Head of Shared Services at Babban Gona

About the Position:                                                

 

Do you want to change the world by enabling 1 million people lift themselves out of poverty by 2025? 

 

 

Do you want to build Nigeria’s largest farmer service operation delivering hundreds of thousands of metric tons of agricultural inputs to million smallholder farmers, store  and deliver millions of metric tons of produce and build an organization of over 5,000 team members?

 

 

If you answered yes to these questions join our team. Babban Gona seeks a passionate leader as our Head of Shared Services (HOSS). We are seeking a passionate, driven, and knowledgeable professional with demonstrated leadership experience in managing large agricultural supply chains, coupled with experience across administration, human resources and procurement.  The HOSS will manage a diverse team spanning our inbound and outbound logistics, warehouse/inventory management, procurement, administration and human development/resources.

 

 

The Head ofShared Services will work closely with the Managing Director andExecutive Director,Operations to create and execute onthe Shared Services vision, identify deliverable gaps and put in place appropriate structures and policies to enable the organisation to continue to scale. They will also be responsible for developing long-term relationships with external stakeholders such as input providers, human development practitioners, equipment and office resources providers etc. As part of the leadership of the organization, the Head of Shared Services will support overall strategic and operational decision-making, in addition to fulfilling stewardship responsibilities within their division.

 

 

Apply today, and join us as we transform the Nigerian agriculture sector and enable 1 million smallholder farmers to transition from subsistence farming to commercial farming by 2025. Agriculture is Nigeria’s job creation engine; we believe that in partnering with you, we can establish it as a basis for security and employment. 

 

 

Responsibilities:

 

 

General

 

• Design and lead a new Shared Services function with the overall aim of delivering a high level of service that meets organizational,farmer and employee needs, while maintaining the balance between risk, cost and service objectives.
• Develop best practice processes to deliver standardizedand efficient services across Administration, Human Development, Procurement and Supply and Distribution functions
• Manage Shared Service functions in accordance with the organization’s strategic direction and provide effective advice and support for line managers and employees
• Stay up to date on trends and developments within functional areas of expertise by researching and deploying best practices of similar and successful companies as benchmarks
• Develop and maintain metrics as well as analyze data to assess performance and implement improvements
• Promote and lead a culture of structured Continuous Improvement through simplification, standardisation and automation
• Own the service level agreement (SLA) obligations for shared services in line with cost, quality and control requirements
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations

 

 

Supply and Distribution

 

• Create and execute dept. strategy to manage the seamless receipt and distribution of inputs and harvest services to farmers and farmer produce to customers
• Direct inventory management by supervising inventory reconciliation and reporting, as well as supervising produce storage to minimize post-harvest losses or over- and under-capitalization
• Oversee Enhanced Warehouse Receipts programme by planning logistics and produce shipments to customers.

 

 

Human Development

 

• Lead the strategy and execution of the Training and Development and Human Resources functions
• Oversee the delivery of the Training and Development of farmers via the Farm University Platform including onboarding members, designing relevant modules, planning logistics and ensuring relevant best practice methods are taught
• Drive the Human Resources function strategy to attract exceptional talent and develop a talent management process aimed at increasing employee success and satisfaction.

 

 

Procurement

 

• Develop and implement organizational strategies for procuring storage and harvest equipment, agricultural inputs, insurance and office equipment
• Liaise with various departments to determine their equipment and service needs to enable cost planning and sourcing
• Nurture relationships with suppliers while identifying and researching potential new suppliers, including vendor and contract management
• Negotiate the best prices for the organisation bearing in mind quality, quantity, time and location
• Identify and realize cost-saving and cost-reduction opportunities

 

 

Administration

 

• Oversee coordination of office activities and smooth running of operations to drive sustainable growth and ensure efficiency and compliance to company policies
• Supervise execution of administrative tasks and implement effective administrative system, ensuring staff have adequate support to work efficiently.
• Oversee creation and updating of records/databases with personnel, financial and other data.
• Maintain a safe and secure work environment and ensure general welfare across the organization; identify additional service offerings, department needs or opportunities for improvement
• Submit timely reports and prepare presentations/proposals as assigned, to track performance or management of business operations
• Ensure proper allocation of resources and provide an effective support system while balancing staff needs and economic production

 

Qualifications and Experience:

 

• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years leading Administration, Human Resources, Logistics and/or Procurement functions and with 10+ years of overall progressive administration, human resources, logisticsand/or procurement experience
• Demonstrable ability to lead and manage staff across various functions
• Ability to engage at executive levels to collaborate across business units and functional partners
• Experience in managing high volume transactions across a branch network of warehouses in remote areas
• Experience in managing network of transport contractors
• Proven strategic influencing, networking and stakeholder management skills
• Outstanding track record in leading service, process and system improvements
• Highly analytical, problem solving and organisational skills
• Advanced proficiency with and extensive skills in MS Excel
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple projects
• Proven ability to manage tasks with competing priorities and deadlines, independently determining order of priority and self-initiating other value-added tasks
• High level of integrity and objectivity anchored by their fundamental professional competence and due care, confidentiality, and professional behaviour
• Effective attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy
• Experience in managing agricultural commodities