Description
Title: Business Advisor -Markets
Reports to: Program Director
Location: Project implementation sites
Grade: 7
Program Description:
Food loss is a global issue that reduces
household incomes and limits access to nutrition. More than 30 percent of
global food production intended for human consumption is estimated to never
reach consumers. Smallholder value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa have even
higher loss rates, in some cases upwards of 50 percent. Loss rates in
low-income countries mainly occur in the early and medium stages of the food
supply chain, whereas very little food is discarded by consumers.
Since 1968, TechnoServe catalyzes high-impact, market-led partnerships that build competitive value chains, expand smallholder market access and create enduring economic opportunities. Operating in more than 30 countries, we work on a wide range of crops with a variety of partners, including multinational food companies, actively helping them identify, design, and implement scalable, sustainable supply chain strategies.
Position Description:
TechnoServe seeks a Business Advisor –
Markets to support the Project Director and technical teams in the
implementation of all activities related to the project that aim to gather
insights, develop and test ideas, and deploy highest potential solutions at
scale.
Key Responsibilities
Project Implementation
- Setting up field visits and
engagements with stakeholders
- Support and documenting projects
learnings
- Support mobilization of actors
across value chains and food loss/waste solution providers
- Submitting weekly field reports
to the PM and support impact monitoring and evaluation activities
- Provide support to implementation
consortium partners, including Human Centered Design firm, monitoring and
evaluation stakeholders, and others as needed
- Participating in regular team
training activities.
- Performing other duties as
assigned by the Project Director
- Support data gathering, testing,
and business cases development for high potential solutions and help
identify areas of improvement
- Develop and implement documentation
mechanisms for solution testing
- Document learnings from the
Project Phase 1 (Year 1) to inform larger scale testing and implementation
in Phase 2 (Years 2 & 3)
- Facilitate linkages across teams
and ecosystem actors
- Contribute to periodic reporting
- Other related duties as requested
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree
in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Horticulture,
economics, business administration or related qualification
- 3 years’ experience in the area
of markets and agricultural value chains.
- Experience of working with farmer
organizations, producer groups and private sector
- Track record of building and
managing strong client and stakeholder relationships with farmer groups,
private sector and government;
- 3 years Valid Riding and Driving license
free of endorsement
- Experience in working with
diverse cultures and communities.
- Strong data analysis skills
- Experience in project planning,
management and monitoring
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite
(especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
Competencies
- Good Communication skills in both
English & Kiswahili
- Basic leadership skills
- Good financial analysis skills
- Good budgeting and interpreting
skills
- Strong marketing skills
- Good client/farmer mobilization
skills
- Team player and good
interpersonal skills
- Excellent writing
Success Factors
Competency is a combination of knowledge,
skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the
job.
Core Competencies include;
- Integrity and honesty. Is widely trusted; seen as a
direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an
appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does
not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
- Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly
with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be
played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability
to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
- Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of
opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning;
applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
- Diversity/inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and
appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts
effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures,
ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
- Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in
individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information,
ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes
to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a
way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses
appropriate non-verbal communication.
- Decision making/Problem
Solving: is
able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues,
establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a
logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective
decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions,
demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
- Results Oriented/ High Quality
Deliverables. Stays
focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent
with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to
achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to
goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no
matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately
checking processes and tasks.
- Planning & Time
Management: Establishes
a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal.
Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities;
identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material,
information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work
according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job
responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
- Business Acumen.- The ability to use information,
ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the
overall business performance.
Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:
- Financial & Resource
Management. The
ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to
support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding
human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed
at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving
overall organizational performance.
- Computer Literacy: Demonstrates knowledge and
ability to use specific computer programs or applications for own
functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new
and existing technology into the workplace.
The deadline for submitting applications is 24th February 2023.
