Value Chain Advisor at Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) Nigeria

VSO, the world's leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. Our high-impact approach brings people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action to change lives and make the world a fairer place.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Value Chain Advisor

Location: Minna/ Niger, Nigeria

Role Overview

• The Value Chain Advisor will provide day to day hands on leadership of all critical technical maize and or soya bean value chain activities, focus on developing and maintaining business relationships between small holder farmers,farmer collectives, private sector and other actors within the value chain.
• He/she will also provide advice and identify business opportunities for farmers and processors.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required

• You have relevant university degree with knowledge of Value Chain concepts; market development; Value Chain analysis; developing a vision for chain upgrading.
• You have 8 years' work experience in value chain development.
• You are resourceful and have the ability to solve problems.
• You have strong written and verbal communication skills.
• You have the ability ability to support others to adapt ideas to their own context.

Job Purpose

• The Value Chain Advisor will provide day to day hands on leadership for all technical maize and or soya bean value chain activities, focus on developing and maintaining business relationships between small holder farmers,farmer collectives, private sector and other actors within the value chain.
• He/she will also provide advice and identify business opportunities for farmers and processors.

Responsibilities

• The volunteer will have a range of tasks and activities;
• Analyze product and service delivery along the value chain and their impact on all systems and actors within the value chain
• Assist in the development and tracking of farmer's collective marketing strategies and plans for new business development
• Provide technical expertise in agriculture commodities
• Explore opportunities to strengthen impact such as: build networks and relationships for partners to link with major strategic organizations (e.g. government agricultural department, INGOs, NGOs,) working in a similar field that may be able to support partner intervention through funding/knowledge sharing/joint working/to address major overarching issues e.g. access to inputs.
• Work in collaboration with the monitoring & evaluation volunteer and the project coordinator to.

The Key performance indicators of this placement are that:

• Target beneficiaries are able to sustain their livelihoods and the livelihoods of their families. This includes managing their own businesses, supply their produce to the markets and are always able to meet the market demands by having adequate produce for identified markets.

Below includes number indicators:

• Number of beneficiaries who have increased their income and have businesses as a result of training and support received.
• Number of beneficiaries able to reach the market demands through supplies of their produce.
• Number of linkages along the value chain crops and value chain markets identified.
• The degree of strategic alignment in the value chain
• The degree of information transparency, seamless information and material flows between actors within the value chain.
• The amount of profit from a given market sector.

Building and Sustaining working relationships:

• The social skills to build and actively maintain working relationships that foster teamwork and collaboration with others for the benefit of a common goal.

Open Minded and Respectful:

• A non-judgemental approach that values other people and culture.

Seeking and Sharing Knowledge:

• Recognition that learning is a two-way and continuous process.

Facilitating Positive Change:

• The ability to analyse problems and develop lasting solutions in line with VSO approaches.

Adaptability:

• A flexible approach and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations.

Resilience:

• The self-confidence to work with a variety of situations, diverse people and ambiguity.

Essential

• Relevant university degree with knowledge of Value Chain concepts; market development; Value Chain analysis; developing a vision for chain upgrading
• 8 years' work experience in value chain development
• Experience in process design
• Good, clear communication skills; Good facilitation skills for working with chain actors and engaging in public-private partnerships
• Experience in sustainable livelihoods development
• Mentoring and coaching; Flexible and adaptable
• Resourcefulness and ability to solve problems
• Ability to maintain good working relationship
• Ability to support others to adapt ideas to their own context
• Creativity in problem solving & conflict resolution. 

Desirable

• Ability to speak Hausa
• Previous work experience in West Africa would be an added advantage.

Application Closing Date
31st August, 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here to download the job description in PDF format