The Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2006 to
work with African governments, farmers, donors, NGOs and the private sector to
reduce hunger and poverty in Africa through agricultural development targeted
at resource-poor farmers. AGRA has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and an
office in Accra, Ghana.
AGRA is seeking to recruit exceptional and experienced individuals to fill the following positions:
Associate Program Officer for Commercialization - Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS)
Ref: APOC/ 04 -12
The Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS) is an initiative sponsored by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to deliver seed of improved, adapted crop varieties to Africa’s smallholder farmers.
This position is nationally recruited and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, on a 3-year renewable contract. The position will report to the Director, PASS and will require the job holder to travel up to 50% of the time.
Specific responsibilities will include:
- Coordinating
joint ventures between public breeders and private seed companies to
bridge existing gaps in technical support and marketing;
- Working
with breeders to ensure sufficient production of seeds to meet industry
requirements;
- Providing
information to all stakeholders regarding availability, location and
release of improved and adapted crop varieties;
- Working
with Government agencies and other stakeholders to identify and resolve
issues blocking the commercialization of improved crop varieties; and
- Liaising
with other breeding and seed production Program Officers in designing and
implementing strategies for disseminating improved crop varieties.
Key Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience:
- A
Master’s degree in a relevant field;
- 5 years’
post-qualification experience, with special focus on systems management,
agri-business, or marketing; and
- Fluency
in French will be an advantage.
Grants Assistant
Ref: GA /04 -12
The Grants Assistant has the overall responsibility for providing administrative, financial and logistical support to the AGRA grants administration team. The individual will be expected to work flexibly and collegially to make grants management work well for AGRA.
This position is nationally recruited and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, on a 3-year renewable contract. The position will report to the Grants Officer, working closely with the Grants Manager.
Specific responsibilities will include:
- Receiving
and logging-in all funding requests and enquiries and forwarding them to
relevant program units for review while maintaining a tracking system to
ensure timely response;
- Developing
and maintaining an effective filing system for all documents related to
the grants unit for easy retrieval;
- Ensuring
that all correspondence to grantees and contractors are dispatched to the
relevant grantees in a timely manner;
- Initiating
grants’ payment requests;
- Conducting
an initial review of grantee and consultants financial reports and
updating the financial report monitoring system; and
- Generating
disbursement and grantee reporting status and processing grantee reminders
for report submission.
Key Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience:
- A
relevant Bachelor’s degree;
- Minimum
of 3 years’ post-qualification grant management experience;
- Excellent
numerical skills, computer proficiency and experience in organizational
financial management; and
- Ability
to work independently with little supervision, but also participate as a
team member in accomplishment of duties.
Grants Officer
Ref: GO/04-12
The Grants Officer has overall responsibility for providing program support to AGRA in ensuring that AGRA’s grant making procedures are adhered to by program staff and grantees.
This position is nationally recruited and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, on a 3-year renewable contract. The position will report to the Grants Manager, working closely with the Program Coordinators and the Finance Manager.
Specific responsibilities will include:
- Assisting
the Grants Manager with the review and compilation of grant materials for
the grants committees,
- Ensuring
that all grant and contract documentation assembled by program staff is
complete and accurate and complies with all AGRA policies and procedures;
- Managing
and reviewing AGRAs GIFTS grant management system to ensure completeness
and accuracy of entries;
- Reviewing
grants and contracts to ensure completeness and accuracy before their
final review by the Grants Manager;
- Managing
the Continually reviewing electronic grant documents;
- Managing
the flow of grants over the course of a year and advising the Grants
Manager potential issues that need to be addressed; and
- Serving
as the AGRA contact person to receive, acknowledge and log in all grant
reports ensuring that they are reviewed and subsequent actions are handled
in a timely manner.
Key Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience:
- A
relevant Bachelor’s degree, preferably business related;
- Minimum
of 5 years’ post-qualification grant management experience;
- Strong
accounting background in a grant making environment;
- Proficiency
in GIFTS grant management system will be an added advantage;
- Ability
to work independently with little supervision, but also participate as a
team member in accomplishment of duties; and
- Strong
attention to detail and ability to maintain a timely and efficient work
flow.
Communications Specialist
Ref: CS/04 -12
This position is nationally recruited and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, on a 3 year renewable contract. The position will report to the Nairobi- based Director of Communications and will work with members of the Communications team both in Nairobi and in Accra.
Specific responsibilities will include:
- Handling
all AGRA media activities in Nairobi and elsewhere when required.
- Leading
the production of various communication products for the communications
unit, e.g. monthly bulletins, and articles for the Program’s website;
- Organizing
press conferences for AGRA management and senior scientists;
- Writing,
distributing and disseminating press releases for both local and
international media;
- Coordinating
digital photography, and managing the appropriate storage of photographic
images;
- Supporting
the activities and efforts of the AGRA President, senior officials,
Director of Communications and Communications Officer by scheduling
appropriate interviews, field visits and appointments; and
- Making
necessary arrangements for meetings, workshops and conferences by
providing printed materials and distributing background documentation,
with support from the Executive Assistant.
Key Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience:
- Bachelor’s
degree in Journalism, Communications, Agriculture or other relevant field;
- Minimum
of 7 years’ post-qualification experience in communications;
- Must
have experience in photography;
- Excellent
written and oral communication skills with computer proficiency;
- Excellent
command of English and working knowledge of French.
- Ability
to work and thrive in a multi-cultural environment.
The ideal candidates should be attentive to detail, have
excellent oral and written communication, relationship-building skills with the
ability to work analytically, both with autonomy and with a team in diverse
cultural contexts.
The candidates should
also have high levels of integrity and objectivity.
Attractive remuneration packages commensurate with the responsibilities of these positions will be negotiated with the right candidates.
Attractive remuneration packages commensurate with the responsibilities of these positions will be negotiated with the right candidates.
If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the relevant criteria for these roles, please submit your application with a detailed CV, stating your current position, remuneration, e-mail and telephone contacts and quoting the relevant reference number on the application letter.
For more information on these positions, applicants can visit http://www.agra.org/
To be considered, your application must be received by 16 May, 2012
addressed to:
The Director
Executive Selection Division
Deloitte Consulting Limited
Deloitte Place, Waiyaki Way
Muthangari, Westlands
Email: agra@deloitte.co.ke
Tel: +254 20 423 0000