Head Of Food And Agriculture

Equity Bank is one of the region’s leading Banks whose purpose is to transform the lives and livelihoods of the people of Africa socially and economically by availing them modern, inclusive financial services that maximize their opportunities. With a strong footprint in Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC and South Sudan, Equity Bank is now home to nearly 20 million customers - the largest customer base in Africa. Currently, the Bank is seeking additional talent to serve as the HEAD OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE, whose holder reports to the Executive Secretary, EGF-Rwanda.

HEAD OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE

Organization: Equity Group Foundation Rwanda (EGF-Rwanda)

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Reports to: Executive Secretary, EGF-Rwanda

Employment Type: Full-Time

Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026

Job Summary

The Head of Food & Agriculture will provide strategic leadership, coordination, and oversight for Equity Group Foundation Rwanda's Food & Agriculture Pillar, including agricultural development interventions, EquiFarm ecosystem rollout and adoption, and agriculture-linked Women and Youth Empowerment programmes. The role will drive integrated programme implementation, strengthen strategic agriculture-related partnerships, support resource mobilization for Food and agriculture programs, and lead initiatives that enhance smallholder productivity, financial inclusion, climate resilience, market access, and digital transformation of Rwanda's agricultural sector through the EquiFarm platform.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Strategic Leadership and Pillar Management

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for EGF-Rwanda's Food & Agriculture Pillar.
• Develop and oversee implementation of annual and multi-year Food & Agriculture strategies, plans, and budgets.
• Ensure alignment of pillar interventions with EGF-Rwanda's Annual action plan, national development priorities, and partner objectives.
• Lead integrated programme planning, execution, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting across all agriculturerelated initiatives.
• Coordinate the implementation of agriculture-focused women and youth empowerment programmes.
• Design and scale inclusion initiatives targeting women farmers, youth agripreneurs, cooperatives, VSLAs, and producer organizations.
• Strengthen women's economic empowerment pathways through agriculture, agribusiness, financial inclusion, and entrepreneurship support.

Food & Agriculture Pillar Oversight:

• Provide leadership for programmes focused on:
• Smallholder farmer capacity building.
• Agricultural value chain development.
• Financial inclusion and access to finance.
• Cooperatives and VSLA strengthening.
• Climate-smart agriculture and resilience building.
• Market systems development.
• Agricultural digitization and technology-enabled solutions.

EquiFarm Rollout, Adoption and Ecosystem Development

• Lead nationwide rollout and adoption of the EquiFarm.
• Develop efficient strategies for accelerating farmer onboarding, cooperative onboarding, merchant onboarding, and stakeholder engagement.
• Oversee farmer profiling, digital literacy, financial literacy, and platform adoption activities.
• Monitor EquiFarm performance, user engagement, adoption rates, and ecosystem growth.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure successful implementation and scaling of the platform.

Partnership Development and Stakeholder Engagement.

• Build and/or maintain and strengthen strategic relationships with Government institutions, Development partners, Agricultural cooperatives, Farmer organizations, Agribusiness companies, and Value chain actors.
• Serve as EGF-Rwanda's principal focal point for agricultural partnerships.
• Identify and pursue collaborative initiatives that expand programme reach and impact.

Resource Mobilization and Business Development

• Develop funding proposals and concept notes for agricultural initiatives.
• Identify and secure grant, donor, and partnership opportunities.
• Support development of innovative financing approaches and de-risking initiatives for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses.

Reporting

• Monitor programme effectiveness, efficiency, and impact.
• Produce quality technical, management, donor, and board reports as required
• Generate learnings and evidence to inform agriculture interventions improvement and scaling.
• Ensure accountability, compliance, and accurate reporting across all interventions.

Team Leadership and Capacity Building

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop the Food & Agriculture Pillar staff.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams supporting agriculture, digital transformation, and inclusion programmes and strengthen their technical capacity to support the implementation of agriculture initiatives.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on innovation, collaboration, and impact creation.

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education

• A Bachelor's and Master's degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, or Agriculture.
• Professional certification in agricultural development or digital transformation is an added advantage.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in agribusiness, financial inclusion, or agricultural development, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing agriculture financing in a regulated financial institution, climate-smart agriculture and adaptation finance, and social impact programs.
• Proven track record in partnership development, resource mobilization, and stakeholder management.
• Proven track record in working with development partners, government agencies, farmer organizations, and private sector actors.
• Experience in leading digital agriculture or technology-enabled agriculture initiatives is highly desirable.

Required Competencies Technical Competencies

• Agricultural value chain development.
• Financial inclusion and agricultural finance.
• Digital agriculture and ecosystem development.
• Partnership management and resource mobilization.
• Data-driven decision-making.
• Leadership Competencies

• Team leadership and people development
• Strategic thinking and change management
• Stakeholder engagement and strengthening
• Results orientation and innovation
• Strong communication and presentation skills

If you meet the above requirements, submit your application by 30th September 2026. Please include an updated Curriculum Vitae, copies of the relevant certificates and testimonials. All applications should be in soft copy and through the Link Indicated below, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted:

Link: https://equitybank.taleo.net/careersection/ext_new/jobsearch.ftl

Equity Bank is an equal opportunity employer. We value the diversity of individuals, ideas, perspectives, insights, values, and what they bring to the workplace.