We are recruiting for an experienced expert in managing people to lead a team within the agronomy advisory unit of a large-scale five-year program in Yirgacheffe. If you want to be a part of a project from its inception this is the opportune moment to join TechnoServe as we move to the next phase of impact within the Ethiopian coffee industry.

If you are skilled and training and coaching adult learners, if you are enthusiastic about good agricultural practices and helping farmers improve their operations, if you are an adept in managing tight deadlines and accomplishing your tasks, and if you are comfortable leading program field operations, then you may be exactly the person that we are looking for!

The role

As the Agronomy Advisor you oversee the trainers who work directly with the Regrow Yirga program’s 42,000 coffee farmers. You will coach and supervise trainers to effectively deliver lessons plans, conduct farmer visits, and report data on attendance and adoption. You will report directly to the Senior Agronomy Advisor while overseeing at least 7 trainers who provide monthly training on good agricultural practices to farmer groups. You will use and refine agronomy strategies that enable smallholder coffee farmers to increase their yields and quality. 

The Project

The project will help farmers boost productivity and expand trade. Specifically, the Regrow Yirga program seeks to serve 42,000+ farmers, 45+ processing businesses, and coffee industry service providers. The project will launch an innovative Farmer Stumping Fund which will facilitate direct incentive (tools or cash) transfers to farmers to encourage tree rejuvenation which has the potential to be scaled up to over 1 million coffee farmers nation-wide.

This USD 15 million project finds its roots in TechnoServe’s 10+ years of experience working with the coffee farmers in Ethiopia. Our work was recently honored as the “Origin Charity of the Year” by the National Coffee Association – the leading trade organization for the coffee industry in the United States.

What we Offer

We offer competitive salaries and career growth opportunities. We offer online learning resources from top universities. We provide regular training to all our staff to equip you with the coffee-specific technical know-how for you to excel. We provide autonomy in your job and you get to be part of a stellar team and shape the project from its inception. You will be challenged and grow as a professional. We offer a diverse team environment and highly encourage women and underrepresented groups to apply. And of course… we serve great coffee and host regular fun team activities.

Job Requirements

Our ideal candidate:

• Has a Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, supply chain management, agricultural economics, rural development or a related field.
• Has at least three years of professional work experience, preferably including experience in or with the private sector. No prior coffee experience required.
• Demonstrates strong planning and leadership skills, with a history of high quality work within strict timelines
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Amharic (knowledge of Afan Oromo, Sidamigna, or Gedigna is an added advantage)
• Is an empathetic listening with good problem-solving skills
• Embraces our values of collegiality (we stick our necks out for each other), integrity (doing the ‘right thing’ regardless), resourcefulness (solve problems) and results (bias for action)
• Is passionate about working with farmers and rural development; willing to be located in Dilla town with frequent time spent traveling to project training sites in rural areas

How to Apply

Our hiring process

Interested? Click here to apply for this position and submit a cover letter and resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by August 11, 2021. We are not accepting CVs that are not send through the indicated link. Once you apply and are selected to move through one of our hiring rounds, you can expect a rigorous process that reflects our high baseline requirements for people skills. Our process reflects that and can take up to two months.