF, IFC-supported initiatives and other financing facilities.
• Collaborate with financial institutions and partners to align investment opportunities with financing pathways, products and risk-mitigation mechanisms.
• Support value-chain finance, embedded finance, supplier credit, buyer pre-financing and aggregation finance.
• Help agribusinesses and farmers improve financial literacy and understand commercial financing requirements.
• Coordinate pipeline reviews, portfolio learning and performance assessments, and build partnerships with banks, MFIs, investors, donors and government agencies.
• Ensure women, youth, returnees and marginalized groups are included in financing opportunities.

Required profile

• Master's degree in finance, agricultural economics, business administration, economics, development finance or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in agricultural finance, SME finance, rural finance, investment promotion or private-sector development.
• Demonstrated experience with financial institutions, guarantee facilities, agricultural investment programs or blended finance initiatives.
• Experience managing donor-funded access-to-finance or agricultural development programs.

Required skills

• Expertise in agricultural finance, value-chain finance, investment readiness and agribusiness development.
• Ability to prepare businesses for finance through diagnostics, financial analysis, cash-flow modeling and financing structuring.
• Strong analytical, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement skills.