Inclusive Finance Expert - Agriculture Value Chain Finance (IFE/ ACVF)

For Vietnamese nationals

Location: Project VIE/039 in Hanoi, Vietnam, with frequent travel to Hue city

Deadline for submitting the application: 12 December 2025

Start date: as soon as possible

Contract type: Limited  

Contract term (months): until 30 November 2026  

1. BACKGROUND

The project VIE/039- Finance for Resilience- aims to enhance the climate and economic resilience of farmers and small businesses in Hue City, Vietnam, with a particular emphasis on empowering women though:

• • Promoting climate-smart agricultural practices and improving financial literacy, market access, and business management skills for farmers, cooperatives, traders, and aggregators, the project ensures that farmers—including women—cooperatives, and SMEs in selected value chains are better connected to markets, ultimately enhancing their business performance (Specific Objective 1 – Result 1: At least two value chains are strengthened and more resilient to climate change effects and Result 2: Agribank's loan process is more efficient).

• • Strengthening value chain financing through capacity building at Agribank in climate-smart agriculture and gender inclusive financing, as well as improving sector-level knowledge and awareness among regulators, research and training institutions, and social organizations, smallholder farmers—especially women—will gain more and better access to financial services (Specific Objective 2 – Result 3: Tailor-made value chain-based lending product aligned to the needs of targeted customers are designed and piloted and result 4: SBV, MoF and key stakeholders have strengthened their capacities to implement the national financial inclusion strategy).

The primary objective of this position is to collaborate with and assist Agribank in developing an Agriculture Value Chain Finance product that caters to the financial needs of farmers, cooperatives, and SMEs. This includes ensuring financial product is designed to:

• • Enhance access to tailored financial services for smallholder farmers and women entrepreneurs.
  • Strengthen the capacity of Agribank and other stakeholders in gender-inclusive and climate-smart financing.
  • Promote climate–smart and gender considerations in financial inclusion strategies at the national level.
  • Identify and promote synergies between successful business cases and sustainable/ impact investment opportunities, facilitating the flow of capital towards initiatives that support smallholder farmers and women entrepreneurs to achieve social and environmental outcomes.

2. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Management and coordination - to collaborate with the Agribank taskforce and project experts to

• • Develop detailed work plans and budget that align with the project objectives and timelines.
  • Define specific tasks, milestones, and deliverables related to inclusive finance, ensuring they are integrated into the overall project framework.
  • Identify resource requirements for implementing financial products, capacity-building initiatives, and stakeholder engagement activities.
  • Organize regular planning meetings to review and adjust work plans based on project developments, challenges, and stakeholder feedback.

Technical Expertise

                  On the supply side – to coordinate with Agribank and project experts to

• • Conduct an assessment of potential agricultural value chains
  • Design a comprehensive Agriculture Value Chain Finance product and guideline that includes at least but not limited to:

1. 1. Detailed product specifications (e.g., leading actors, loan amounts, repayment terms, interest rates, and eligibility criteria etc.).
   2. Risk assessment measures.
   3. Climate resilience and gender-sensitive aspects 

• • Develop an implementation plan outlining steps for rolling out the new financial product. This plan should encompass: marketing strategies for promoting the product to potential beneficiaries and training programs for Agribank staff to ensure effective delivery and support.
  • Create a framework for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the financial product post-launch, including key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success.
  • Prepare a comprehensive report detailing the market assessment findings, product design, implementation plan, and monitoring framework for Agribank.
  • Enhance Agribank’s capacity in product development through mentorship, training programs, and creating educational materials on climate-smart agriculture and value chain assessments.
  • Analyze and enhance Agribank’s reporting systems by reviewing existing formats and developing new, efficient reporting solutions.
  • Review and provide recommendations for improvement of loan application process, where necessary and the development of the Loan Origination System (LOS).

With private sector – to coordinate with Private Sector Engagement Expert

• • Identify impact investment channels resulting in the mobilization of resources directed toward sustainable and inclusive business models and enhance impact readiness investment capacity of SMEs.

At the demand side - to coordinate with Agribank and project experts

• • Oversee the assessment of financial literacy needs and the adaptation of existing training materials to ensure the content is closely aligned with the specific context of the targeted beneficiaries. Engage with agricultural cooperatives, local governments, and social organizations to promote the training programs and ensure alignment with broader community initiatives.
  • Foster partnerships with local and international organizations to support the sustainability of financial literacy efforts beyond the project duration.

At the ecosystem and regulator level:

• • Work closely with the CTA of Project VIE/039 and VIE/301 and project experts to ensure gender integration across all interventions.
  • Advocate for mainstreaming gender considerations in financial inclusion strategies and policies at the national level.

Networking and Partnerships

• • Establish and maintain effective partnerships between SMEs and impact investors and inclusive finance networks.
  • Establish and maintain effective partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including Agribank, the State Bank of Vietnam, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Planning and Investment.
  • Participate in forums and events on financial inclusion and gender equality to raise awareness and disseminate best practices.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Sharing

• • Establish key performance indicators tailored to gender-sensitive, climate-smart agriculture, systemic change measurement to measure progress and effectiveness in enhancing financial inclusion and services for target beneficiaries.
  • Contribute to the implementation of the project's monitoring and evaluation framework, focusing on gender-related indicators.
  • Regularly assess the impact and effectiveness of gender-inclusive finance, impact investment interventions and provide actionable recommendations for improvement.
  • Coordinate with the MERL Expert to consolidate and disseminate best practices and lessons learned while promoting knowledge management within the project.
  • Facilitate learning among stakeholders and actively contribute to the project’s knowledge repository.

Other duties

• • Any other duties assigned by the CTA.

A detailed job description can be obtained upon request to the email address: projects.hue@luxdev.lu  

3. SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE JOB

            Education

• • Advanced degree in Finance/Banking, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, or a related field is typically required.
  • Additional certifications or coursework in inclusive finance, gender studies, climate-smart agriculture, or related areas will be advantageous.

           General Experience and Skills

• • At least 7 years of experience in roles related to development of financing mechanisms and products for SMEs and small businesses, particularly in agriculture value chain finance and/ or supply chain finance.
  • Experience managing or contributing to development projects, particularly those focused on financial inclusion, gender equity, and/or climate resilience.
  • Proven ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, financial institutions, and community groups
  • Facilitating learning within organizations.

          Specific Experience and Skills

• • Experience in designing and implementing financial products specifically tailored for smallholder farmers and women, with a focus on climate-smart agricultural practices.
  • Proficiency in analyzing financial and market data to inform product development and assess the impact of financial services.
  • Experience in developing and delivering training modules for financial institution staff on gender-sensitive finance and climate-smart agricultural practices.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effectively conveying complex financial concepts to diverse audiences, including non-experts.
  • Strong relationship-building skills to engage and collaborate with various stakeholders, including financial institutions, farmers, and government bodies.

          Desired Attributes

• • Familiarity with improving loan origination processes, including the use of technology and systems to streamline applications and increase efficiency.
  • Familiarity with loan origination systems, financial management software, and data analysis tools to streamline processes and enhance financial service delivery.

4. CONDITIONS:

• • Location: Project VIE/039 in Hanoi, Vietnam, with frequent travels to Hue city;
  • Nature of the position: full-time position;
  • Duration: until 30 November 2026;
  • Expected starting date: as soon as possible;
  • Salary: will be calculated based on LuxDev salary scale and the experience/qualifications of the successful candidate.  

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications can only be submitted via the LuxDev careers website at https://careers.luxdev.lu/job-invite/2014/. Applications must consist of 1) curriculum vitae (including contact details of two referees), and 2) a motivation letter. Only applications received via the LuxDev careers website will be considered.