Strategic Business Plan Development for a Rural MFI at Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC)

Objectives of the Assignment:  

Develop a 2025-2028 strategic business plan for a rural MFI
Draft a short term (first year) action plan with budget and projected cash flows
Build the capacity of the board and management in strategic business plan implementation and continuous improvement processes.

Deliverables:

Three-year MFI strategic business plan
First year action plan
A PowerPoint presentation highlighting the assignment process and the recommendations
List of people trained
Trip report

Requested Expertise of Volunteer Expert:

University degree or higher in agriculture, business management, entrepreneurship, economics, marketing, finance, business, or, other relevant fields; Postgraduate training preferred
Minimum 7+ years of experience in strategic business plan development, management, marketing, business planning process, and implementation
At least three years of experience in the MFI sector and/or development work in Sub-Saharan Africa
Demonstrated capacity to conduct market and business research and report writing
Familiarity with application of behavioral economics methodologies in product/strategy design
Understanding of production and management challenges experienced by smallholder farmers
Proficient computer skills including MS Word, MS Excel, and PowerPoint
Hands-on experience in designing Business Plans for financial institutions desirable
Excellent- hands-on training skills to an adult audience are necessary
Strong leadership and communication skills and capacity to plan strategically and flexibly
Strong analytical and numerical skills and experience in statistical data analysis
Strong interview techniques, skills, and experiences will be helpful
Writing Skills: reporting requires good computer skills including working and generating reports with MS Word. Experience with PowerPoint presentations is desirable
All F2F A2F volunteers must be US citizens or permanent residents