Horti-LIFE Regional Coordinator

Internal and External Vacancy Announcement

Are you interested in joining an international organization with a long term commitment to fighting poverty?

Do you like to work in a challenging environment and develop a career focused on demonstrating shared core values that achieve results?

SNV Ethiopia is looking for a:

Horti-LIFE Regional Coordinator

For its Horti LIEF project

based in Zway (SNNP)

 

SNV, Netherlands Development Organisation, has worked in Ethiopia since the 1970s and currently operates in SNNP, Oromia, Amhara and Tigray regional states, providing capacity strengthening support in three sectors – Agriculture, WASH and Energy. Through its work in agriculture, SNV in Ethiopia supports the development of number of value chains such as milk, honey, oil seeds and edible oil, pulses, livestock and horticulture.

Horti-LIFE is a 3 years project (2016-2018) funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), implemented by SNV-Ethiopia in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The aim of the program is to increase export and the food and nutritional security levels by supporting smallholder farmers in the horticulture sector. The project works has four components:

•    Integrate smallholders in high value chains. This is done via grants to investors who support farmers by improving the access to inputs & markets (contract farming)

•    Increase productivity and food safety. This is done setting up Farmers Field School (with kebele level DA’s) and Spray Service Providers

•    Capacity building of universities and A-TVETs on IPM and

•    Enabling environment. This refers to support to MoANR to improve the regulatory system and to support the Small-Holder Horticultural Development Department.

The project operates in four regions and SNV is looking for a regional coordinator for Oromia and SNNP.

Duties and Responsibilities

 The Regional Coordinator is responsible for the overall project planning, implementation and achievement of the project goals in Oromia and SNNP level. S/he works under direct supervision of international Team Leader while closely working with the national team consisting of a deputy team leader, and international horticultural advisor, an value chain advisor, a horticultural production advisor, a crop protection expert and the Finance Officer and M&E Specialist. S/he supervises & coaches the 5 Woreda promotors who will work closely together with the DAs of the Bureau of Agriculture.

In consultation with the Team Leader, s/he will prepare annual regional project activities plans/budgets, oversee project coordination, monitor progress and prepares progress reports to the regional BOFED as well as contributes to monthly, quarterly and annual plans & reports for the donor and SNV. S/he shall maintain effective working relationships with key government partners (BOFED, Agriculture, Irrigation) and private actors (private enterprises, coops, service providers, MFIs etc.). S/he participates actively in Value Chain Alliances related to Horticulture and contributes to knowledge products of Horti-LIFE.

 Planning

§  Prepare and submit regional project activity and budget plans as per agreed schedule in collaboration with the Team Leader, Finance & Operations Officer and M&E specialist §  Analyse and address critical issues in the existing horticulture sector activities in the region and provide relevant information to adjust project targets, strategies and resources to ensure appropriate progress toward project objectives §  Prepare efficient resource allocation and implementation process for all activities in the region

Key Role

 Implementation

§  Work with investors who have won a grant to support the integration of smallholder farmers in high value chains (input supply system and contract farming system) §  Facilitate IPM research on farmers‘ fields §  Support the woreda promotors in setting up Farmers Field Schools and Spray Service Providers in both organisational and technical matters §  Organise the necessary training and workshops for the project staff, Development Agents and farmers §  Ensure that 30% of the project beneficiaries are women who benefit equally from the activities undertaken by the project §  Facilitate the necessary linkages of national project staff with the selected university and A-TVET in the region where the project will work on improving some courses in the horticultural curriculum §  Facilitate and support development and sharing of knowledge, new technologies and best practices among different VC actors in the region and contribute to knowledge products of Horti-LIFE §  Document all activities during the project (through reports, mail…)

 Staff Management

§  Organise, supervise and coach the Horti-LIFE field staff in the Oromia and SNNP region §  Provide feedback on the performance of the staff via the SNV-HRM systems and procedures §  Ensure staff adherence to SNV core values. §  Regularly visits project field staff, promotes & encourages initiation of innovative ideas

 Financial & Administrative Management

§  Provides input for preparing the annual regional budgets and ensures compliance with donor and GoE requirements in collaboration with Finance Officer (FO) §  Provide liquidity requests to the national financial officer as per agreed schedule and in collaboration with regional-financial officer §  Ensure efficient allocation of resources and appropriate utilization of planned budget in the region §  Review and Monitor monthly & quarterly budget expenditure rates in consultation with FO §  Assures the maintenance of all project assets in the region as per agreed procedure

 Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

§  Ensure project implementation is in line with priorities of the regional GoE and project requirements §  Organize monitoring and reflection meetings as per agreed schedule with the regional project staff and take measures to keep implementation on track §  Ensure periodic data collection for tracking project performance and decision making §  Supervises the record keeping and reporting of all Horti-LIFE staff in the region §  Write monthly, quarterly and annual comprehensive regional project progress reports §  Support the project M&E specialist in project baseline survey, mid-term and final evaluation §  Regularly communicate with the Team Leader, national team members and other project stakeholders about project progress and challenges in the region §  Anticipate new developments or to foresee delays in project implementation

 Networking, Learning & Representation

§  Establish and maintain strong and genuine working relations with regional/zonal/woreda Agriculture,  BOFED, Irrigation, Cooperative Agency, etc. and visit regularly indicated representatives to anticipate eventually bottlenecks

§  Establishes good working relationship with all horticulture related NGOs and projects, research institutions and projects, MFI/Banks and private service providers and private enterprises

§  Liaises and communicates with partners at regional level and other development programs for sharing of lessons, ideas and creation of complementarity

§  Represent Horti-LIFE in the region at important meetings and visits of CSA and other GoE authorities

Education

 §  A minimum of MSc degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field (horticulture, plant science, agricultural economics, agricultural extension,). A BSc can be sufficient if the candidate has an excellent track record of 12 years or more and good references

§  Solid knowledge on horticultural production; especially on pest management §  Sound knowledge of horticulture extension system, marketing of fruits and vegetables and market potential analysis §  Familiar with gender concepts and mainstreaming §  Familiar with national strategies, functioning of government/ public sector, private sector and farmers organizations §  Project management and planning, analytical skills combined with a practical and pragmatic approach oriented towards lasting results §  Knowledge and experience with participatory techniques, coaching, networking, learning, alliance building and team building

 Work Experience

§  A minimum of 8 years of experience in planning & implementation of agricultural/horticultural extension service and value chain development (12 years in case of a BSc) §  Broad experience in capacity building, extension service, facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes, farmer organization strengthen, organizational learning, change processes, and strategy formulation §  Experience in working on gender issues is an advantage

 Necessary skills/attitudes

§  Energetic and motivating attitude §  Pragmatic, good and patient negotiator and solution orientated approach §  Team player with networking abilities §  Computer skills §  Ability to work in a challenging and dynamic context §  Motorbike license

 

 

§  Languages:           Fluent in English (official working language of SNV) and local languages Excellent oral and written communication skills

Vacant position :  two

Closing date: May 16, 2016

Only applicants who meet the above requirements are invited to send their applications through         e-mail at

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