Agricultural Extension and Training Coordinator at Nuru Nigeria

Agricultural Extension and Training Coordinator Job Description -Job Code: NNJ.2022.01

Location: Yola, Adamawa State -NN Administrative Office

Career Level: Mid-Level
Terms and conditions: The appointment will be for a 12 month period, renewable based on funding and performance.

Number of Job Opening: 1

Start Date: As soon as possible

Organization Background:

Nuru Nigeria is a local NGO with affiliates in the US, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Our mission is to build resilience corridors of strong, locally owned farmer cooperatives driving profitable livelihoods in vulnerable communities of the Northeast. Nuru Nigeria prioritizes the smallholder farmers it serves and works to cultivate lasting meaningful choices through a community led, community driven and community sustained livelihood programs across the agriculture value chain.

Position Summary:  

Nuru Nigeria is seeking an Agricultural Extension and Training Coordinator to lead Nuru Nigeria’s agricultural extension and training strategy. The position will be tasked with developing and implementing a systematic extension strategy and ensuring that training curriculum and extension materials are up-to-date, carefully vetted to align with best practices, professional, and align with knowledge management protocols. S/he will work with the team to design, prepare and implement the agricultural interventions, identifying best practices for improved production and on-farm sustainability/resilience, and will support the Nuru Nigeria Strategic Leadership Team in making impactful program decisions.
S/he will provide technical expertise in the area of regenerative agriculture with special focus on improved agricultural extension and advisory support services, agribusiness & market system development support and farmer cooperative management. S/he should have extensive experience in smallholder agricultural interventions, climate change adaptation practices, as well as, farmer training and extension services. This position will also lead Nuru Nigeria’s digital development strategy to bring disruptive but appropriate digital technologies to Nuru-supported farmer associations and organizations.

Reporting and Supervision:

The Agricultural Extension and Training Coordinator will temporarily report to the Executive Director.

Job Responsibilities:

• The agriculture extension and training coordinator will lead the day-to-day implementation of all agriculture program activities with the field team to deliver interventions aimed at growing farmer productivity and income with special focus on the soybean, groundnut and small ruminant value chains.
• Provide technical support to the program team by working closely with the leadership and training unit in standardizing technical content of training curricula and other technical extension materials across board.
• Provide technical support and guidance to the impact team in the review of implementation strategies, planning and scaling of interventions in collaboration with other Nuru program units and partners.
• Work closely with the NN Cooperative Development Manager on capacity development, curriculum development, and training of farmer cooperatives and the community-based support groups.
• Drive agricultural extension service delivery among farmer associations and within farmer organizations and coordinate research assistants with the M&E unit to conduct a robust 3-cycle monitoring of farmers plots to ensure productivity of farms.
• Facilitate and provide guidance to farmers on appropriate cropping patterns, farming system techniques through establishment of demo plots to promote adoption of good agricultural practices.
• Deliver quality programming and timely reporting according to donor’s standards.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with relevant stakeholders (private and public sector actors) and represent the organization effectively by participating in external engagement with partners at the community, LGA and State levels.
• Support in market system strengthening activities through the establishment and maintaining of market linkages. Lead successful engagements with markets actors for quality agribusiness intervention delivery.
• Actively engage with digital technologies that can enhance Nuru Nigeria’s impact and scale while gaining operational efficiency.
• Support monitoring & evaluation activities in coordination with the M&E unit and ensure contribution to timely completion of project performance tools.
•  Perform any other duties as required by and instructed by the supervisor.

Job Requirement: 

• Bachelor’s degree in agricultural extension, agronomy, crop production/protection or relevant field. Master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• Excellent farmer extension and advisory expertise with strong farmer training facilitation skills,
• Experience with curriculum design, particularly for agricultural best practises.
• Must have at least 4-5 years of working experience in agriculture, value chain development or food security programs, preferably including experience in the soybean, groundnut and small ruminant value chains.
• Extensive experience implementing agricultural interventions in remote and conflict-affected areas of North Eastern Nigeria.
• Expertise in nutrition-sensitive agriculture will be a plus.
• Experience in applying gender mainstreaming to program planning and implementation.
• Experience with the implementation of climate smart agriculture (CSA), a     gribusiness and market system strengthening interventions among smallholder farmer      cooperatives in rural communities. 
• Previous experience building partnerships across the private and public sectors, community-based stakeholders and other relevant agricultural agencies/institutions in Nigeria.
• Previous experience working and managing international donor grants, such as USAID and GIZ, will be an added advantage.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Nuru Nigeria Offers:

• Salary is competitive depending on qualifications, skills and experience.
• Positive atmosphere of dynamism and motivated team setting.
• Atmosphere of a forefront professional and flexible NGO with a unique new development approach.
• Annual, Maternity and Paternity leave benefits.
• Transport costs and communication allowance.
• 13th Month Salary
• Training and capacity building program and intensive mentorship by expat team.
• Life Insurance covering accident, disability and related benefits
• Health Insurance covering employee and family.
• Pension benefits.
• Atmosphere of diversity committed to providing equal employment opportunity, forbidding discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, age and differently able, with respect to policies and visions.
• Other Labor best practices apply.

Non-discriminatory employment clause: 

Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity, colour, gender, religion, socio-economic status, age, disability or health status. The management of Nuru Nigeria reserves the right to verify all of the applicant's information and conduct background checks on shortlisted candidates including reaching out to his/her previous employer. Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.