Agriculture Specialist: Origination - Bloemfontein at Land Bank Careers

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB

• To provide a professional agriculture, economics and technical specialist service to support the Province to effectively evaluate the business case viability of financing customers, including conducting on-site visits to familiarise the Bank with the business operations in which the Bank will be investing its funds, with the additional objective of minimising potential risks and financial losses. Provide ongoing technical advice to the provincial team to ensure submission of high quality of applications

Key Performance Areas    
Specialist Inputs into Business Case Viability

• Provide specialist support to Commercial Bankers to enable the structuring of appropriate financial solutions and feasible transactions.
• Complete and submit detailed reports as part of a comprehensive assessment of potential business transactions, including
• As part of the assessment process, undertake amongst others:
• Determine the development phase of the farming venture and conditions of the infrastructure, management skills, topography, accessibility, development potential of the farm, grazing component and carrying capacity and any other relevant general conditions.
• Responsible for conducting the required valuation of the entity’s assets through an on-site visit to the business property to evaluate the viability of financing customers, based on the strength of their assets.
• Inspect crops on the land and calculate the net realisation and impact on financial position.
• Determine the realisable value movable assets Identify and locate security offered.
• Determine the value of buildings and other improvements and contribution towards production value
• Calculate the production value and related loan value based on the information gathered.
• Determine justification of applicants’ financing requests.
• Make recommendations regarding the merit of financing requests, the appropriate terms and conditions.

Provincial Agricultural Knowledge Database and Knowledge Sharing

Collect, process, and package information within the allocated area of responsibility, including amongst others, the determination of the following:

• Market value of property
• Production costs
• Establishment costs
• Profit margins
• Produce prices
• Market trends
• Economic patterns
• Potential of land
• Keep the database up to date as appropriate and share at a divisional level
• Contribute information to the national agricultural specialists’ database
• Ensure availability and access to identified users.
• Transfer knowledge to the team to empower them in understanding the technical context.

Customer and Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Build, foster and maintain consistent, effective and strong relationships with key role players and strengthen relationships with the potential to secure new business opportunities for the bank.
• Participate in agriculture events in the province, and contribute to research and insights as a subject matter specialist respected by peers in the industry.
• Represent Land Bank in appropriate forums and events as appropriate.
• Ensure that all stakeholders remain aware of the value of the Land Bank’s products, the processes and principles related to agricultural financing within the Land Bank environment.
• Stay up to date with provincial initiatives and developments and further strengthen the relationship to assess further business opportunities to promote long term mutually beneficial relationships

Preferred Minimum Education and Experience    

• A relevant 3 year qualification in Agriculture or an equivalent
• 5 years experience in Agricultural Extension Services or
• 5 years experience in Agricultural businesses, a Co-op, or similar organisations

Critical Competencies    

• Microsoft Office
• Knowledge / Experience of financial and business analytical principles, tools and systems
• Property Valuation Principles
• Agricultural Economics

Risk Management Principles

• Lending / Credit Assessment Principles
• Financial and Business Acumen

Additional Requirements    

• Extended hours as and when required
• Travel as and when required
• Needs to keep abreast with agricultural economic trends