Business Manager – East Africa Dairy Development – Rwanda Job Vacancy

Reports To: Senior Business Manager
Position Location: Nyagatare, Gatsibo, Rwamangana
Our client in the NGO sector is looking for a suitable candidate to fill the Business Manager position.
Primary Purpose: To support the Senior Business Manager with planning, implementation and evaluation of an ongoing program that aims to build businesses and an industry.
The Business Managers role is to be a team leader in dairy business development, directing the implementation of dairy related interventions and anticipating client business needs of the farmer cooperatives. This position entails the provision of business advisory services and training to our clients’ businesses.
Additionally, insightful and entrepreneurial Business Planning and Implementation are core to the role. The Business Manager will necessarily also be a business developer able to develop and lead a team of Business Advisors to create new opportunities and new levels of capability for the EADD clients.
One aspect of this extended role is the Business Manager’s responsibility for overseeing the Business Advisors in all aspects of establishing business development service (BDS) hubs surrounding chilling plants for dairy farmers. This includes supporting the BDS providers to build their businesses, access finance and improve information for decision-making.
This position is over 50% field-based and entails the designing of business concepts and proposals specific to client and industry needs. NGO expects that this position will work closely with other EADD team members under the supervision of the Senior Business Manager to enhance client’s benefits and leverage related interventions. The position will also involve close collaboration with our development partners in the successfully implementation of joint activities.
Major Responsibilities


Program development
  • Contribute to rigorous industry and client diagnostic to identify new industry and client opportunities
  • Support development of annual program portfolio plans for industries of focus, detailing new business opportunities and priorities.
  • Support new business development in coordination with Senior Business Manager, including concept papers and proposals for industries of focus.
Program planning
  • Define the scope and projected impacts of program in collaboration with the Senior Business Manager
  • Create a detailed work plan which identifies, prioritizes and sequences the activities required for successful delivery of the program.
  • Determine and mobilize the resources (Eg.  Financial, people, data and information) required to deliver the work plan activities
  • Review the program work plan and resource requirements with the Senior Business Manager and all other staff that will be affected by the program activities; revise the schedule as required
  • Set own annual individual performance goals in coordination with Senior Business Manager, detailing project specific and personal development objectives and ensure all Business Advisors complete their individual performance goals in a timely and comprehensive manner.
Program implementation
  • Develop deep working relationships with the client’s leadership team, smallholder farmer leaders, and other key industry stakeholders
  • Assess and understand the client’s economic, organizational and political factors related to the program and the NGO’s role
  • Lead value chain analysis that identifies value chain improvement opportunities (Eg. Production inefficiency, distribution, sales & marketing etc)
  • Manage rigorous, financial, business case, statistical and other quantitative analysis to substantiate the value chain findings
  • Lead team in developing and assessing initiatives to improve value chain efficiency and profitability
  • Lead training and development of clients, smallholder farmers and other stakeholders involved in the program
  • Plan, create and deliver well-structure communications and coach team members to create written and oral communications for the highest impact
Program management
  • Document program performance against plan and provide regular status reports; highlighting success, as well as specific strategies needed to mitigate/remediate issues of concerns
  • Review the work plan and make adjustments as necessary to ensure the successful delivery of the program
  • Establish a communication schedule to update stakeholders including appropriate staff in the NGO on the progress of the program
  • Review the quality of the work completed by the program team on a regular basis to ensure that it meets the organization’s standards
  • Monitor program expenditure in accordance with budget and the organization’s policies
Program monitoring & evaluation
  • Define the objectives and measures upon which the program will be evaluated against in collaboration with the Senior Business Manager (Eg. ROTI, Revenue, Sales etc.)
  • Lead development of processes / system to track program data necessary for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
  • Manage the capture and validation of the program baseline data necessary for evaluation
  • Manage the tracking of data necessary to assess program performance against set objectives and measures
  • Lead program performance evaluation and identification of obstacles that are restricting the program’s ability to achieve the set objectives
  • Ensure program data and reports are transmitted to the M&E person on a timely basis
  • Ensure that program deliverables are on time, within budget and at the required level of quality
  • Proactively raise issues of concern with the Senior Business Manager
Professional Profile
Strive to grow the industry value for the client, smallholder farmers  and other industry stakeholders
  • Displays strong courage of conviction about his or her point of view
  • Applies both rigor and creativity in developing insights and crafting points of view specific to an industry
  • Balances creativity with pragmatism
  • Proactively grows his or her own capabilities to add value to the program
  • Thinks/works ahead of what the client needs
Inspire clients, smallholder farmers and other industry stakeholders to take action toward bold and large-scale transformation that benefits the rural poor
  • Approaches clients with respect, humility and high regard
  • Acts and thinks like a client; genuinely cares about the success of the client’s business
  • Acts as a trusted advisor on strategic and business issues
  • Expects and drives high level of client service
  • Communicates ideas clearly and decisively
  • Proactively builds the organization’s client and industry network
Develop a deep knowledge in several areas of organization’s work rather than only one narrow field. Potential areas of expertise are grouped by industries, developing businesses, developing industries and improving the enabling environment
Requirements
  • A Bachelor’s degree, with an advanced Business degree preferred.
  • Demonstrated skills in financial management will be an added advantage in providing disciplined business counsel to clients.
  • Knowledge of animal production issues and agricultural value chain operations is a real advantage. While dairy-specific training is not mandatory, qualifications in dairy technology, agricultural economics or any other relevant field with at least five years proven business development management experience would be an ideal profile
  • Self-starter who displays ownership of results with demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in small teams, ability to prioritize tasks and to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
  • You preferably have at least 2 years of marketing or technical experience in partnership development that achieved results relevant to the establishment and support of the planned BDS hubs.
  • You are a team developer, able to assess the needs of your talented but diverse team, to prioritize development needs at both individual and at process levels, to enable individuals to align around shared goals, and to proactively develop and implement a program that lifts individual and team effectiveness.
  • Proven track record of developing simple business plans and ability to develop complex business plans
  • Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
  • Strong interpersonal/people management skills and excellent oral and written communication skills a must
  • You should have a good understanding of challenges involving micro-enterprise development in developing economies and will be expected to work in a multicultural environment.
  • Entrepreneurial and self motivated
  • Demonstrates strong passion for assisting clients in building profitable and sustainable businesses that benefit the rural poor
  • Ability to plan and manage program activities and budgets
  • Must possess a valid driving license with a minimum of three years driving experience.
  • You are able to commit to being based in Nyagatare or other rural centres in Rwanda, with up to 20% of your time in Kigali and at least 50% of your time spent in the field.
If you qualify, please send your CV and cover letter quoting your current and expected salary to theleadrecruiter@gmail.com.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.