Aceli Africa is a market-enabling facility to mobilize over $600M in private sector lending for agricultural SMEs in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania by 2025. To achieve this goal, Aceli Africa will provide financial incentives to increase the risk appetite of 30+ financial institutions (both global and local) to make loans ranging from USD $25K-$1.5M to inclusive agricultural SMEs while also facilitating technical assistance to expand the ability of high-potential SMEs to qualify for and manage financing.

Financial incentives have been designed based on a dataset that Aceli Africa gathered and analyzed in collaboration with Dalberg Advisors. This data incorporates loan-level and portfolio-level profitability for agricultural SME lending from 35+ financial institutions, including commercial banks, local non-bank financial institutions, and global social lenders, and covers 22,000+ transactions totaling $4.4B+.

Aceli launched in September 2020 and, to-date, has secured $62M for activities in the five initial focus countries for 2020-25 from Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IKEA Foundation, Swiss Development Corporation, UK FCDO, USAID, and other leading funders. Aceli Africa is an initiative of the Global Development Incubator (GDI), a nonprofit incubator of social impact initiatives based in the United States with an affiliated entity based in Kenya.

Aceli is seeking a Technology Consultant on a retainer basis to support technology functions across our organization. Note that we are seeking an individual consultant, not a firm.

Job Summary 

The role includes multiple responsibilities: 

1. Support in managing Aceli’s Salesforce platform, where Aceli stores all lender and loan data, and which auto-calculates the incentives that Aceli pays out on a quarterly basis. Aceli already works with a contracted Salesforce service provider / firm. The consultant will act as an extension of the Product team in conducting key activities related to the in-house / internal management of the Salesforce platform and in interfacing with the contracted firm.
2. Support with data visualization (on PowerBI or another platform). Aceli currently uses PowerBI to visualize its operational data but would be open to transitioning to alternate platforms as suggested by the Consultant. The Product team has historically developed dashboards in-house but now requires additional support for more complex development and for their ongoing maintenance.
3. Support in maintaining Aceli’s IT infrastructure, providing technical support to employees, ensuring network and system security, and in assisting with other/ad-hoc technology-related projects.

Based on these three functions, the ideal candidate will have a broad technology skill set, including code review and code development for Salesforce and PowerBI (or related data visualization platforms), a background in IT administration, excellent problem-solving abilities, and a customer-oriented approach to serve the Aceli team effectively.

The role will report to Aceli’s Head of Product & Innovation with guidance from Aceli’s Head of Operations for responsibilities specifically related to IT infrastructure. This is a part-time, consultancy position on a retainer basis. 

Key Responsibilities

Salesforce Code Maintenance & Development:

• Code reviews / audits of Salesforce platform. Aceli’s incentive product is highly complex and may evolve from year to year. The role holder will conduct periodic code reviews (as developed by our Salesforce technology provider) to ensure compliance with the evolving Aceli incentive guidelines. 
• User Acceptance Testing (alongside the team). For every modification / development spring completed on the platform, the Aceli product team conducts User Acceptance Testing to confirm the quality of the implementation. The role holder will participate actively in these rounds of testing and will be expected to bring additional technical perspectives / knowledge to complement the team.
• Feature development alongside Aceli’s current Salesforce vendor. The role holder may be responsible for minor / targeted development or changes to the Salesforce platform to accelerate the turnaround time from scoping to go-live.
• Ad-hoc support for non-standard usage of the platform. 

PowerBI / Dashboard Maintenance & Development:

• Development of new dashboards (using data stored on Salesforce platform)
• Maintenance of existing dashboards. Specifications will be defined by the product team with input from Aceli leadership. 

Tech Infrastructure Management:

• Install, configure, and maintain hardware and software components including servers and workstations.
• Monitor network performance, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and ensure high availability of systems and services.
• Maintain and update operating systems, software applications, and security patches.

Security and Data Protection:

• Implement and enforce security protocols, firewalls, and access controls to safeguard the organization's data and systems.
• Regularly update antivirus and anti-malware programs, and conduct security audits to identify vulnerabilities.
• Conduct data backups and disaster recovery planning to ensure business continuity.

System Monitoring and Maintenance:

• Monitor system performance, network traffic, and server health to proactively identify and address potential issues.
• Perform routine maintenance tasks such as system backups, system updates, and hardware upgrades.

Vendor Management Support:

• Liaise with technology vendors and service providers to ensure timely resolution of hardware and software issues.
• Manage procurement of IT equipment and software licenses.

User Support:

• Set up and manage user accounts, email accounts, and access privileges.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation of IT procedures, configurations, and troubleshooting steps.
• Provide technical assistance to end-users regarding hardware, software, and network issues.

Other Technology Projects:

• Collaborate with management to plan, implement, and manage technology-related projects such as software rollouts, system upgrades, and network expansions.
• Provide input on technology solutions and contribute to the development of IT strategies.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in software engineering or similar fields.
• Demonstrated experience with code development on Salesforce (sample projects will be required).
• Demonstrated experience with data visualization / business intelligence platforms – Aceli currently uses PowerBI but would be open to others such as Tableau and Google Looker Studio.
• Demonstrated experience with server set-up and management (understanding of network protocols, and server administration).
• Strong knowledge of hardware components, networking devices, and cybersecurity practices.
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V) and cloud computing concepts.
• Adept problem-solver: able to convert team technology pain points into requirements and to propose solutions that consider all necessary factors.
• Go-getter who takes initiative and is able to work independently, with minimal supervision, and collaborate with a multi-country team in a rapidly evolving environment.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and relationship management skills.
• Professional with a demonstrated record of the highest integrity and ethical conduct.

The Global Development Incubator is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. East African nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the relevant criteria for the role, please submit your application quoting in the subject line the Job Title “Technology Consultant - Aceli Africa”, and attach your detailed CV, cover letter stating your interest in and qualifications for the position, e-mail address and telephone contacts. Applications that do not include a cover letter tailored to this position will not be considered. The application deadline is Friday, September 22, 2023.