TechnoServe
Vacancy: Agronomy Business Advisor - Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality
Program
General
Information:TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing
world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries.
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.
With more
than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private
enterprise to transform lives.
Program Description: TechnoServe is implementing the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program in Kenya. The program has the goal of impacting smallholder coffee farmers through increased coffee incomes as a result of improved productivity, quality and sustainability.
Primary Purpose: The Agronomy Business Advisor shall support the implementation of strategies that will enable clients to achieve sustainable increases in coffee quality and yields.
Key Duties
and Responsibilities
- Sensitize
cooperative leaders, smallholder coffee farmers and local stakeholders on
the TechnoServe coffee project work.
- Implement
existing strategies for providing farmers with coffee agronomy training
and with structured post-training farm visits to improve yields and
quality through adoption of best practices.
- Train,
mentor, coach and support Farmer Trainers on all technical and operational
aspects of their work and in relationship with farmers.
- Participate
in the implementation of the defined project monitoring, measurement and
evaluation activities that ensure accurate and consistent capture of data
for project reporting and documenting of impact.
- Create
linkages between cooperative leaders, farmers and suppliers of recommended
inputs and other farm requirements.
- Cultivate
and manage good relationship with clients both at leadership and farmer
levels as well as with key industry stakeholders and community leaders at
local levels.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s
degree in agriculture, agronomy, horticulture or related agricultural
sciences.
- At
least three years’ professional experience – ideally in the private sector
– in one or more of the following areas: coffee processing or agronomy;
agro-business or cooperative management; agriculture; training; extension
services.
- Demonstrated
good understanding of the Kenya coffee industry and especially the
cooperatives sector.
- Possess
an aptitude and skills for training adults in a field set up.
- Strong
planning skills and ability to generate innovative solutions in highly
dynamic work situations.
- Demonstrated
ability to prepare and present well-written, cohesive analyses and
reports.
- Fluency
in English and Kiswahili with strong interpersonal, collaborative and
cross-cultural skills.
- Willingness
to spend significant time in project implementation sites located in rural
areas.
To Apply:
Please
submit your application (by email only) to ke-recruit@tns.org with the position
title placed in the subject line.
Please
include (1) cover letter describing your interest, (2) curriculum vitae, (3)
three years’ salary history, and (4) telephone contacts of three professional
referees.
Please include all requirements in a single document (pdf).
Applications
will be treated confidentially.
Deadline for applications is 28th April 2016.
Note that
only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
TechnoServe is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, and Individuals with Disabilities
