Value Chain Expert at TechnoServe

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. 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. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Value Chain Expert

Location: Abuja

Program Description

• TechnoServe is currently looking for Senior Food Processing Advisers for a potential USAID-funded Agriculture Competitiveness Project in Nigeria.
• The Project is designed to strengthen agriculture productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers.
• The Project comprises three main components: (i) design of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund for private sector partnerships and funding to catalyze technological innovations; (ii) administration of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund to develop private sector partnerships and provide grants; and (iii) technical assistance that directly supports, coordinates, and organizes qualifying recipients (i.e., partners and grantees) to achieve the Mission’s food security objectives.
• The Project will contribute to the Mission’s Feed the Future strategy, which looks to improve agriculture competitiveness of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.

Primary Purpose

• The Value Chain Expert will lead and supervise value chain development activities, including but not limited to production, harvest/post-harvest handling, processing and marketing of agricultural commodities.
• S/He will provide technical leadership under the priority value chains in order to enhance private sector investment in the agricultural sector.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct value chain analysis in order to identify major constraints to improved agricultural competitiveness and develop roadmaps towards achieving this.
• Recommend opportunities for strengthening markets and increasing value-add opportunities to improve local economic development.
• Identify strategic opportunities in specific value chains for formal integration of smallholder farmers and processors to collaborate on sustainable production and processing.
• Provide expertise on value chain dynamics across sectors and sub-sectors.
• Develop relationships and facilitate linkages between value chain actors such as smallholder farmers, input suppliers, private sector actors, financial institutions etc.
• Device an approach that will support value chain competitiveness – support in building technical capacity of value chain actors in responding to changes in market dynamics.

Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in the relevant field including Business Management, Economics (Master's Degree preferred)
• 7 years' experience in projects relating to value chain development or rural business development
• Excellent technical knowledge of production and harvesting; value addition; marketing and quality standards
• Track record of building and managing strong client and stakeholder relations with the private sector
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and good computer skills in business software (Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint)
• Training and experience working in USAID projects is an added advantage
• Fluency in English

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should submit a Word-formatted single document consisting of their  Cover letter, CV, to: [email protected] Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line.

Note

• Due to a high volume of applicants, please understand that we are able to contact only those who meet the minimum qualifications. No phone calls, please.
• Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be considered or contacted. No phone calls please.