West Africa Smallholder Investment Consultant

Reports To: 
Director of Sustainable Finance
Type: 
Consultant Opportunities
Location: 
United States

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Headquartered in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.

Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Finance Initiative aims to

  1. Increase access to finance for SMEs in the agriculture, forestry, tourism and climate sectors; and
  2. Engage the financial community in understanding and valuing the risk-mitigation benefits of sustainability and certification.
Position Summary: 

Rainforest Alliance seeks a consultant to analyze the cocoa value chains in West Africa, analyze smallholder investment capital needs and repayment ability, and test financial assumptions with social lenders and/or specialty loan programs. The goal is to enable smallholders to make sustainability investments, thereby enabling them to enhance biodiversity and improve their livelihoods.

The consultant will be responsible for the evaluation of the cocoa value chain, development of a financial model reflecting smallholder economics, the identification and linking of producer groups with financial parties and overall strategy development for cocoa producer investment capital acquisition.

Commitment: 
3 months - June, July, August
Responsibilities: 
  • Work with the Director of Sustainable Finance and regional Sustainable Landscapes team;
  • Inventory existing cocoa value chain financing research;
  • Develop cocoa smallholder financial model;
  • Analyze sustainability improvements cost categories and potential for yield increases;
  • Develop long-term loan structure that makes sense for smallholders and financial institutions;
  • Support financial model capacity training for RA staff and partners in cocoa sector;
  • Share and explain model with potential investors, financial institutions and value chain participants;
  • Link Rainforest Alliance smallholder producers to potential financial parties and value chain financial sources;
  • Design strategy for cocoa sustainability investment based on learning from pilot.
Qualifications: 

We are seeking a talented MBA professional who is passionate about Rainforest Alliance’s mission of preserving biodiversity and enhancing livelihoods in developing countries through increasing access to small-medium enterprise (SME) finance. You should be committed full-time to your responsibilities during the program term, and be willing and able to travel to the field location.

The ideal candidate will also be a self-starter and problem solver, be able to work independently, have experience working in a multicultural team, and enjoy new cultures and developing country environments.

Required:

  • Proven track record in project implementation, strategic planning, business modeling, and partnership development;
  • Advanced ability in Excel financial modeling and template development;
  • Excellent presentation skills and written communication skills;
  • Developing country experience;
  • Able to multitask and work with a variety of stakeholders;
  • Energetic, flexible, and able to work in an international start-up team across 3 continents;
  • Experience with agricultural value chains a plus; and
  • French proficiency preferred.
Time Commit and Other Requirements: 

Business Travel Needs: Travel to West Africa, likely July or August 2013

Salary: 

Compensation and support for travel will be negotiated with the person based on what type of support they could attain from their academic institution.

Application: 

Please submit cover letter and resume to mbuckles@ra.org with' West Africa MBA Consultant' in the subject line

In your email please indicate your interest in the consultancy and your resources for supporting this type of internship made available through your academic institution.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and will end when a suitable candidate is selected.

Ideally the consultant will start in late May or early June 2013. Travel to West Africa likely in July or August 2013.

The Rainforest Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.