THE ROLE PURPOSE

The RM Agribusiness Cash Crops Specialist will be responsible for developing, managing, and growing Equity Bank Tanzania's agribusiness portfolio within selected cash crop value chains.

The role will provide specialized relationship management and technical support to farmers, farmer organizations, cooperatives, aggregators, processors, off-takers, input suppliers, and other value chain actors, with a particular focus on commercially viable cash crops.

The role holder will identify and develop high-quality agricultural financing opportunities, build sustainable agribusiness pipelines, support customer acquisition and retention, and facilitate access to appropriate banking and non-financial solutions.

The position will work closely with agricultural stakeholders to strengthen value chain linkages, improve productivity and market access, and grow loans, deposits, transaction banking, and other financial products while maintaining strong portfolio quality.

The RM will also serve as a technical resource on assigned cash crop value chains, providing insights on production cycles, market dynamics, crop economics, risks, financing requirements, and opportunities for sustainable and climate-smart agricultural development.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Agribusiness Relationship Management

• Develop and manage strategic relationships with cash crop farmers, farmer groups, cooperatives, aggregators, processors, off-takers, exporters, input suppliers, and other value chain actors.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of quality agribusiness customers and financing opportunities within assigned cash crop value chains.
• Conduct customer visits, value chain assessments, farm visits, business reviews, and relationship management activities.
• Understand customers' business models, cash flows, financing needs, operational challenges, and growth opportunities.
• Develop and execute customer acquisition and retention strategies in line with Equity Bank Tanzania's commercial objectives.
• Act as the primary relationship contact for assigned agribusiness customers and coordinate resolution of customer issues with relevant internal teams.

Cash Crop Value Chain Development

• Develop deep technical and commercial understanding of priority cash crops, including production systems, seasonality, input requirements, aggregation models, pricing, markets, processing, and export dynamics.
• Map and analyse cash crop value chains to identify commercially viable financing opportunities and potential risks.
• Identify strategic anchor partners, off-takers, processors, cooperatives, and ecosystem players capable of driving farmer aggregation and bankable agricultural portfolios.
• Facilitate linkages between farmers, input suppliers, financial institutions, processors, off-takers, and markets.
• Support development of structured agricultural financing models tailored to specific crop cycles and value chain requirements.
• Monitor developments in commodity prices, weather, regulations, market access, pests and diseases, and other factors affecting assigned cash crop portfolios.

Credit & Portfolio Management

• Originate quality agricultural loan applications and ensure that financing proposals are commercially viable and aligned with the Bank's credit policies.
• Conduct preliminary assessment of customer financial performance, repayment capacity, business models, collateral, cash flows, and agricultural production risks.
• Prepare high-quality credit proposals and supporting documentation for consideration through the Bank's credit approval processes.
• Monitor financed customers and agricultural portfolios to identify emerging risks and opportunities at an early stage.
• Ensure effective management of Portfolio at Risk (PAR) and proactively implement remedial actions for stressed accounts.
• Conduct periodic customer and farm/business reviews to validate business performance and utilization of financing.
• Ensure compliance with credit policies, Know Your Customer (KYC), AML, environmental and social requirements, and other applicable Bank policies and regulations.
• Work with Credit, Risk, Collections, Operations, Legal, and other relevant functions to resolve portfolio issues.

Deposit & Transaction Banking Growth

• Drive mobilization of deposits from farmers, cooperatives, agribusinesses, processors, off-takers, and other value chain participants.
• Promote appropriate transaction banking, payments, digital banking, insurance, and other financial solutions.
• Identify opportunities to increase customer share and deepen relationships across the cash crop ecosystem.
• Support digitization of agricultural payments and promote efficient, transparent, and traceable value chain transactions.

Farmer & Customer Capacity Development

• Organize and facilitate farmer and agribusiness sensitization forums on financial literacy, financial products, business management, and responsible borrowing.
• Support farmers and farmer organizations to strengthen record keeping, financial management, business planning, and access to markets.
• Deliver or coordinate training on good agricultural practices, climate-smart agriculture, post-harvest management, quality standards, and digital technologies where relevant.
• Promote adoption of practices that improve productivity, profitability, resilience, and bankability of agricultural enterprises.
• Provide technical guidance to customers and value chain partners on financing readiness and business growth.

Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Identify and develop strategic partnerships with government institutions, development partners, commodity associations, NGOs, research institutions, input companies, off-takers, processors, and other ecosystem players.
• Support development of blended finance, guarantee, grant, and risk-sharing opportunities that can unlock agricultural lending.
• Participate in industry forums, agricultural exhibitions, field days, trade events, and stakeholder meetings representing Equity Bank Tanzania.
• Maintain a database of key cash crop ecosystem stakeholders and potential strategic partners.

Data, Monitoring & Reporting

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date customer, pipeline, portfolio, and value chain information in the Bank's systems.
• Track performance against agreed targets for customer acquisition, loans, deposits, transaction volumes, portfolio quality, and farmer/value chain reach.
• Prepare accurate weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports covering commercial performance, pipeline, portfolio quality, customer activities, risks, and opportunities.
• Use data and market intelligence to identify trends, performance gaps, and opportunities for portfolio growth.
• Collaborate with Monitoring & Evaluation and other relevant teams to collect and validate program and commercial performance data.
• Undertake any other business activities as required by organizational needs.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES AND DELIVERABLES

• Growth in cash crop loans and advances within assigned portfolio.
• Growth in deposits and transaction banking revenues from agribusiness customers.
• Quality and value of the agribusiness financing pipeline.
• Achievement of agreed disbursement and portfolio growth targets.
• Portfolio quality, including PAR, non-performing loans, and recovery performance.
• Growth in number and value of active agribusiness customers.
• Growth in farmer, cooperative, aggregator, processor, and off-taker accounts.
• Number and value of strategic cash crop partnerships developed.
• Number and value of blended finance, guarantee, grant, or risk-sharing opportunities supported.
• Number of farmers and value chain actors reached, onboarded, and activated.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum 3 to 7 years of relevant experience in cash crops financing, agribusiness, agricultural finance, commercial banking, value chain development, relationship management, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of agronomic principles and commercial agricultural production.
• Demonstrated expertise in agribusiness management, agricultural markets, value chain development, and financial services.
• Demonstrated ability to support farmers and Ag-MSMEs to develop bankable business models and access appropriate financial services.
• Strong commercial orientation and commitment to expanding financial inclusion through sustainable agriculture.
• Highly motivated, results-oriented, innovative, and customer-focused professional.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

University degree in:

• Agriculture
• Agribusiness Management
• Agricultural Economics
• Agricultural Finance
• Economics
• Business Administration
• Finance
• Or a related field

Professional qualifications in banking, finance, relationship management, project management, or agribusiness are an added advantage.

Relevant certifications in agricultural value chains, climate-smart agriculture, financial inclusion, credit management, or sustainable finance are desirable.

Commitment to Equity Bank Tanzania's values of:

• Professionalism
• Integrity
• Creativity & Innovation
• Teamwork
• Unity of Purpose
• Respect
• Effective Corporate Governance

• Develop and manage strategic relationships with cash crop farmers, farmer groups, cooperatives, aggregators, processors, off-takers, exporters, input suppliers, and other value chain actors.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of quality agribusiness customers and financing opportunities within assigned cash crop value chains.
• Conduct customer visits, value chain assessments, farm visits, business reviews, and relationship management activities.
• Understand customers' business models, cash flows, financing needs, operational challenges, and growth opportunities.
• Develop and execute customer acquisition and retention strategies in line with Equity Bank Tanzania's commercial objectives.
• Act as the primary relationship contact for assigned agribusiness customers and coordinate resolution of customer issues with relevant internal teams.
• Develop deep technical and commercial understanding of priority cash crops, including production systems, seasonality, input requirements, aggregation models, pricing, markets, processing, and export dynamics.
• Map and analyse cash crop value chains to identify commercially viable financing opportunities and potential risks.
• Identify strategic anchor partners, off-takers, processors, cooperatives, and ecosystem players capable of driving farmer aggregation and bankable agricultural portfolios.
• Facilitate linkages between farmers, input suppliers, financial institutions, processors, off-takers, and markets.
• Support development of structured agricultural financing models tailored to specific crop cycles and value chain requirements.
• Monitor developments in commodity prices, weather, regulations, market access, pests and diseases, and other factors affecting assigned cash crop portfolios.
• Originate quality agricultural loan applications and ensure that financing proposals are commercially viable and aligned with the Bank's credit policies.
• Conduct preliminary assessment of customer financial performance, repayment capacity, business models, collateral, cash flows, and agricultural production risks.
• Prepare high-quality credit proposals and supporting documentation for consideration through the Bank's credit approval processes.
• Monitor financed customers and agricultural portfolios to identify emerging risks and opportunities at an early stage.
• Ensure effective management of Portfolio at Risk (PAR) and proactively implement remedial actions for stressed accounts.
• Conduct periodic customer and farm/business reviews to validate business performance and utilization of financing.
• Ensure compliance with credit policies, Know Your Customer (KYC), AML, environmental and social requirements, and other applicable Bank policies and regulations.
• Work with Credit, Risk, Collections, Operations, Legal, and other relevant functions to resolve portfolio issues.
• Drive mobilization of deposits from farmers, cooperatives, agribusinesses, processors, off-takers, and other value chain participants.
• Promote appropriate transaction banking, payments, digital banking, insurance, and other financial solutions.
• Identify opportunities to increase customer share and deepen relationships across the cash crop ecosystem.
• Support digitization of agricultural payments and promote efficient, transparent, and traceable value chain transactions.
• Organize and facilitate farmer and agribusiness sensitization forums on financial literacy, financial products, business management, and responsible borrowing.
• Support farmers and farmer organizations to strengthen record keeping, financial management, business planning, and access to markets.
• Deliver or coordinate training on good agricultural practices, climate-smart agriculture, post-harvest management, quality standards, and digital technologies where relevant.
• Promote adoption of practices that improve productivity, profitability, resilience, and bankability of agricultural enterprises.
• Provide technical guidance to customers and value chain partners on financing readiness and business growth.
• Identify and develop strategic partnerships with government institutions, development partners, commodity associations, NGOs, research institutions, input companies, off-takers, processors, and other ecosystem players.
• Support development of blended finance, guarantee, grant, and risk-sharing opportunities that can unlock agricultural lending.
• Participate in industry forums, agricultural exhibitions, field days, trade events, and stakeholder meetings representing Equity Bank Tanzania.
• Maintain a database of key cash crop ecosystem stakeholders and potential strategic partners.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date customer, pipeline, portfolio, and value chain information in the Bank's systems.
• Track performance against agreed targets for customer acquisition, loans, deposits, transaction volumes, portfolio quality, and farmer/value chain reach.
• Prepare accurate weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports covering commercial performance, pipeline, portfolio quality, customer activities, risks, and opportunities.
• Use data and market intelligence to identify trends, performance gaps, and opportunities for portfolio growth.
• Collaborate with Monitoring & Evaluation and other relevant teams to collect and validate program and commercial performance data.
• Undertake any other business activities as required by organizational needs.

• Relationship Management
• Agribusiness Management
• Agricultural Finance
• Value Chain Development
• Credit Analysis
• Financial Literacy
• Business Development
• Market Analysis
• Risk Management
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem-Solving
• Customer Service
• Digital Banking Solutions
• Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices

• University degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
• Professional qualifications in banking, finance, relationship management, project management, or agribusiness are an added advantage.
• Relevant certifications in agricultural value chains, climate-smart agriculture, financial inclusion, credit management, or sustainable finance are desirable.
• Commitment to Equity Bank Tanzania's values.