Agriculture & Livelihoods Officer at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an International non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist person on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS re-established presence in Nigeria m 2000 and currently focuses on agriculture, HIV and health extractives and governance, and peace building programming.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Agriculture & Livelihoods Officer

Job Ref Code: ALR80119
Location: Yola, Adamawa
Band: 7
Reports To: Senior Agronomist
Department: Programs/Water for Agriculture

Project/Program Summary
CRS Nigeria has been awarded the USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program.  This program seeks to develop and implement interventions that will sustainably increase water availability and management, towards increasing agricultural productivity in in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states of Nigeria. This effort will contribute to CRS’ agriculture and livelihoods signature program area and ongoing efforts to promote resilience, recovery and development within Nigeria and neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin. Additional project details are contained below:

Period:

• Three (3) years; July 15th, 2019 to July 14th, 2022

Location: 

• Yobe: Jakusko and Bursari
• Borno: Biu and KwayaKusar
• Adamawa: Gombi and Mayo Belwa

Amount:   

• US$ 8M

Interventions:  

• Construct water assets for agricultural use (crop irrigation and watering livestock);
• Build capacity of local government agencies and community structures to manage water assets;
• Increase agricultural production and productivity of famers and livestock herders

Job Summary / Background

• The Agriculture / Livelihoods Officer will provide technical leadership, guidance and capacity strengthening to USAID-funded Water for Agriculture (WFA) project in the areas of agriculture-based livelihoods and food security.
• S/he will provide guidance in the implementation of WFA agriculture & livelihoods activities using CRS approaches and methodologies as articulated in the project proposal documentation to improve productivity of smallholder farmers. 
• The main goal and key performance indicator for this role is improved productivity of smallholder farmers.
• Focus areas will include improved agricultural practices, increasing yields, diversification of livelihoods, value addition to existing agricultural produce, improved storage, strengthening of producer groups, agro enterprise, and collective marketing of focus crops.
• S/he will liaise with relevant government ministries, other technical experts and agencies working in the field of agriculture-based livelihoods.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and guidance in the assessment, planning and implementation of agriculture / livelihoods activities of WFA in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in collaboration with project partners and relevant government agencies.
• Ensure that agriculture-based livelihoods related activities are implemented in accordance with CRS standards and approaches.
• Under the direction of the Senior Agronomist, lead the design and development of capacity strengthening strategies, approaches and tools to support WFA partners and relevant government agencies in the area of agricultural livelihoods.
• Lead WFA’s capacity development of producer groups and marketing committees.
• Work with private sector partners to implement the market optimization and outreach model (MOOM)
• Lead the rolling out of SMART skills training to farmers to ensure they apply modern, water-smart agricultural production techniques during cultivation, processing and storage of agricultural produce
• Lead activities to improve access to input for smallholder farmers including community-based seed production and village agro-dealerships
• In coordination with the MEL Specialist, ensure timely and quality capturing of MEAL data on agricultural and livelihoods project components.

Background, Experience & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, Crop/Animal Science or relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in management of agriculture production and/or value-chain activities in developing countries.  Experience in Nigeria and particularly the North East will be a bonus.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing agriculture projects in rural and peri-urban settings.
• Demonstrated experience in training design, development of training curriculum, delivery and mentoring in subject matter relevant to this position.
• Experience with the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable agriculture development and food security
• Experience with market development approaches such as agricultural value-chain development (linking producers to markets) programming.
• Previous experience carrying out and using the results of technical capacity assessments in the areas of agricultural production, value-chain development, food security and related fields.
• Strong team player with the ability to take initiative and work well independently.
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Travel Required 60% to field locations in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Senior Agronomist, Financial Inclusion Officer, SPS Assistant, Livestock Officer
• External: Government ministries departments and agencies, local and international NGOs, coordination platforms and working groups, community leaders

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results:

• Integrity
• Strategic Mindset
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Develops Talent
• Builds Relationships
• Accountability & Stewardship

Application Closing Date
14th August, 2019. (Time: COB - i.e. 5:00pm)

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the "CRS Application Form" using the link below, fill and send with a detailed Resume as one document (in a PDF Format) indicating the position being applied for and the Job Ref Code as the subject of the application (e.g. Agriculture & Livelihoods Officer - Adamawa, ALR80119) to: vacancies.ne.nigeria@crs.org

Click here to Download Application Form (docx)

Click here for More Information (docx)

Note

• “CRS is an equal - opportunity employer, does not discriminate based on race, color, religion and we are committed to gender sensitive programming and management’. etc.
• Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply
• This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.