Senior Associate, Product Design

Aceli Africa is a market incentive facility with a mandate to mobilize $2 billion in private sector lending for agricultural SMEs in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia by 2030. To achieve this goal, Aceli offers financial incentives to increase the risk appetite of 40+ global and local financial institutions to make loans ranging from USD $15K-$1.75M to inclusive agricultural SMEs. Financial incentives (Portfolio First Loss Cover and Origination Incentives) have been designed based on an original dataset that Aceli gathered and analyzed in collaboration with Dalberg Advisors. Aceli also facilitates technical assistance to expand the ability of high-potential SMEs to qualify for and manage financing as well as capacity building for lenders to serve this market. Aceli’s vision is to catalyze a more competitive lending market for agri-SMEs and demonstrate a model that can be scaled across Africa.

Since launching in September 2020, Aceli has supported its financial institution partners in making 3,800+ loans to SMEs creating market linkages for 1.6 million smallholder farmers. Leading bilateral and philanthropic donors, including Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada, IKEA Foundation, Norwegian Agency for Development, Swiss Development Corporation, and UK FCDO have committed $100 million to Aceli for 2020-29.

Aceli’s approach is deeply rooted in data. Our model draws upon data on the lending economics from 40+ lenders and 60,000 agri-SME loans totaling $8.5 billion. The findings from this data indicate that agri-SME lending carries nearly twice the risk of other sectors, while returns often hover around break-even—well below other sectors (or the yields offered by government Treasury bonds) in East Africa. Our findings also show that high operating costs and low returns of serving agri-SMEs are as significant a driver of sub-par lending economics as risk. These insights guide our incentive design and underscore the need for market-level interventions beyond traditional credit guarantees.

Aceli is seeking a Senior Associate, Product, who is passionate about data — someone who “nerds out” on spreadsheets, dashboards, and data models and who also knows how to translate technical findings into compelling narratives that drive decisions. The ideal candidate has a sharp analytical mind and a storyteller’s instinct—someone who begins by asking "What is the data saying?" and follows through to define scenarios for "What does this mean for what we should do next?"

Reporting to the Product Manager, this role focuses on the Product Design function and supports agricultural finance market research, incentive modeling, and strategic adjustments that align with lender and market needs. Through a blend of analytical rigor, stakeholder engagement, and project management, the Senior Associate will contribute to the design and evolution of financial incentives that catalyze lending to high-potential agricultural SMEs across East Africa.

Responsibilities: 

• Annual nchmarking: Oversee data collection and cleaning for Aceli’s benchmarking process with lenders. Analyse data collected and produce high quality insights that inform our understanding of market dynamics and partner performance.
• Annual budgeting: Conduct the analysis and modeling required for Aceli’s annual financial incentives budget (~$20M for 2026), including modeling multi-year projections and providing insights for decision-making.
• Product Design and Adjustments: Support the design, testing, and refinement of financial incentive adjustments based on evidence from market research and internal analysis.
• Independent Analysis Projects: Take ownership of ad-hoc analytical deep-dives, such as examining incentive program performance with subsets of lenders, to generate insights and support continuous program improvement.
• Dashboard creation and maintenance: Build and maintain Power BI dashboards that help the team monitor performance and communicate results clearly and effectively.
• Innovation and learning support: Work closely with internal teams—including, Impact & Learning, and Innovation—as well as partner lending institutions and data and learning partners, to identify opportunities to enhance the impact of Aceli’s offering and contribute to a robust evidence base that supports organizational learning and strategic decision-making.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Statistics, or a related quantitative discipline.
• At least 4 years of professional experience in East Africa within the agricultural sector, financial services, or management consulting, with demonstrated growth in responsibilities.
• Advanced analytical skills, including financial modeling and data manipulation. Strong command of Excel and experience with Power BI or other visualization tools.
• Track record of drawing strategic insights from complex data sets and presenting them in a way that influences business or policy decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills—able to tell a powerful story with data.
• Highly organized, independent, and proactive with a strong sense of ownership.
• Collaborative and team-oriented, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively across functions and with diverse stakeholders.
• Track record of professional integrity and ethical conduct in all aspects of work.
• Strong interest and understanding of agricultural finance within the East African market; experience with agri-SME lending is a plus.
• Genuine passion for leveraging financial and business expertise to drive positive impact on farmer livelihoods, food security, and economic development in the region.

Aceli is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply.

Interested candidates should submit a one-page cover letter, expressing their interest and qualifications for the role, along with an updated CV by Friday, July 04th 2025. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.