About TechnoServe

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. Founded in 1968, we are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. In East Africa, we operate in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Across the region, we implement a range of large-scale value chain interventions, agribusiness projects and entrepreneurship/economic empowerment projects. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

About the Project

Scaling Ethiopia’s Regenerative Export Sector with Out growers project is four-year project that is aimed to catalyze the growth of Ethiopia’s export sector through efficient, inclusive and regenerative market systems with Ethiopian small-scale farmers. Through sustainable, smallholder-sourced high value exports, Ethiopian small-scale farmers will access higher income generating opportunities and lucrative, premium export markets, contributing to more resilient and improved farming livelihoods, particularly for women and youth. We envision a climate-resilient and inclusive horticulture export sector that strengthens partnerships between small-scale farmers and export enterprises, allows small-scale farmers to produce high-value export crops with access to climate-smart irrigation technology, and responds to end-market consumer demand for regenerative grown products. In partnership with other export enterprises—with strong human rights, environmental sustainability and social impact commitments in place, particularly in regard to women and youth—as well as federal and local government counterparts, we will deploy a combination of technical assistance, innovative rural finance mechanisms for irrigation technologies and sector-wide policy adjustments to reduce barriers to smallholder sourcing. Just as importantly, this project will provide an evidence base and solution for climate-resilient, regenerative agricultural practices and growing consumer demand for smallholder-sourced, regeneratively-grown products.

Position Description

The Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring the overall on time delivery of project deliverables, according to cost and quality specifications as well as effectively managing relationships and coordinating with key project counterparts, including government office counterparts. S/he will directly manage and lead at project staff, most of whom are based at regional level and led by one Regional Market Specialist per region.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Project Manager are structured into the following categories:

Refine project approach and ensure successful implementation

• Working with project staff and partners, develop refined approach to key deliverables, including crop selection, farmer mobilization, designing and provision of technical assistance to farmers and crowding in enterprises.
• Provide leadership in determining crop water requirements, availability and selection of smallholder appropriate irrigation technologies, in obtaining GoE exemption for export enterprises to offer irrigation technologies on input credit as well as creating solutions for better access to finances.
• Develop and maintain overall work plan for project and corresponding budget on an annual and quarterly basis; monitor project and update/adjust accordingly;
• Ensure benefit to women and youth
• Work together with and support Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team, integrating them into the team to promote evidence based decision making and adaptive management
• Promote learning and advance gender equality within team and with partners; adapt project approach as needed based on implementation feedback and progress

Team Coaching and Management

• Manage direct reports, through regular follow up and individual coaching as well as regular performance reviews and feedback
• Coach and support project staff to enable them to transfer advanced new agribusiness knowledge and replicate effective technologies at other sites;
• Lead, manage and supervise project team, convening regular team meetings and ensure project staff receive necessary support on HR, financial and administrative matters, as required;
• Oversee and ensure that training and coaching delivered through Project is effectively

Relationship Management and Project Representation

• Manage relationship with implementing partners, donor, and main financial institution partners and federal and regional level government stakeholders, including information sharing, coordination and joint problem solving;
• Manage key relationships with GOE counterparts and other key project partners
• Facilitate donors, partners, and external guests visiting project
• Participate and represent project at external functions, as required;
• Represent the project and present its work to TechnoServe leadership, donors, and other stakeholders;

Learning and Reporting

• Working with MEL staff, compile, develop and deliver on-time, high quality, quarterly donor reports to donor and key stakeholders; consult with the donor and key project stakeholders regarding the report
• Receive and follow up weekly updates; develop and circulate own weekly updates;
• Find opportunities to sharing transferrable insights and learnings with broader TNS Ethiopia team
• Promote learning within team and within TNS Ethiopia through sharing key issues related to the Project, its management and effectiveness

Job Requirements

Required Qualifications and Capabilities

• A true passion for and commitment to development and economic empowerment of smallholder farmers, particularly for women and youth; 
• Bachelor’s Degree with 7-10 years; Master’s Degree with 5-7 years in Agriculture, Economics, Marketing, Finance or related fields
• Minimum of 5 years of managerial level experience
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in market based agriculture, agribusiness; and, in particular, marketing of agricultural products 
• Demonstrated strong analytic capabilities: Value chain analysis, financial analysis, markets analysis
• Experience working with financial institutions and government institutions, such as Ministry of Agriculture, at federal and regional levels,
• Experience supporting smallholder farmers and farmer organizations in rural areas
• Excellent planning skills; Strong and very detailed oriented when planning and preparing documents
• Ability to work according to a work plan and meet deadlines; while at the same time adapting to new information
• Entrepreneurial, creative team player with excellent inter-cultural and inter-personal skills
• Good listener and thoughtful communicator with strong leadership skills;
• Strong interpersonal/people management and organizational skills and excellent oral and written communication skills a must, including report writing and presentations
• Strong, analytical thinker and ability to systematically and methodically conceptualize
• Excellent problem solving and negotiation skills
• Willingness and experience serving remote rural areas
• Strong skills in business software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic
• Learning mindset
• Committed to quality and achieving impact; motivated; high level of integrity and honesty

Preferred Qualifications and Capabilities

• Prior experience in export commodities.
• Finance Degree
• Experience identifying buyers and facilitating agreements
• Experience working with irrigation schemes in Ethiopia

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should follow the link and submit a cover letter resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by April 29, 2021. Applications will be reviewed and considered as received/on a rolling basis.

Note: Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be contacted.

Please note that we are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated link.

TechnoServe encourages diversity in all levels and across all facts of our organization with this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and all other protected classes 

TechnoServe has the right to cancel this advertisement.

Women are highly encouraged to apply.