SkyQuest is seeking a senior programme leader to manage a 24-month technical assistance programme supporting a national agricultural development finance institution in Nigeria. The programme aims to strengthen the Institution’s ability to mobilise and deploy capital to agricultural enterprises and organisations serving smallholder farmers, particularly women and underserved producers.

About the roleThe TSU Manager will lead a multidisciplinary Technical Support Unit (TSU) and act as the central integration point between the Institution’s CEO and executive management, the funding partner and specialist teams. The role is accountable for programme governance, strategic coherence, executive and Board engagement, delivery oversight and the quality of programme deliverables.

Key responsibilities

- Lead programme governance, integrated planning, decision-making, escalation, risk and issue management, and formal phase-gate reviews.
- Manage a multidisciplinary team of specialist leads; set accountabilities, allocate work, monitor delivery and review all deliverables before submission.
- Serve as the principal counterpart to the Institution’s CEO and executive management and the primary point of contact for the funding partner.
- Lead executive validation sessions, strategic reviews and Board presentations, subject to CEO approval.
- Direct the institutional diagnostic, maturity assessment, prioritisation process and development of a resourced implementation plan.
- Integrate specialist work across agricultural finance and credit risk, technology and data, agribusiness investment readiness, blended-finance capital mobilisation and climate finance.
- Oversee design and testing of a multi-source financing facility, including capital structure, blended-capital architecture, financing documentation and mobilisation strategy.
- Ensure pilots are evidence-based,



evaluated and refined, with clear benefits for organisations serving smallholder farmers.
- Lead programme performance management, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), quarterly reviews and the formal mid-term review.
- Oversee institutionalisation, capability transfer and handover of validated policies, tools, models, SOPs and operating arrangements to named Institution owners.

Qualifications and experienceEducation: Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Business Administration or a related field. CFA, ACCA, ICAN, PMP/PRINCE2 or equivalent is an advantage.

· 16+ years in development finance, agricultural finance, financial-institution advisory or large technical assistance programmes.

· Substantial hands-on experience in agricultural lending and agri-finance, including credit appraisal, risk assessment and portfolio management.

· At least 8 years leading multidisciplinary teams on complex, multi-stakeholder programmes as Team Leader, Programme Director or equivalent.

· Experience advising CEOs, executive committees and Boards of banks, DFIs or public financial institutions.

· Track record leading assignments for development partners such as the World Bank Group, AfDB, FCDO, major philanthropic foundations or similar.

· Proven delivery of institutional transformation programmes that were successfully handed over to the client institution.

· Robust programme governance, integrated planning, dependency and risk management, and results-based management skills.

· Sound understanding of DFI operating models and blended-finance instruments.

Desirable: Experience with Nigerian or Sub-Saharan African DFIs; facility or fund design; investor or lender engagement; MEL; gender-inclusive finance; and smallholder-focused impact measurement. Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo is an advantage.

📌 Senior Principal Consultant – TSU Manager (Team Leader) (Ahmedabad)
🏢 SkyQuest Technology Consulting
📍 Ahmedabad