PYXERA Global, a Washington, DC based nonprofit organization, PYXERA Global is currently implementing an agriculture development program in Nigeria funded by The Rockefeller Foundation that aims to reduce post-harvest loss along the tomato value chain.
We are seeking to recruit suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:
Job Title: Access to Finance and Post-Harvest Loss Technology Specialist
Location: Kano
Job Description
- The position of Access to Finance and Post-Harvest Loss Technology Specialist to be based full-time in Kano, Nigeria with regular travel to other project locations in Jigawa and Katsina states.
- The Access to Finance and Post-Harvest Loss Technology Specialist will provide technical expertise to the Farmer Aggregation and Training team.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Access to Finance and Post-Harvest Loss Technology Specialist will report directly to the Nigeria YieldWise Deputy Director and will have the following responsibilities:
1.) Access to Finance Responsibilities:
- Identify agricultural financing needs of project beneficiaries
- Support farmers and other value chain actors in developing bankable business plans
- Create linkages with financial institutions for farmers/associations to access financial services with focus on savings and loans.
- Identify government and other agencies’ agricultural finance programs that are beneficial to farmers and agricultural value chain actors.
- Support financial institutions in developing products that are appropriate to smallholder needs
- Introduce and pilot Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) to farmers and VC actors
- Build the financial education capacities of farmers/ associations and other value chain actors.
- Support financial institutions to extend their rural outreach through mobile technology
- Support financial institutions to create awareness to farmers and VC actors on micro and agricultural insurance.
2.) Post-Harvest Loss Technology Responsibilities:
- Identify appropriate post-harvest loss reducing technologies for smallholders
- Pilot identified post-harvest loss reducing technologies with stakeholders
- Conduct feedback surveys with farmers and other value chain actors regularly
- Develop commercial scale models for piloted technologies
- Sensitize value chain actors to identified technologies and its importance for PHL reduction.
- Work with technology developers/suppliers to provide after-sale service to users of technology
- Develop work-plans and manage implementation of access to finance & post-harvest loss technologies program activities in collaboration with the Deputy Director.
- In collaboration with Deputy Director, monitor program implementation, evaluate impact and report lessons learned.
- Assist Agricultural Training Specialist in developing trainings on access to finance & post-harvest loss technologies.
- Lead project training pertaining to access to finance & post-harvest loss technology
- Any other duties assigned by the project leadership
Requirements, Knowledge & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in related field; Master's degree preferred
- Minimum 10 years of experience working in agricultural development
- Demonstrated understanding of the value chain approach, ideally in a Nigerian context
- Experience with agricultural finance for smallholder farmers
- Experience with post-harvest handling
- Experience with Village Savings and Loans Association
- Familiarity and experience with international development principles and practices;
- Fluency in English and Hausa required.
Application Closing Date
12th July, 2017.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover letters and CV's/Resume to:
[email protected] In the subject line of the email please write “PYXERA Global Nigeria YieldWise - A2F & PHL Technology Specialist.”
Note
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
- Please indicate your availability and earliest start date in your email and/or cover letter
- Incomplete applications will not be considered and phone calls will not be accepted.
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.