Program Description;
TechnoServe, CRS and Frontier Co-op are implementing VINES, a five year, $13 million, USDA Food for Progress program that will make Uganda the world’s next leading supplier of high-quality vanilla. Led by CRS, VINES will leverage the expertise of CRS and its world class consortium of partners (including TechnoServe), associated experts and leading international buyers to provide technical assistance to enhance the production of safe, clean, pure vanilla, develop market links with US trade networks, and strengthen an enabling public policy network to reduce vanilla theft to transform the lives of 16,200 farmers, 356 self-employed service and input providers, 480 processors’ employees; and generating 15,820 new on-farm seasonal and permanent processing jobs to reach 32,856 vanilla stakeholders.
In turn, this will provide international buyers with a new origin that will stabilize the extreme price volatility for this unique spice

Within the consortium, TechnoServe will lead in market analysis, business planning, farmer business capacity building, agripreneur and youth training, input supply and business relationship management.

Position Description:

The MicroEnterprise Specialist (MES) will lead a team of 3 Microenterprise counselors to drive youth entrepreneurship in the vanilla sector, particularly through input service providers and commercial farmers. In order to reach the targeted 720 entrepreneurs, the incumbent will deploy both direct and facilitated training through market actors, selecting the most appropriate content from TechnoServe’s range of successful entrepreneur training content.
Location: Kasese OR Fort Portal
Key roles and responsibilities
Principal Responsibilities:
Develop
Micro Youth Entrepreneurs (250)
• Adapt appropriate curriculum to targeted groups
• Lead team to deliver training to including input suppliers, soil testing services, nurseries, and other youth employment opportunity activities
• Adapt approach as needed to ensure youth entrepreneurs increase sales according to similar program benchmarks
• Processor fee-for-service extension agents (75)
• Adapt appropriate TechnoServe training for delivery to commercial farmer-suppliers of Vanilla processors
• Develop and execute Training of Trainers for processor-supervised extension agents and support the establishment of a viable fee-for-service business model
• Coach and support extension agents to train commercial farmers
• Commercial Farmers (400)
• In coordination with Business Sustainability and Upgrading Specialists, lead:
• managerial capacity building of producer organizations, including five year business plans
• Improved member relations and services of producer organizations
• managerial capacity building of processors
• improve processor capacity in curing and storing
• Vanilla Farmer Member Based Organizations
• Organize Training of Trainer activities to develop cooperative’s capacity to deliver Farming as a Business (FAAB) and related training to farmer-members in collaboration with Business Sustainability Upgrading Specialists

• Program Coordination and Implementation:

• Contribute to project activity reports and TechnoServe internal monitoring, evaluation, and Learning (MEL)
• Collect and report data and support MicroEnterprise Counselors to collect accurate data from beneficiaries based on the project MEL plan.

Required Qualification, Skills, and Experience:
• Degree qualifications in business-related studies required
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships
• Strong project management and some financial analysis skills
• Minimum of five years field and technical experience with agribusiness development, agribusiness experience in Uganda is required
• Experience working with food aggregation and processing, supply chain development, out-grower networks, and knowledge of Market Systems Development approach preferred
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills a must
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports
• Ability to generate innovative solutions in work situations
• Proven ability and experience working with teams will be an added advantage
• Fluency in English required
• Female and regional candidates strongly encouraged

Success Factors:
• Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.

Core Competencies include:
• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyse situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

• Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:
• Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
• Donor/Partnership Management: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals. ”

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 24

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Candidates interested in this unique career opportunity with AKF should submit a two-page cover letter and a maximum three-page CV including the names and contact information of three professional referees by 4.30pm on 4th June 2021.
Click on the link to apply: www.akdn.org/careers
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
“AKF Is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is Committed to Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children and Vulnerable Adults and Expects all Staff and Partners to Share this Commitment.”
The Aga Khan Foundation is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org )