Farming System Lead

Description

• TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. A nonprofit organization operating in 29 countries, we work with enterprising men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. By linking people to information, capital and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities
• Program Description: The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), Maputo through its Strengthening Food Systems and FNS in Beira Corridor program has given funding to Technoserve Mozambique for a regional food and nutrition security program (Mangwana) for the period of 2023-2027. Agriculture is a critical pillar of the Mozambican economy, employing over 80% of the rural population and contributing to 25% of the national GDP. Small and medium farms account for 95% of agricultural production. Nonetheless, productivity is low for the majority of food crops. The project will complement other investments and coordinate with other programs in this sector to address productivity barriers in the Beira Corridor to improve FNS by increasing productivity, incomes, and jobs
• Specifically, the anticipated program seeks:
• Increased sustainable productivity and income for small-scale food producers
• Increased mobilization of capital for a competitive local agricultural industry
• Increased capacity of key stakeholder institutions
• Improved policy and legal/regulatory enabling environment
• Inclusive and sustainable net job creation
• Improved climate resilience
• The Farming System Lead will be responsible to provide overall strategic guidance to the Field Technicians.  The Farming System Lead will assess the needs and gaps of the diverse stakeholders in the respective farming systems, provide expert knowledge in one or more crops/crop groups to field technicians and contribute to program strategy adjustments. The Farming System Lead will be specifically responsible for managing the field technicians and directly support Village Based Agents in one farming system

Duties

• Assess needs and gaps of the diverse stakeholders in the respective farming systems and ensure adequate training materials are available
• Identify opportunities for project intervention, Lead the mapping and strategic identification of (community-based) private sector actors with high potential for SSFP business linkages
• Design work plans, technical tools and contribute to strategic and technical leadership of the project with data and information
• Develop procurement plan (material/services requirement plan) for the farming system in line with the developed work plan, place requisitions, support procurement on technical queries and follow up
• Oversee all project technical activities in their respective farming systems
• Oversee the field technicians (Staff) and village-based agents (Consultants) transitioning them into sustainable, independent local agripreneurs
• Support in managing institutional relations with implementation partners and local (farming system based) government authorities through joint planning and monitoring missions
• Lead the farmer’s classification/selection process, specifically coordinating the registration of SSFP cohorts within the service geographies of selected private sector actors
• Monitor interventions funded by grants, contribute to Core-Based Technical Assistance (CBTA) plans for all grantees (technical aspects), and ensure grantees in the farming system are linked to SSFP supported by the program in other components
• Lead the development of timely field reports and related lessons to inform adaptation
• Drive the program learning and adaptation agenda based on field results
• Provide technical expert knowledge to field technicians in the farming system crops (eg. maize, soybeans, common beans, horticulture, fruit trees, rice, etc…), depending on their expertise or seek support where necessary
• Develop technical guidelines/training materials to support quality program delivery to beneficiaries
• Identify opportunities for program impact and course correction
• Contribute to development by creating innovative business ideas in the farming system
• Ensure SSFP in the farming systems are linked to financial services and remunerative markets through sustainable private sector actors, including piloting approaches (eg. VSLA, crop insurance and financial services through partners like GAPI, OFEC, and Hollard)
• Actively contribute in program reporting
• Contribute to a productive, collaborative and respectful working workplace
• Perform other duties assigned by the program
• Partnership engagement
• Manage partnerships with Community based private sector actors in collaboration with Component 2 of the program

Requisites

• Bachelor’s Degree and 7 years of experience or a Master’s degree and 5 years of experience in agronomy, rural development, agribusiness or other relevant field
• Knowledge of strategies to promote and introduce new crops in new regions
• Fluent in English and Portuguese
• Working knowledge of local languages of the Beira Corridor is an advantage (Sena, Ndau, Chite, Shona)
• Detail orientation, including strong organizational, analytical, and quantitative skills
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other administrative applications
• Communicative and open to exchange and learning
• Technical expertise in one or more crops in the farming system (Maize, common beans, soy beans, horticulture, fruits, etc…)
• Experience in working in the Beira corridor is an advantage
• Availability to live in one of the Districts where the Program will be operating

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Reports to: Program Director
• We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe’s vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply
• With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes
• We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks
• If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515