Organization: TechnoServe
(TNS)
Project Name: USAID Feed the
Future (FtF) Project
Duty Station: Kampala,
Uganda
Reports to: Chief of Party
TechnoServe
(TNS) is an international non-profit international development organization
founded in 1968. Its mission is to help entrepreneurial men and women break the
cycle of poverty by building businesses that create jobs, income, and economic
opportunities for their families, their communities, and their countries.
TechnoServe
(TNS) will work in partnership with the Uganda Cooperative Alliance after being
recently awarded a grant to implement the Feed the Future – Producer
Organizations Activity. The USAID funded Feed the Future Uganda Producer
Organizations Activity seeks to strengthen the Governance, management and
service delivery capacity of Producer Organizations (POs) with the goal of
helping to establish durable and enduring institutions that are able to
plan, mobilize resources, and deliver
services that meet the evolving needs of their members in a rapidly changing
competitive environment. To achieve this vision, the activity will harness the
potential of Uganda’s secondary POs in 12 of the Feed the Future focus
districts in Uganda to serve as critical agents of change in equipping member POs
with the skills, knowledge, and linkages needed to develop into sustainable
businesses that meet the demands of their farmers.
Job Summary: The
Agribusiness Specialist will be a key member of the Program’s leadership team
and will be responsible for providing technical leadership and oversight for a
team that will be responsible for achieving (1) increased involvement of
producer organizations (POs) in business-oriented activities along three main
value chains (maize, beans, and coffee); and (2) improved PO governance and
management structures that efficiently and effectively provide services
responsive to the needs of their members. More specifically, the duties and
responsibilities of this position fall into three broad categories: business’
development services and diagnostics; partnerships; and integration of women
and youth.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
1.
Business Development Services (BDS) and Diagnostics:
·
Manage, supervise, develop, and enable a team of
four Business Development Services Coordinators; and a variety of short-term
technical advisors to achieve the program’s results;
·
Manage and ensure the effective and efficient use of
various diagnostic tools to evaluate producers’ organizations on a regular and
recurring basis;
·
The incumbent will mentor and supervise and provide technical
support to BDS coordinators on mapping and producer organizations assessment
techniques;
·
Manage the identification of BDS providers, oversee
the development of business cases, and facilitating linkages to producer
organizations;
·
The incumbent will make sure that the appropriate
BDS services are provided to participating POs;
·
Build and strengthen working relationships with BDS
service providers;
·
Organize business review meetings with producer
organizations to share lessons and evaluate progress against business plan
milestones.
·
Establish and maintain strong working relationships
with other implementing partners on the USAID funded Feed the Future project;
·
Manage effective relationships with private sector
partners along the relevant value chains (maize, beans, and coffee), including
but not limited to buyers, banks, and input providers;
·
The incumbent will also manage the identification of
private sector partners, overseeing the development of business cases to
present to private sector partners as needed;
·
Build strong linkages between market participants
and POs, and support negotiation processes to foster the establishment and
strengthening of mutually beneficial commercial relationships.
3.
Gender & Youth: Ensure that issues related to gender and youth are
integrated and considered in all aspects of activity implementation;
Qualifications, Skills and
Experience:
·
The Agribusiness Specialist should preferably hold a
Bachelor’s degree in agribusiness management, agricultural economics, or other
relevant field;
·
At least five years’ experience in program
management, agribusiness or agricultural development activities;
·
Proven exposure and experience supporting producer
organizations to access agricultural inputs, advisory and business development
services, and output markets; increase their production and marketing
efficiencies; and enhance product competitiveness;
·
Excellent track record of achieving results in
private sector-led development activities, preferably in agriculture;
·
Detailed knowledge and understanding of agricultural
value chains (beans, maize, and coffee preferred);
·
Working knowledge of gender and youth integration
approaches relevant to producer organizations;
·
Previous experience using information and
communication technology to facilitate business transactions and service
delivery;
·
Demonstrated high-level technical, analytical,
interpersonal skills and ability to meet tight deadlines with logical analyses
and clear presentation;
·
Computer literacy i.e. Proficiency in MS Outlook, MS
Word and other Microsoft Office programs as well as common internet
applications;
·
Excellent communication skills including fluency in
written and spoken English;
·
Flexibility and ability to travel with ease to remote
rural locations in Uganda and travel up to 50% of the time;
·
Prior experience applying market systems and
facilitative approaches;
·
Strong results orientation and focus on results.
·
Prior experience working in producer organizations
in Uganda is an added advantage
·
Applicants with prior and proven experience
successfully implementing USAID funded programs will have an added advantage
·
Fluency in local Ugandan language(s) is an added
advantage is preferred
All suitably
qualified and interested candidates should send their applications via Email
only to the Human Resources Manager: UG-jobs@tns.org. Please include an updated
resume, cover letter and three professional references with the job title in
the subject line of your email and on the application letter.
Deadline:
Friday, 4th December, 2015
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