Farm Shop Chief Operating Officer July 2015 Contact Details Contact Name: Physical Address: Email: Website: Response:

Madison Ayer, CEO Pekenya House, Tiikaya-Njoro Road, Off Ndedero-Karuri Rd, Kiambu County, Kenya [email protected] www.farmshop.co.ke Reply via email subject line “COO” with attached cover letter and CV

Job Details Position title: Reports to: Location: Length of Assignment: Suggested start date:

Chief Operating Officer Chief Executive Officer Nairobi, Kenya Permanent Immediate

Summary of Role The Chief Operating Officer (COO) reports to the Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for all of the company’s day-to-day operating activities, including revenue and sales growth; expense, cost and margin control; organizational management of all human resources based in East Africa; and monthly, quarterly and annual financial management. This is a critical leadership role in a fast-growing social business that is changing the way food is produced in Africa, and is creating a sustainable way for some of the poorest families on earth to improve their livelihoods. Your role in leading this business to success will create a lasting legacy in the world. Company Background Farm Shop is revolutionizing smallholder farming in Africa with a simple yet disruptive model for commercially distributing farming inputs – seeds, fertilizers, animal feeds, tools, etc – with bundled extension and training services via a modern, customer-focused retail experience. This approach stands in stark contrast to the status quo. The agricultural sector has struggled for decades to provide smallholders with even basic inputs and extension services. Without reliable access to these fundamental resources, farmers cannot improve their yields or increase their incomes. Government subsidy programs and international aid interventions are unsustainable, create dependency, and distort markets. Existing private market systems are often controlled by informal actors who extract significant margins from the supply chain without adding requisite value and often introduce poor, counterfeit, or expired products into the system. The status-quo for farmers are poorly run agro-dealers, staffed by unqualified people, and informal distributors that add little value in the supply chain. These typical informal outlets offer sub-standard products, uncertain quality and limited agronomic support. More than 75% of Kenyans have had harvests ruined by using fake seeds. Farm Shop, by contrast, has developed a modern retail concept for farm inputs distribution. We create awareness and demand within local communities, emphasizing below-the-line marketing investments

through applied farmer training programs. We provide product fulfillment through professional, branded retail shops, extending the supply chain to the “last mile” to enable accessibility for the rural population. Since launching in 2011, Farm Shop has built a network of 40 retail locations in Kenya: • Revenue growth of agro-dealers after converting to Farm Shop is 400% on average; top performers exceed 2,000%; • Most shops reach break-even within 90 days, proving unit economic viability; • 88% of farmers in surrounding communities are aware of Farm Shop, 68% routinely purchase from Farm Shop; • 92% of farmers report yield improvements since becoming Farm Shop customers; • Strong demand from existing agro-dealers to join the network. Farm Shop’s current pipeline includes more than 60 high-potential franchisees; • Enthusiastic response from input manufacturers, with 40 Preferred Distributor relationships established. Farm Shops provide a distinctly different experience to farmers: • We control quality across the supply chain from manufacturer to shelf, to guarantee authentic products amongst a world of informal distributors hawking counterfeit or expired products through other agro-dealers; • Customer experience: o Transparent pricing, full range of product lines for choice; o Open shop format that is welcoming, and specially trained shop operators; o Technical farm advisory offered in all shops; o Training programs for all farmers including Demo Farms, Clinic Days, and Supplier Education events; • Portfolio of related services, including home delivery and access to financial services; • Technology systems in shops enable efficient record keeping and inventory management, individualized farm recommendations for customers, and direct feedback via SMS satisfaction surveys. We receive very positive feedback from the market (farmers), and have already won a number of awards; but the most exciting and impactful work is still ahead of us. Specific Responsibilities The Chief Operating Officer will have direct responsibility for each of the company’s operating departments including Supply Chain & Logistics, Sales & Marketing, and Finance. The COO should expect to allocate approximately 40% of departmental leadership time with the Head of Supply Chain, 40% with the Head of Sales & Marketing, and 20% with the Head of Finance. These functional responsibilities will lead the COO to achieve general objectives across the organization, which include: • driving the company to achieve sales, profitability, and cash flow goals; • providing day-to-day leadership and management of all of the organization’s people in Kenya, including developing and leading a high performance management team; • defining, documenting, measuring and improving the effectiveness of all internal processes; • providing timely, accurate, and complete reports on the operating performance and financial condition of the company; • directing short-term and long-range planning and budget development to support strategic business goals;

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developing the operational infrastructure of systems, processes, and personnel designed to accommodate our rapid growth objectives; and managing on-site visits with external stakeholders, including operational partners, investors, and international partners.

Qualifications Bachelors degree in general business, marketing, or operations management (Masters preferred); and at least five years experience in a senior management role. English language, Swahili is an advantage. Ideal Eligibility Qualifications Experience in wholesale distribution, supply chain management, FMCG, retail management, agriculture, East Africa. Competencies • Leadership: You must fuel the inspiration for everyone else. • Discipline: Every single day matters. The details are critical. • Results-Driven: Don’t make excuses. Make things happen. Solve problems. • Decisive: Be confident and move forward. Time does not stand still. • Integrity: We always take the high road. Everything else we do depends on that. • Communication: Poor communication is the easiest way to make a mess of things. • Financial Management: This is a business with a social mission. A business. Compensation and Benefits Monthly Salary: Additional compensation:

To be determined based on experience and qualifications of final candidate, estimate around KES 450,000/mo. ($5,000) Additional performance incentives including performance bonuses and/or revenue/profit sharing

Benefits:

Participation in company health insurance plan

Travel and Entertainment:

As necessary