Country Director at Farmz2U

Farmz2U is an infrastructure startup that helps smallholder farmers operate at commercial scale. We support smallholder farmers with 'access to information' and 'access to resources' to scale local farm production.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Country Director

Location: Lekki, Lagos
Job type: Full-time

Role Purpose

• To translate Farmz2u’s global vision into a high-impact, commercially viable Nigerian program.
• The Country Director will execute strategic priorities in Nigeria across infrastructure deployment, high-value commodity exports, and financing innovation.
• This role combines operational leadership, market execution, and commercial acumen to build a profitable and scalable model that delivers both financial returns and measurable impact for farmers and buyers.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Market Growth:

• Develop and execute Nigeria’s strategic plan aligned with Farmz2u’s global vision
• Translate CEO-led strategic priorities into actionable plans for Nigeria, with clear milestones and budgets.
• Oversee expansion into infrastructure assets (renewable-energy-powered cold storage, transport) to reduce post-harvest losses and increase year-round supply capacity.
• Identify and scale opportunities in high-value commodity exports, unlocking opportunities for EUDR/EU CSDDD compliance and other sustainability regulations.

Commercial Leadership & Business Model Development:

• Lead the evolution of Farmz2u’s Nigeria business model to integrate infrastructure revenue, export contracts, and financing products.
• Set and deliver on annual commercial targets including:
  • Revenue growth from infrastructure services (cold storage, logistics) and export sales.
  • Gross margin improvement through better supplier terms and operational efficiency.
• Financing uptake (e.g., % of transactions using trade finance or invoice discounting):
  • Design and implement financing solutions for suppliers and buyers, including trade finance, invoice discounting, and pre-export facilities to improve liquidity and trade velocity.
• Build partnerships with commercial banks, DFIs, export credit agencies, and fintechs to unlock capital for supply chain actors.
• Build commercial partnerships with banks, DFIs, processors, and exporters to expand market access and capital availability.

Operational Excellence & Supply Chain Oversight:

• Lead end-to-end commodity export operations from sourcing to shipment, ensuring quality assurance, traceability, and ESG compliance.
• Integrate infrastructure operations into Farmz2u’s digital platforms for real-time inventory tracking, demand planning, and traceability.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building:

• Build and lead a high-performing Nigerian leadership team, with clear accountability for operations, finance, commercial, and field functions.
• Develop talent pipelines and succession plans for key roles.

Stakeholder Engagement & Policy Influence:

• Represent Farmz2u to government ministries, regulators, trade associations, and industry stakeholders to shape policy and secure incentives for infrastructure and exports.
• Negotiate long-term supply agreements with local and international buyers that strengthen supplier bargaining power.
• Maintain robust financial and operational controls to support scale and profitability.

Impact, Risk Management & Compliance:

• Implement monitoring and evaluation systems to measure commercial performance, farmer impact, and sustainability outcomes.
• Oversee operational, financial, and trade compliance risks, establishing governance frameworks and audit trails for sustainability and export documentation.

Key Qualifications

• 6+ years’ leadership experience in agribusiness, banking (agricultural desk), trade finance, or commodity exports.
• Experienced candidates from the agricultural desk of local corporate banks will be prioritized.
• Proven ability to build and scale commercially viable agricultural models.
• Proven ability to structure and execute large-scale trade finance transactions.
• Strong network across Nigerian agribusiness, financial institutions, and export markets.
• Expertise in supply chain operations, infrastructure projects, and sustainability compliance.
• Demonstrated success in scaling business units and influencing policy.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure investments, supply chain management, and high-value commodity markets.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online