Farm Africa is an
international non-governmental organization working to increase the incomes and
improve food security of smallholder farmers, pastoralists,
agro-pastoralists, and forest dwellers in East Africa.
The Kenya country office is currently recruiting highly qualified persons
to fill the following position:
Job Title: Agribusiness Manager, MAEF
Reports To: Head of Market Engagement
Staff Reporting to Post
Holder: Portfolio Officers, Grants Specialist
Location: Nairobi with regular travel locally and within
East Africa
Duration & Hours: One year, renewable
Purpose of the Role: To provide leadership and
oversight of all enterprise development and capacity building activities of
Farm Africa’s Maendeleo Agricultural Enterprise Fund (MAEF).
Key Tasks and
Responsibilities
1. Define and implement an
investment strategy based on market research, and ensure that work is
consistent with Farm Africa’s strategies and business plans
- Identify
priority areas for investment and plan market interventions where MAEF can
have highest impact
- Set and take
full responsibility for achieving overall and individual grantee targets
related to sales, income and company profitability
2.
Identify and select MAEF investments (grants)
- Source for
business opportunities through various methods, including networking,
advertising and other solicitation means
- Working with
the Advisory Committee, review and shortlist concept notes and business
cases
- Work with
potential grantees to develop business plans
- Lead the
final selection process including subsequent budget and contract
negotiations with selected grantees
3.
Oversee grantees in project implementation, providing business capacity
building and other support, as needed
- Monitor
grantees’ progress against targets through regular report reviews, site
visits and third-party verification
- Assess
capacity building needs of grantees and ensure proper support is provided,
either internally or through external consultants/specialist firms
- Liaise with
and create partnerships with relevant companies, organizations, financial
institutions and government agencies, to ensure success of project
outcomes
- Document and
disseminate lessons learned
4.
Provide leadership in overall management of the MAEF programme in accordance
with project documents, work plans and budgets
- Responsible
for the preparation and implementation of budgets and work plans
- Write or
review and approve narrative and financial reports to MAEF donors
- Comply with
Farm Africa internal processes and procedures
5.
Supervise MAEF staff members and collaborate with Farm Africa’s other projects
and senior managers in East Africa and London
- Provide
guidance and mentoring to MAEF programme and support staff
- Conduct
regular appraisals, set and monitor objectives, assist with work planning
- Liaise and
collaborate with other Farm Africa country offices involved with the MAEF
project, including CDs, Communications, M&E and any other relevant
staff
6.
Increase visibility through promotion and marketing of the MAEF programme and
grantees’ commercial activities
- Assist the
Country Director and London-based fundraising staff to actively seek new
funding opportunities for MAEF
- Contribute
to writing funding proposals and preparing budgets
- As directed
by the Country Director, liaise with current and potential donors
7.
Any other duties as directed by the Head of Market Engagement or the Country
Director
Education, qualifications & other knowledge
Education, qualifications & other knowledge
Essential
- A Bachelor’s
degree in a relevant subject
- Demonstrated
knowledge of rural enterprise development and/or small business management
- Minimum 5
years’ professional experience in agriculture, agribusiness or related
sector
- Fluency in
written and spoken English
Desirable
- MBA or
equivalent
- Private
sector experience
- Experience
in banking, finance, investment or related field
- Fluency in
Swahili or other East African language
Experience
Essential
- Capacity
building of organisations and companies
- Financial
management and budgeting
Desirable
- Business
planning and company growth strategies
Skills & abilities
Essential
- Networking,
collaboration and convening capacity
- Communication
(both verbal & written)
- Report
writing
Desirable
- Negotiating
and managing partner relationships
- Fundraising
and policy influencing
Values
Farm Africa seeks to employ
those who believe, as we do, that farmers can and will play a key role in
achieving long-term rural prosperity in Africa and who seek to deliver on those
beliefs by:
- being
experts in our field, delivering insightful/impactful evidence-based
solutions
- pushing
boundaries, being creative with new and old solutions
- acting for
the long-term, building relationships and delivering long-lasting change
for farmers
- working
flexibly, taking advantage of the most effective solutions, whether from
the communities, private sector or government
- sharing
knowledge with others, reaching more farmers than we do alone, ensuring
effective technologies are widely accessed.
Job Title: Project
Coordinator (PC)
Reports To: Programmes
Manager (PM)
Staff Reporting to the Post
Holder: Project Officer,
Location: Kitale,
with regular field travel
Duration: One
year fixed term, renewable
Purpose of the Role: To
manage the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the Youth Empowerment in
Sustainable Agriculture (YESA) project.
This position requires an
experienced manager with strong technical skills in implementing agriculture
projects specifically with youth and with a track record of production,
marketing, product logistics, post-harvest handling, seed systems or similar.
Key Tasks and Responsibilities
- To provide overall technical and operations leadership in
implementation of the YESA project
- To manage the project in accordance with project documents, work
plans and budgets and ensure that work is consistent with Farm Africa’s
strategies and the conditions of donor contracts
- To line manage the project staff and provide technical and
operational backstopping while, on day to day basis, be directly engaged
in practical elements of project implementation
- To manage and nurture mutually beneficial partnerships with other
stakeholders, including other NGOs, County government, private sector
companies, etc
- To keep abreast of relevant changes in government policy that could
affect the project and advise senior management accordingly
- To play an active role as a member of the Farm Africa Kenya team.
- To prepare the project budget and work plan in line with Farm
Africa’s planning process and schedules on timely basis
- To prepare and submit quarterly narrative and financial reports in
the standard format to the line manager with both internal and donor
requirements
- To ensure that financial management in the field office is in
compliance with the basic standards contained in the Farm Africa finance
procedures manual and donor requirements
- To work with senior management and the UK-based teams in
identifying new business opportunities, new project design, contributing
to funding proposal preparation, and interacting with donors, as needed
- In collaboration with the M&E manager, to develop and implement
a project monitoring and evaluation process, capturing project
outcomes/impact and lessons learned.
- In liaison with the PM, to lead on the recruitment of new staff to
the project team, including proper induction processes
- To provide leadership to all project staff and develop effective
team work and individual staff skills relevant to the project and the Farm
Africa business plan.
- To carry out quarterly and annual appraisals with all line-managed
staff in line with Farm Africa staff appraisal system.
- In consultation with the PM, to act as an ambassador, promoting the
project and the work of Farm Africa, including hosting visitors, speaking
at workshops, conferences and meeting donors and other officials as and
when required
- To ensure that the project contributes to, responds to and complies
with all relevant agriculture sector policy developments.
- To identify and lobby for policy support to smallholder producer
and marketing groups at county and higher levels of governance.
- To contribute to the development of Farm Africa policies and
strategies related to smallholder climate smart agriculture.
- To participate in regional programme meetings with other project
coordinators, as requested by senior management
- To undertake any other duty as may be directed by the line manager
or CD from time to time
Education, qualifications & other
knowledge
Essential
- Bachelor degree in relevant agriculture/natural resource/ agri
economics / marketing or related field
- Knowledge of the development and policy environment in Kenya
- Good understanding of youth-friendly value chains and business
development / marketing
Desirable
- Masters degree in relevant subject
- Knowledge & practical experience of farmer participatory
approaches
- Previous private sector agriculture value chains and rural
development experience
Experience
Essential
- At least 2 years field based experience implementing agricultural
projects and with youth
Desirable
- Experience with a private sector agricultural actor
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Project management
- Team building
- Financial management
- Agricultural value chains development
- Participatory planning, monitoring & evaluation
- Communication (both verbal & written)
- Proposal & report writing
Desirable
- Negotiating & managing partner relationships
- Field level training
- Policy influencing
- Fundraising
- Capacity building of organisations & individuals
Values:
Farm Africa seeks to employ those who believe, as we do, that farmers can and
will play a key role in achieving long-term rural prosperity in Africa and who
seek to deliver on those beliefs by:
- being experts in our field, delivering insightful/impactful
evidence-based solutions
- pushing boundaries, being creative with new and old solutions
- acting for the long-term, building relationships and delivering
long-lasting change for farmers
- working flexibly, taking advantage of the most effective solutions,
whether from the communities, private sector or government
- sharing knowledge with others, reaching more farmers than we do
alone, ensuring effective technologies are widely accessed.
Country
Director, Tanzania
Location: Dar es Salaam with significant national travel and some international travel
Duration: Fixed term, 3 year contract
Salary: Highly competitive
Farm Africa is a different kind of charity, working to end hunger and bring prosperity to rural Africa.
Location: Dar es Salaam with significant national travel and some international travel
Duration: Fixed term, 3 year contract
Salary: Highly competitive
Farm Africa is a different kind of charity, working to end hunger and bring prosperity to rural Africa.
The
impact that we are making with our long-term sustainable, community-led
projects in sub-Saharan Africa is enabling communities to significantly improve
their livelihoods and manage their natural resources sustainably.
Tanzania is one of our growing programmes, and we need someone who can help us bring our pipeline of projects into fruition.
Tanzania is one of our growing programmes, and we need someone who can help us bring our pipeline of projects into fruition.
Responsible for the delivery of the country
strategy, managing all operational aspects of the Tanzania country programme,
including relationships with multiple partners and an income target of around
£2m per year.
We are looking for skilled senior manager who has the ability to build the capacity of staff to achieve Farm Africa’s strategic objectives; whilst proactively managing relationships with external stakeholders, including institutional donors, civil society partners and the private sector.
We are looking for skilled senior manager who has the ability to build the capacity of staff to achieve Farm Africa’s strategic objectives; whilst proactively managing relationships with external stakeholders, including institutional donors, civil society partners and the private sector.
Of
particular importance in the Ethiopia context is someone who can maintain and
further develop a constructive relationship with our most important partner-
the Government of Ethiopia.
We
are looking for someone with the ability to drive and prioritise innovative
engagement with the multiple partners including rural communities, the private
sector and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector along with a proven
track record of providing broader input into leadership, contributing to the
overall strategy and Farm Africa’s future growth.
You will have a successful track record of working in long-term development and a strong understanding of donor environments, working closely with communities, government and the private sector.
You will have a successful track record of working in long-term development and a strong understanding of donor environments, working closely with communities, government and the private sector.
You
will have lived and worked in sub-Saharan Africa, have excellent hands-on
programme, financial, strategic and human resource management experience.
Exceptional
multi-tasking, networking, relationship-building and financial management
skills are pre-requisites.
If you are interested in these roles, more information can be found in the appointment details.
If you are interested in these roles, more information can be found in the appointment details.
If would like to apply, please send a
CV and one page covering letter detailing how you meet the person specification
to recruitment@farmafrica.org by 5pm on Monday 18 August 2014.
If you have any questions regarding this role, please submit them in writing to recruitment@farmafrica.org.
If you have any questions regarding this role, please submit them in writing to recruitment@farmafrica.org.
