Business Development Manager (Agronomy) at HarvestPlus - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting on behalf of HarvestPlus to fill the position below:

Job Title: Business Development Manager (Agronomy)

Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2022-014
Location: Kano
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)
Contract: 1-year renewable contract

Duties

• Increase private sector investment into the vitamin A maize, iron pearl millet and cowpea subsectors through building competitive commodity value chains that increase Return on Investment (ROI).
• Support the Scaling Climate Adapted Nutritious Crops Through Market Systems (Nigeria) program in the establishment of strong agro input supply chains by provision of business development support to all actors, namely: seed companies and agro-dealers.
• Facilitate the creation of robust supply chains for aggregators and processors through the provision of technical assistance and capacity building to producers, aggregators, retailers, service providers, and other actors.
• Work with the state coordinators to put in place sustainable contract farming and out-grower business models that will guarantee continuous raw material sourcing for processors.
• Suggest and implement demand creation strategies that will increase demand for vitamin A maize, millet and cowpea seed and grains.
• Work with the state coordinators to reduce post-harvest losses via the identification and deployment of proven, culturally appropriate post-harvest loss, processing and food safety solutions.
• Create business opportunities along value chains for young people and women through capacity building, and the creation of support systems via mentoring, access to finance and markets
• Provide specialist, pragmatic, and effective advice to agribusiness clients based on successful value chain development strategies and models that are contextually appropriate to the region.
• Establish effective partnerships with stakeholders, including other development partners, using a range of communication and facilitation skills, to deliver improved efficiency along commodity value chains to clients.
• Engage in knowledge generation (case studies), value chain analysis, policy reviews, and other analytical support service relevant to building competitive commodity value chains and an enabling environment.
• Develop strategic business plans with investment metrics and measures.
• Establish business development needs for businesses, with identified priority areas of involvement that informs development of plans.
• Establish strong working relationships with business owners, policy makers and other stakeholders.
• Establish and implement framework for BDS market diagnostic together with other team members.
• Conduct periodic market intelligence and share gathered information with key stakeholders in the vitamin A maize, iron pearl millet and cowpea value chains.
• Support value chain actors to increase income due to participating in the value chains of climate and nutrition smart crop varieties, disaggregated by sex, category (farmers, seed suppliers, aggregators, processors and retailers) and geography.
• Design and implement strategies that will include farmers, seed suppliers, aggregators, processors and retailers, to access markets for climate and nutrition smart crops and products, disaggregated by VCA category/type, product type and geography.
• Prepare, moderate and document meetings and workshops and organize field trips as requested.
• Organize and implement field trainings and workshops, and also coordinate the work of consultants’/resource persons.
• Perform any other job-related task as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Agricultural, Agronomy, Agricultural economics, Agribusiness Management or any other Service Management courses with a minimum of six (6) years’ experience performing similar or related role in a well-structured organization.
• Training in the areas of market systems, value chain approach, cooperatives / social entrepreneurship, nongovernmental organization (NGO) administration, business development services, business policy formulation and advocacy and information, communication and technology is an added advantage.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must:

• Have good writing skill and high competency on Microsoft excel and PowerPoint.
• Have excellent oral communication skills in Hausa language.
• Have experience in implementing market system activities in northern Nigeria.

Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Closing Date
12th August, 2022.