Investment Officer - WEECAP Project - Senegal

POSITION TITLE: Investment Officer LOCATION: Dakar, Senegal GROUP: Agriculture, Resilience and Water REPORTS TO: Regional Investment Director Winrock International works with people around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunities, and sustain natural resources. Winrock is seeking a Country Investment Officer for a multi-country program that will facilitate the growth of a competitive market system for raw cashew processing that optimizes revenues across all segments of the processing chain and fosters equitable and sustainable employment opportunities for young women and men. Working with processors and empowered service-driven producer organizations and networks, the program will facilitate investment in production, processing, market access, and supporting services needed for the sector to capitalize on the market push created by favorable global market trends and improvements to local systems over the last 15 years. In support of this objective, the program will manage a $23 million catalytic fund that will be strategically invested in the sector. The program focus countries are Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau. POSITION SUMMARY: The Investment officer will lead WEECAP’s efforts to expand and improve access to finance for women and youth engaged in the cashew value chain. This includes contributing to the design and execution of strategies that unlock capital through catalytic funding, blended finance, financial product innovation, and partnerships with financial institutions. The role focuses on addressing systemic barriers to financial inclusion and facilitating scalable investment models that strengthen enterprise viability and resilience. The Investment Officer will work with entrepreneurs, producer groups, processors, financial institutions, and investors to expand access to financial services required to optimize cashew sector productivity, growth, and catalyze employment for young women and men in Senegal. The Investment officer will be responsible for building diverse pipeline of micro, small, medium and large cashew producer groups, processing enterprises, and value chain service providers with bankable business models that are positioned for scaling and growth, attractive to financial institutions and investors, and that are owned by, employ, or serve women and youth in the sector. The Investment officer will deploy Catalytic Fund resources to support business innovations, improve financial inclusion of women and youth, enhance investment readiness of MSMEs, and raise capital for growth-oriented entrepreneurs and businesses. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Strategic Leadership & Financial Innovation Contribute to the development and implementation of the project’s access to finance strategy, ensuring alignment with WEECAP’s overall goals and synergies with other pillars. Identify and advocate for innovative financial instruments that align market incentives with inclusive business models. Contribute to the design of financial mechanisms, through the Catalytic Fund, that de-risk investment in women- and youth-led cashew enterprises (e.g., credit guarantees, catalytic matching grants, results-based financing). Partnership Development & Engagement Collaborate with the Competitiveness and Supply Chain team in Senegal to identify high potential opportunities offered by end markets and the private sector buyers in the Senegalese cashew sector. Collaborate with the Competitiveness and Supply Chain team in Senegal to develop a network of lead/anchor firms and micro, small, and medium processors and value chain actors and a strategic plan for engaging them. Establish and manage partnerships with commercial banks, MFIs, social impact investors, and development finance institutions (DFIs) in Senegal to increase the availability of affordable and appropriate financial products. Collaborate with the Competitiveness and Supply Chain team in Senegal to contribute to the design and implement integrated interventions that leverage the interconnections between producer groups, processors and value chain service providers providing tailored Catalytic Fund resources (grants, results-based financing, acceleration) to incentivize business innovations and new local sourcing arrangements. Coordinate blended finance approaches that leverage WEECAP resources to crowd in private capital for supply chain actors in Senegal. Build linkages between processors and financial service providers in Senegal to support co-investment in inclusive sourcing models. Financial Inclusion for Women and Youth Analyze and facilitate relationships among actors in Senegal that translate into shared benefits to incentivize new investment in the cashew sector. Provide incentives to de-risk and strengthen Senegalese financial institutions capacity to increase the flow of credit to cashew sector entrepreneurs and businesses. Oversee the provision of transaction advisory services to a range of cashew sector businesses that demonstrate growth potential, and work through financial intermediaries and with investors to bring new firm and project financing deals to a successful close. Facilitate financial literacy, business planning, and investment readiness training with the Business Development Service Providers, in coordination with other pillars. Work closely with the Competitiveness and Supply Chain teams in Senegal to ensure that collective action platforms (e.g., cooperatives, groups) are used as channels for financial service delivery. Learning, Monitoring, and Adaptive Management Work with Head of Portfolio and Fund Performance Analysis to analyze the performance of Catalytic Fund financing mechanisms and recommend adjustments based on real-time evidence and feedback. Contribute to impact documentation, learning products, and investment cases to influence investors, processors, and policymakers. Coordinate with the Operations team to provide technical and management oversight over for distribution of funds to recipients in Senegal. Collaborate with the Policy and Social Safeguarding teams in Senegal regarding private sector policy requirements in the Senegal cashew sector. Collaborate with Gender Integration team in Senegal to ensure integration of GESI considerations. QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND: Education: Degree in finance, business administration, or related field required. Experience: Minimum 3 to 5 years’ experience working in complex finance, entrepreneurship, or agriculture market systems programs, with demonstrated results in expanding access to finance. Experience working within the private sector on cashew nut production and marketing, including trade, production and business linkages. Experience applying a market systems development approach to strengthen the inclusivity—with a particular focus on young women and men—in cashew production and marketing systems. Technical experience working in Senegal with strong business relationships with Senegalese cashew industry stakeholders and international buyer. Experience managing large grant funds, catalytic funds, or impact funds is a plus. Skills/Knowledge: Familiarity with market systems development framework, including tools, strategies, and approaches. Ability to build coalitions and networks with private sector actors that can provide synergies and sustainable solutions. Ability to coordinate activities with partners from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. Strong personnel management skills. Excellent written and oral communication skill in French and English required. Winrock is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal treatment for all people. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by law. At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation