Jessica Bernah Nalubega

Business Growth and Leadership

• Assist with the development supply chain finance products for the East African market in the Agribusiness sector aimed at boosting intra-regional trade in food value chains with emphasis in the maize and rice value chains.

• Built increased company revenue by growing the Uganda portfolio to USD 3 million thereby breaking even for the entire regional outfit.

• Advise the Management on matters relating to business regulatory risk, compliance and country specific business situations in the region that would impact the business both positively and negatively.

• Generate impact for Agric businesses and farmer-organizations across east Africa by ensuring access to alternative finance while creating positive Impact to SMEs across other non- agri sectors of the economies where FACTS operates mainly the health sector.

• Steer product and process innovation for the region aimed at measuring livelihood impact growth among the women and youth in Agribusiness.

• Identify new market opportunities and mapping them for uptake in business in the agriculture sector.

• Recruit quality clients according to the set targets in line with the policies and guidelines of the company.

Analyze the financial statement to assess profitability of the clients.

• Prepare weekly monthly quarterly and annual reports and any other business development related reports.

People Leadership

• Guide decision-making and ensure rapid and meaningful career growth.
• Support recruitment for high-level positions and ensured value-based hiring decisions are made.
• Regularly organize department relevant trainings for both senior and middle level managers to ensure that the team was well skilled, informed and equipped.
• Talent management includes inspiring, coaching, mentoring, developing and evaluating departmental team to achieve highest level of performance.
• Guide senior managers to improve effectiveness and policy enforcement, resulting in improved employee job satisfaction and higher performance levels.
• Working and interfering seamlessly with other departmental heads for congruence.

Public Relations

• Communicate openly and transparently with direct reports and across the team, particularly around major decisions made for each country.
• Prepare periodic seminars and workshops together with stake holder in the agriculture value chain.
• Face of FACTS and present programs to external parties such as government, parastatal , donors and others.
• Liaise with Media industry to bring FACTS's image to position of repute both in Kenya and Uganda.
• Identify and capitalize on short- and long-term revenue generation opportunities to maximize bottom-line profitability.
• Work with investment Partnerships to ensure that the interventions are implemented in line with results frame, and within the required timelines.
• Represent company at various communities and sustaining relationship with key partners through making periodic visits, exploring specific needs and anticipating new opportunities.
• Liaise and build relationships with range of stake holders e.g. customers, suppliers, colleagues, media among others by communicating job expectations and enforcing policies and procedures.
• Develop advertising opportunities, which can involve placing adverts in national, regional and specialists' publications depending on need.
• Develop and maintain contact with both private and public sector stakeholders while ensuring the realization of the vision of the organization and applying all the relevant skills to ensure smooth relationship with the outside world.
• Develop and maintain relationships with authorities, donors, media, NGOs and embassies with objective of raising public awareness and identifying funding opportunities and any other potential partnerships relevant to the existence of the organization.

Leadership and Management

• Support East Africa strategy, in conjunction with relevant senior managers and country staff considering funders' requirements leading to sustainable growth on all frontiers.
• Support long-term staff planning and development of business in the two countries leading to human resource cost optimization while ensuring business continuity at all levels.
• Support in implementing, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the implementation of the planned activities in accordance with the business proposals, logical frameworks and institutional policies and guidelines.

Financial Management

• Support planning and implementation of country budgets, in collaboration with relevant senior country managers and FACTS's staff.
• Manage spending within approved budgets. Analyze projected cash flow, decided on the timing of major procurements, oversaw audits and anticipated where over or under spending would occur and ensured necessary action is taken.

Risk Management

• Review of applications as submitted by clients for accuracy and compliance with the credit policy before presentation of the application to the relevant approval committee.
• Interface with clients to obtain appropriate information to evaluate risk from a credit perspective in line with the credit policy.
• Evaluation and assessment of credit risk and associated risk for different market segments and value chains.
• Manage day-to-day risk and all department related risk issues with specific observance to the country regulatory specifics.
• Coordinate, gather information and networked with other public and private actors on risk issues.
• Support updating and implementation of country business plans, guidelines and manuals.
• Support decision making and contingency planning during risk and compliance incidents or threats.
• Review financial reports to identify potential issues, cost saving opportunities and significant departures from budget.
• Support monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the implementation of the planned activities in accordance with the business proposals, logical frameworks and institutional policies and guidelines
• Monitor and evaluate that clients have policies that support Environmental Social and Governance sustainability.
• Assess businesses to ensure compliance with the ESG guidelines.
• Ensuring proper documentation of all clients under review and in pre funding stage.

Strategy formulation and implementation

• Guide decision-making at highest strategic level for FACTS Uganda, together with the Steering Committee. Ensure all major assessments resonate with FACTS Uganda's long-term vision.
• Recognize and drive strategic concern for FACTS Uganda such as Portfolio growth and expansion by implementing strategic sectoral approaches in line with value chain finance.
• Support development process, which included the setting of Objectives and the annual budgeting.
• Gather information on competitor activities and market trends to enhance strategic decision-making.
• Devise promotional and advertising plans to enhance product positioning and global brand marketing development.

• Developed and managed sales and marketing budgets, by meeting marketing and sales financial objectives by forecasting. requirements, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions.
• Represented the company at various communities and sustaining relationship with key accounts through making periodic visits, exploring specific needs and anticipating new opportunities.
• Supervised preparation, issuance and delivery of sales materials, exhibitions, and promotional materials.
• Liaised and built relationships with a range of stake holders e.g. customers, suppliers, colleagues, media among others by communicating job expectations and enforcing policies and procedures.
• Developed advertising opportunities, which can involve placing adverts in national, regional and specialists' publications depending on the need.

• Developed strong relationships with vendors and suppliers to ensure timely deliveries and accurate inventory data.
• Developed and managed operating budget, meeting department goals.
• Negotiated contracts with suppliers and customers to provide best cost and delivery terms.
• Negotiated contracts with carriers, resulting in cost savings and improved service levels for the company.
• Drove revenue through effective sales strategy while evaluating and correcting profit loss areas .
• Improved delivery times with strategic route planning and reallocation of resources.
• Led a team of distribution staff, fostering a positive work environment and promoting professional growth.
• Maintained accurate records of all incoming and outgoing ensuring proper documentation for regulatory compliance purposes.
• Built and maintained relationships with key suppliers and customers to support seamless operations.
• Produced and developed overall distribution strategy in conjunction with sales and marketing department.
• Generated monthly sales and distribution targets
• Supervised and did customer care to distributors so as to work efficiently.
• Liaised with distributors by informing them on new developments in the field.
• Evaluated distributors who should be given soft loans.
• Relationship management.
• Generated monthly distribution statements and follow up on debtors.
• Coordinated monthly stock takes and generate stock reports.
• Coordinated customer orders to be processed and dispatched

• Grew regional portfolio of central region from asset base of USD 6 million to 23 million through introduction of trader products like LPO finance, import loans and pre-scored micro-SME loans.
• Managed relationships between the bank and borrowing customers in my portfolio
• Developed new products and services in liaison with the products and marketing departments attached to SME banking.
• Ensured that the asset book in my portfolio is in parity with the bank's compliance and regulatory policies.
• Ensured compliance with the Legislation.
• Educated clients regarding the parameters and routine procedures governing standard products and service offerings.
• Maintained up-to-date knowledge of competitors' products and proposed counter products to ensure that rate of client flight was kept at bare minimum.
• Prepared credit application for SME loan and supported/ defended proposals in credit evaluation committees of SME department as well as corporate sections.
• Carried out regular checks with clients to ensure there were no diversions of Bank loans and that installment repayment were well anticipated and remitted on or before due date.
• Delivered exceptional customer service by responding promptly to inquiries and providing accurate information about products and services offered by the bank.

Supported relationship managers to prepare credit proposals through analysis of financials and collection of legal and financial information needed to have SME loans disbursed.

• Created report of transactional patterns to mind areas needed to identify SME who were being paid outside the bank with the aim of cold calls and relevant product proposition to entice and enable migration.
• Ensured SME portfolio of central division of bank always kept minimum attrition levels and all renewals were done on time to avoid clients migrating to our competitors.
• Ensured branches kept optimum funds needed to serve SME, trader and corporate clients through anticipating withdrawals and deposits. This was to maintain minimum most amount of funds in branches at any time.
• Prepared loan application documents for funding and defending applications at credit evaluation committees.

Provided a service-oriented/friendly environment to walk in customers with enquiries, payment processing etc.

• Cross sell products and services reactively and pass leads on to relevant sales team.
• Provided first class environment in relation to customers experience and expectations.
• Met customers' needs at service point in the branch.
• Ensured that cheque books, transaction cards etc. are sufficiently safeguarded against unnecessary and preventable loss.
• Query resolution and clearing customers' complaints in the shortest possible time.

• Processed average of 100 customer transactions promptly, minimizing wait times.
• Answered customer inquiries regarding account balances, transaction history, services charges, and interest rates.
• Maintained cash drawer accuracy by conducting regular audits and implementing effective cash handling practices.
• Maintained up-to-date knowledge of bank products, services, promotions, policies, regulations to better assist customers with their financial needs.
• Balanced cash drawers daily, identifying discrepancies and taking corrective actions as needed.
• Managed high-volume transactions efficiently while maintaining attention to detail, ensuring accurate processing for customers.