About GOPA AFC

GOPA AFC GmbH (AFC) is a German private consulting firm implementing agricultural and financial sector commercial development projects in countries in transition. AFC was founded in 1973. In 2007, the company became a member of the GOPA Consulting Group, Germany's largest group of consulting firms in the field of development cooperation. In 2024, the company was renamed GOPA AFC GmbH

Background on Farmer Business Organizations (FBOs)- WP5

This activity has started under RePLICA in which a group of FBOs received technical assistance and in-kind grants to develop production related activities. Most FBOs are nascent with limited instructional and operational governance. Under ICCA, GIZ and AFC team have assessed through a business canvas methodology 4 FBOs to understand their work/services, challenges, and opportunities in domestic and export markets. Low adherence to quality measures and know-how in food safety control points were both identified as main challenges for scaling up and growth of the 4 FBOs. None of the FBOs have a quality control manual (quality assurance) or tools to check food safety/hazard analysis critical control points to address consumers’ need in domestic and export markets (compliance issues).

The Business Development and Access to Finance Expert will undertake the following tasks over 6 working days:

1. Develop Training Outline and Materials (Day 1–2)
• Prepare a detailed training outline (6-7 hours/day) for approval by the Team Leader.
• Develop interactive training materials in Arabic, including PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and exercises for approval by the Team Leader. The materials should include business plan development, goal setting and strategic planning, basic financial management (record keeping, budgeting, cost control), risk management, type of available financing (Loans, grants, microfinance, islamic finance, etc.), requirments to access finance, developing loan applications, and basics of financial literay (Interest rates, repayment schedules, and cash flow management). The content should be discussed during the development of the training outline based on the context and experience of the expert.
• Incorporate pre- and post-test assessments to evaluate the participants
2. Deliver Two-Day Interactive Training (Day 3–4)
• Conduct two full training days (6-7 hours/day) for participants from 4 Farmers-Based Organizations (FBOs). Total # of participants is 8.
• Ensure sessions are participatory and cover business development and access to finance topics.
3. Organize and Facilitate One Field Coaching Day (Day 5)
• Provide practical, on-site coaching to reinforce training concepts and address specific FBO needs. This will be discussed with participants and should be approved by the team leader.
4. Prepare Training Report (Day 6)
• Compile a comprehensive report summarizing training activities, participant feedback, pre/post-test results, and recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in business development, financial management, or access to finance.
• Proven experience in training and coaching small enterprises or farmer organizations.
• Good understanding of financial products (loans, grants, microfinance, Islamic finance) and business planning.
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills in Arabic; good command of English for reporting.

If you are interested in this position and meet the necessary qualifications and experience, kindly submit your CV in English to the following email address: hr-iraq@gopa-afc.de

Please ensure that the subject of the email is "HR-IQ-034". Emails without this subject will not be reviewed.

The deadline for applications is Nov 15th, 2025. CVs received after this date will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

GOPA AFC is committed to equal opportunities for both genders