Career

Chief Agribusiness Operations, Farmer Network & Fulfilment Officer

Appointment Mandate
Reports to Chief Executive & Platform Director
Core team Farmer network, agronomy/poultry, quality, procurement, aggregation, warehouse/custody, dispatch and outsourced logistics; duties segregated as scale requires
Location Cameroon-first; significant field and partner engagement; regional travel as approved
Engagement Full-time executive appointment; performance-based and subject to formal contract
Build horizon Immediate 0-100 days; short 4-18 months; medium 18-60 months; long 5-10 years
Selection standard Evidence of building, monetising and controlling a real operating platform—not title prestige alone

THE TEST At interview, the candidate must explain what will be sold in the first 30 days, what cash will settle by Day 100, what must not be built yet, and which numbers would cause the Board to stop expansion.

1. Institutional context

AGRO360 is a Cameroon-first, demand-first and asset-light digital agribusiness operating system. It is designed to connect verified farmers, cooperatives, buyers, suppliers, transporters, processors, and licensed finance, payment, and insurance partners through a single auditable transaction chain. The commercial asset is not an app screen. It is the trusted relationship, fulfilled order, settled payment, legitimate earned fee and reusable transaction history.

The platform will monetise marketplace commissions, product and procurement margins, aggregation, offtake, logistics coordination, processing, subscriptions, training, data/API services and successful partner referrals. Credit, payment, insurance and foreign-exchange activity must remain with appropriately licensed partners unless AGRO360 later obtains the required authority.

2. Purpose of the role

Build the physical and human operating system behind the platform: verified farmers, production visibility, quality, aggregation, inventory, logistics and proof of delivery. This leader ensures that digital orders become reliable, profitable fulfilment without allowing asset-heavy expansion to outrun demand.

3. Results by horizon

Horizon Required outcome
Immediate: Day 0-30 Map launch commodities and routes in Centre Region/Yaounde; verify 100-200 farmers and priority suppliers; define grades, inspection, rejection, substitution, custody and proof-of-delivery rules for eggs, maize, cassava and plantain; create route/lot cost sheets, production forecast and outsourced logistics roster.
Launch: Day 31-100 Fulfil first paid egg, produce and input orders; achieve ≥90% on-time/in-full launch delivery, 100% proof of delivery, positive contribution on selected routes, inventory shrinkage <1%, and product-specific spoilage/rejection within approved tolerances; reconcile physical movements to system records daily.
Short term: Month 4-18 Support 2,000 registered farmers and 200 active buyers; deliver XAF 1bn GMV capacity with repeat B2B supply; maintain ≥95% mature-route OTIF, shrinkage <1%, traceability ≥95%, supplier/farmer payment accuracy 100% and working-capital cycles within approved days; expand hubs only where route density pays for them.
Medium term: Month 18-60 Create a national aggregation and quality network supporting XAF 15bn GMV by Year 3 and XAF 60bn by Year 5; establish processing, cold-chain/warehouse, and trade-corridor capacity through partners/leases before ownership; achieve mature-hub shrinkage <0.5% and declining spoilage/rejection.
Long term: Year 5-10 Build a replicable country operating playbook, with provenance and a resilient supply network, supporting XAF 600bn GMV; use forecasting, route optimisation, and partner capacity to expand across Africa while keeping fixed assets subordinate to contracted demand and cash returns.

4. Core accountabilities

Design the farmer, cooperative, supplier, transporter, processor and warehouse network needed to fulfil contracted demand.

Own production forecasts, crop/poultry calendars, technical protocols, grades, sampling, quality acceptance and corrective support.

Build asset-light aggregation and logistics: outsource, lease or partner first; recommend owned assets only after utilisation and cash returns are proven.

Maintain lot/batch traceability from farmer or supplier through aggregation, inspection, dispatch, proof of delivery, rejection and return.

Own route economics with Commercial and Finance: cost/kg, cost/drop, fill rate, loss, inventory days, OTIF and contribution after logistics.

Enforce custody controls, stock counts and evidence; warehouse staff cannot approve adjustments or supplier payments.

Coordinate licensed finance/insurance referrals by producing consented, accurate production and transaction records—never promise credit or insurance approval.

Build field-agent standards, training, safety, grievance and performance controls; remove ghost farmers and inactive registrations from operational claims.

5. AGRO360 enterprise milestones

Milestone Approved planning reference
Year 1 base planning case 2,000 registered farmers; 200 active buyers; XAF 1bn settled GMV; XAF 235m earned revenue; XAF (60m) EBITDA.
Year 2 10,000 registered farmers; 1,000 active buyers; XAF 5bn GMV; XAF 850m revenue; XAF 150m EBITDA.
Year 3 30,000 registered farmers; 3,000 active buyers; XAF 15bn GMV; XAF 2.2bn revenue; XAF 550m EBITDA.
Year 5 CEMAC scale; XAF 60bn GMV; XAF 7.5bn revenue; XAF 2.25bn EBITDA.
Year 10 Pan-African platform; XAF 600bn GMV; XAF 60bn revenue; XAF 22bn EBITDA.

FINANCIAL INTEGRITY The historical base case and the XAF 500m Year-1 net profit ambition are separate scenarios. Within 30 days, the executive team must rebuild a linked monthly downside/base/stretch model based on signed buyer demand, supplier terms, logistics costs, tax, working capital, and financing. No executive may bridge the gap by relabelling GMV or pass-through costs as revenue.

6. Performance scorecard

Performance dimension Weight Board standard
On-time/in-full fulfilment 20% ≥90% launch; ≥95% mature routes
Quality, rejection and spoilage 15% Within product limits and declining; root causes closed
Route/category contribution 15% Positive before scaling; cost/kg/drop visible
Active farmer and supply capacity 15% Verified active network capable of contracted volume
Inventory/custody 15% Shrinkage <1% launch, <0.5% mature; counts reconciled
Traceability and data quality 10% ≥95% complete launch, progressing to 100% priority flows
Working capital and partner service 5% Inventory/cash cycle within policy; supplier accuracy 100%
Safety, integrity and inclusion 5% Zero material misconduct; fair field practice and grievance closure

The Board will approve annual targets and quarterly thresholds after validation of the 36-month model. Commercial upside is payable only on collected, reconciled, attributable results. A material fraud, safety, legal, data, cash-control, or related-party breach may reduce variable pay to zero and trigger a clawback or disciplinary action, regardless of revenue performance.

7. First 100-day execution contract

Period Non-negotiable deliverable Board evidence
Days 1-15 Legal/permitting map; buyer and supply interviews; operating audit; role-specific baseline; critical risks. Signed diagnostic, demand book, risk register and decisions required.
Days 16-30 Core team/workplan; prototype/process design; vendors/partners; pricing and controls; linked cash plan. Approved backlog, contracts/term sheets, budget, delegations and 30-day review.
Days 31-50 Controlled MVP and first product routes; farmer/buyer onboarding; payment link and transaction ledger. First settled revenue, acceptance/POD, system event and settlement match.
Days 51-70 Repeat egg/produce/input orders; route consolidation; quality, refund and exception handling. Unit economics by route/category and daily reconciliation pack.
Days 71-85 Finance/insurance referral sandbox; Academy/data pilot; operational dashboard. First eligible success-fee/sponsor/subscription evidence; no unlicensed activity.
Days 86-100 Pilot evaluation; control remediation; scale decision and next capital gate. Board pack recommending go, reshape or stop with verified numbers.

8. Authority and reserved matters

The officeholder acts within a written delegation approved by the Board. The following remain reserved to the Board or designated committee: strategy and annual budget; risk appetite; borrowing/equity and material capital allocation; acquisitions and new countries; related-party transactions; material capex, contracts or changes above threshold; appointment/removal and remuneration of senior executives; audited accounts; and changes to legal or regulated perimeter.

The executive may recommend, negotiate and execute only within documented authority and approved counterparties.

The executive may stop an unsafe, loss-making or non-compliant activity and must escalate material matters promptly.

No one may select a vendor, confirm receipt, approve payment and reconcile the same transaction.

9. Governance, risk and control obligations

Control Minimum requirement
Revenue recognition Only a contractually defined, fulfilled and settled/accepted event generates earned revenue; cancellations and refunds reverse it.
Cash and payments Licensed rails; daily settlement reconciliation; no personal accounts or informal cash handling.
Working capital Match facilities to visible cycles; inventory and receivables aged daily; no speculative stocking.
Related parties Full disclosure, recusal, arm’s-length evidence and prior approval under policy.
Data/privacy Informed consent, least privilege, purpose limitation, secure sharing and incident escalation.
Regulated services Finance, payments, insurance and FX only through authorised entities/partners pending required licences.
Country expansion No launch without legal, tax, payment, data, commercial, security and Board investment gates.
Impact claims Farmer income, jobs, women/youth, local sourcing and climate claims supported by defined and auditable evidence.

10. Executive reporting rhythm

Frequency Required reporting
Daily during launch Settled orders, cash/settlement exceptions, inventory/quality incidents, uptime, fulfilment and urgent risks.
Weekly Pipeline, active buyers/farmers, GMV, revenue, margin, contribution/order, cash runway, ageing, delivery, product and action log.
Monthly P&L and cash flow by category, working capital, KPI scorecard, capital use, risk/control, technology, impact and Board decisions.
Quarterly Strategy refresh, cohort/route economics, forecast, talent, partner performance, audit closure and stage-gate recommendation.
Annually Audited results, budget, risk appetite, remuneration assessment and medium/long-term plan.

11. Candidate specification

A senior agribusiness and supply-chain operator with at least 10 years across farmer networks, aggregation, procurement, quality, warehousing, logistics, processing or poultry. Must have managed real volumes, losses, working capital and field teams. Digital fluency is required; a purely theoretical agronomy profile is insufficient.

Master’s degree or equivalent professional achievement in a relevant field; exceptional builders may substitute demonstrated results for formal prestige.

Fluent professional English or French; working ability in both is strongly preferred. Regional language/country experience is advantageous.

High financial literacy, digital fluency, negotiation strength and the ability to work credibly with farmers, corporates, public institutions and investors.

Evidence of ethical judgement, transparent failure reporting, conflict discipline and respect for controls under pressure.

12. Selection methodology

Stage Assessment Weight
Eligibility and evidence screen Career evidence, scale built, quantified outcomes, integrity and role fit Pass/fail
Written build thesis Candidate’s 100-day plan and critique of the base/stretch cases 20%
Role-specific case Live commercial/product/operations/CEO problem using AGRO360 facts 30%
Structured panel interview Leadership, judgement, culture, stakeholder and failure scenarios 25%
Board presentation Go/reshape/stop choices, funding, KPIs and execution commitments 15%
References/background Identity, qualifications, track record, conflicts, litigation and reputation 10% / mandatory

Candidates must provide verifiable examples. Confidential information may be anonymised, but invented scale, revenue, capital or partnerships will disqualify the application. Final appointment remains subject to due diligence, contract, budget, and governing body approval.

13. Remuneration and performance contract

AGRO360 should offer a competitive fixed package that attracts a builder, not merely a caretaker, together with meaningful performance-linked upside. The Board should set the final amount after market benchmarking and candidate diligence. Variable remuneration should be balanced across cash/revenue, margin, delivery, customer/network, governance and long-term value; it must never reward GMV alone.

Indicative design: 60-70% fixed cash compensation and 30-40% target variable opportunity, with upside capped under Board policy.

Long-term incentive or phantom/equity participation may be considered after valuation, vesting, good-leaver/bad-leaver, dilution and governance approval.

No variable award if material accounts remain unreconciled, high-risk findings are overdue, a serious compliance/safety/data breach occurred, or results were misstated.

14. Performance review and exit discipline

Formal reviews will occur on Day 30, Day 60, Day 100, at six months, and annually. Failure to establish a credible demand book, control cash, deliver first paid transactions, report truthfully or build an accountable team will trigger a corrective plan, role redesign or exit. AGRO360 needs humane leadership, but kindness is not vagueness: expectations, evidence and consequences must remain clear.

15. Source basis and planning caution

This TOR is tailored from the supplied AGRO360 digital agribusiness blueprint, monetised products/services deployment blueprint, capital mobilisation strategy, century masterplan and financial model, valuation/seed case, top-10 catalogue, operational organigram/governance-risk workbook and ROI model. All forward figures are planning targets, not guarantees. They require Board approval, signed demand, verified capacity, lawful contracts and a reconciled financial model before they become executive commitments.