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POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING SPECIALIST – (Project Coordinator)
IITA-TZ2022-R4D-003-NRS- MOROGORO
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. Please visit https://www.iita.org/ for more
information on IITA.
The International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA) has won a competitive two-year grant from IFAD-
South-South Cooperation (SSTC) Facility to implement a project titled
‘Supporting the Recovery of Priority Food Crop Value Chains from the
Effects of COVID19 to Strengthen Community Resilience, Markets, and
Trade Development in Tanzania”. The project will operate in the Central
Corridor and part of the Lake Zone and will provide technical input and
support to the IFAD-funded Agriculture and Fisheries Development
Programme (AFDP). The two-year grant will be implemented in
collaboration with the Alliance Bioversity International -CIAT (ABC) and
other partners in target regions along the Central Corridor and part of
the Lake Zone.
The second project titled BASICS II (Building An
Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed Systems), is funded by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with a vision of developing and
commercializing the cassava seed supply chain-from the pre-basic seed of
officially released varieties to the farmers through a network of
government-certified commercial cassava seed entrepreneurs located
throughout the primary cassava growing regions of Tanzania.
It is a
five-year project which has been operating in Nigeria since 2020 and
now has been extended to Tanzania with effect from 2022.
IITA-Tanzania
office is seeking to recruit a qualified person to fill the vacancy of
the Business Development and Marketing Specialist (Project Coordinator)
for the IITA-led IFAD-SSTCand BASIC-II projects’areas respectively.
Duty Station: This is a Nationally Recruited Position, and the incumbent will be based in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Purpose and Overall Objectives
The
overall objective of the IFAD-SSTC funded project is to restore and
increase the productivity and profitability of key food and oilseed
crops and enhance market access for rural women and young farmers in
Tanzania to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 and enhance
resilience, and for BASICS II project is to provide farmers with access
to affordable, quality-assured seeds of cassava varieties in demand by
local food and processor markets through the establishment of a
commercially viable seed value chain operating across breeder,
foundation, and commercial seed levels. This value chain will enable
more efficient dissemination and adoption of new varieties to improve
productivity, raise incomes of cassava growers and seed entrepreneurs,
enhance gender equity, and contribute to inclusive agricultural
transformation in Nigeria and Tanzania.”
Scope of Work:
Linder
IFAD -SSTC Project the Business Development and Marketing Specialist
(Project Coordinator) will ensure the structured components are well
coordinated by ensuring the boosted resilience of smallholder farmers
through enhancing the productivity of cassava in drought-prone areas.
Increased linkages between smallholder farmers and domestic and export
markets in the cassava, beans, and sunflower value chains and manage the
project, coordination of IITA-CIAT project activities, facilitate
South-South collaboration, align the project activities with AFDP,
gender integration, and M&E.
Subsequently, under the BASICS-II
project, s/he will ensure Integration of Breeding and Seed System
Activities, Development of Early Generation Seed Enterprises,
Development of Commercial Seed Entrepreneurs, Development of the
Processor-Associated Seed System Model, Quality Control and Disease
Management and Catalysing Scaling and Replication through Partners. The
coordinator will ensure the team’s approach to achieving these outcomes
is a continuation and strengthening of the innovative approaches
undertaken during the current phases of BASICS-I and BEST but enhanced
with changes informed by lessons learned over the past 5 years.
Responsibilities:
- Provide
overall leadership and coordination of projects teams to ensure that
project targets are achieved within the set timelines and corresponding
budgets. - Develop elaborate work plans for all actions and
activities of the projects including preparation of planning,
implementation, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation studies. - For
the IFAD-SSTC project, create efficient mechanisms for synergies and
extensive sharing of knowledge between the project and the IFAD-funded
Agriculture and Fisheries Development Programme (AFDP) - Managing
successful relationships with the government, donor agencies, the
business community, related donor-funded projects, and other
stakeholders as required - Prepare the periodic financial and technical reports which include- quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports.
- Establish
and strengthen productive partnerships with the public (district)and
private sector partners to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing. - Organize coordination-planning and review meetings with the project implementing partners
- Work
closely with the MEL officer to develop a performance management plan
for the projects and monitor the implementation processes to track
milestones. - Ensuring daily management of the projects and assuming full accountability of projects results.
- Responsible for day-to-day operational coordination of partner activities,
- Contribute to the publication of action research results and success stories.
- Ensuring
effective and efficient management of project’s compliance with
planning, monitoring, evaluation, performance, and reporting. - Work closely with the projects Finance Administrator to ensure monitoring and strict budgetary adherence.
- Work closely with the projects Finance Administrator to review and ensure timely submission of regular financial reports
- Perform other activities as may be assigned by the supervisor.
Qualification and Experience
- The
candidate should have a master’s degree relevant to general
agriculture, agribusiness, and seed systems or its equivalent from a
recognized university with experience in agricultural technology
transfer, marketing, and management of partnerships. - A minimum of five years of senior level field experience in cassava productivity and seed business system
Core Competencies:
- Experience
of at least 5 years as a project manager/ coordinator of large-scale
agricultural development projects, in East Africa and Tanzania in
particular. - Having experience and a good understanding of
production, markets, sustainable seed systems development, marketing
challenges, and opportunities in Tanzania - Demonstrated ability to integrate gender, youth, and private sector engagement issues into development projects
- Ability to work collegially and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment.
- Demonstrated communication, networking, computer, and organizational skills and ability to prepare high-quality reports.
- Proven experience with engaging with public and private sector stakeholders
- Experience in marketing and business development skills is an added advantage
- Demonstrated ability in stakeholder and partner engagement and policy dialogue with an emphasis on district engagement.
- Excellent leadership, interpersonal and team-building skills.
- Excellent writing skills.
- Excellent resource mobilization skills
General information:
The
initial contract for the position is for two years: renewable subject
to performance and availability of funds. The duty station for the
position will be IITA in Morogoro. This is a nationally recruited
position and IITA offers a competitive remuneration package.
Applications:
Applications
including curriculum vitae, copies of certificates, telephone number,
email address, and names and addresses of two referees should be sent to
the Country Representative, IITA-Tanzania, Plot No. 25, Mwenge –
Coca-Cola Road, Mikocheni Industrial Area P.0. Box 34441, Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania or by email to [email protected]
Applicants
are requested to please indicate the reference number for the position
as indicated on the heading of the announcement in your application as
well as on the subject of your email if sending by email. If sending by
post or hand delivery, please indicate the reference number on your
application as well as on the left-hand side of your envelope. Please
note that any applications without the reference indicated will be
automatically disqualified.
The deadline for submitting the application is 07 April 2022.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
