About US:

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

About Program:

TechnoServe is implementing a four-year coffee agronomy training program that seeks to improve incomes for 30,000 coffee farming households in Central and Western Uganda by increasing their coffee farm productivity. This will be achieved by promoting improved coffee agronomic practices at the farm level through a two-year structured and farm-based training program based on the coffee growing cycle. The training will be conducted by locally recruited and trained Farmer Trainers (FTs) and delivered in three different cohorts. It is expected that up to 60% of the target households will adopt at least half of the coffee best practices, which will translate to at least 50% increase in coffee yields. To validate the impact of the program on yield increase and attribute the results to actions of the program, a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) is conducted by external agencies

Job Summary:

The Agronomy Advisor shall support the implementation of strategies that will enable clients to achieve sustainable increases in coffee quality and yields.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Planning and management of Farmer Trainers (FTs)

• Supervise 8 to 10 Farmer Trainers (FTs)
• Prepare and submit monthly training schedules
• Collect and review weekly training plans and attendance data from FT’s. Ensure completeness, accuracy and clarify of data prior to submission for processing
• Clearly communicate goals and roles and responsibilities to Farmer Trainers
• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities related to performance management
• Develop a team spirit among all reports

Conduct monthly Agronomy trainings to FTs

• Model monthly agronomy training to FTs at local training demonstration plots
• Supervise teach-backs and give feedback to Farmer Trainers
• Prepare and ensure all training materials reach FT’s in a timely manner.

Observe FT’s delivering training to farmers

• Observe full training delivered to farmers by assigned Farmer Trainers (FTs)
• Check attendance form, cross check with number of farmers seen as present. Ensure reported data is accurate, clear and complete.
• Complete training observation assessment on tablet and give feedback and coaching to the FT.
• Each FT must be observed at least once a month, with a minimum of 10 observations in total per month.

Visit farmer fields and demonstration plots

• Visit randomly selected farmers, discuss training, farmer adoption and challenges and complete best practice check list on tablet
• Meet with Focal Farmer (FF), check demo plot status and discuss any challenges and innovations
• Complete demonstration plot assessment on tablet. Give feedback to FT on improvements required. A minimum of 10 demonstration plot visits and assessments to be made each month.

Attendance Monitoring

• Support the FT to develop strategies to encourage the attendance of women at training.
• Collect, check for completion and submit complete set of FT’s attendance sheets to the M&E team within 1 week of training completion.
• Compile weekly attendance update and discuss any attendance issues with FT’s and develop actions to solve problems.

Stakeholder Management

• Create a good working relationship with stakeholders and manage quarterly update meetings with local stakeholders including sub-county, parish and village leaders

Program representation and expansion

• Lead and manage the expansion of the agronomy program into a new operational area including needs assessment, stakeholder sensitization, farmer mobilization, group formation and recruitment of FTs.
• Be a program ambassador at the operational area
• Provide translation and contextualization services to high-level visitors
• Spearhead efforts in making the agronomy program more gender inclusive and conflict sensitive using local customs etc.
• Provide support to the Uganda country operations as required.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the TechnoServe Agronomy Advisor job must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agribusiness, Crop science, or related agricultural sciences.
• At least three years’ professional experience – ideally in the private sector – in one or more of the following areas: agriculture, small and medium enterprise development, farmer associations or cooperatives, project management, financing, engineering, community development
• Strong planning abilities; prior experience working to tight and strict deadlines
• Ability to lead a team and work collaboratively within a team; prior experience managing direct reports
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, Willingness to spend significant time in rural areas.
• Experience working with farmers is essential
• Experience riding motorcycles and a valid riding permit
• Experience working in the project location and knowledge of Luganda are essential

Competencies:

• Financial and 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.
• Analysis, Research and Report writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.
• 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.
• Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.
• Emotional Intelligence: Empathetic, understands attitudes, interests, needs of others; predict others behavior. Self-aware and keeps own emotions from interfering with work. Understanding both the strengths and limitations of others.
• Trust to delegate: Appropriately allocates decision-making authority and/or task responsibility to others; maximizes the organization’s and individual’s effectiveness.
• Staff development: Planning and supporting the development of individuals’ skills and abilities so that they can fulfill current or future job responsibilities more effectively.
• Feedback/Coaching: Recognizes and acknowledges strengths in others. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others develop knowledge and skill areas to accomplish tasks or solve problems.

All qualified and interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter in one single Microsoft Word document to [email protected]. Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Due to a high volume of applicants, please understand that we are able to contact only those who meet the minimum qualifications. No phone calls, please.

Deadline: Friday, 8^th May, 2020

NB: TechnoServe encourages diversity in all levels and across all facets of our organization. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.