Agricultural Project Manager at Eazcom Multilingual and Educational Consultants

Key Responsibilities
In collaboration with the Programme Technical Manager (PTM), lead on the delivery of the project design phase that is tailored to the local farming activities’ methods, crop seasonality, needs and challenges, including:

• Lead on the identification of project target regions with high irrigation potential and need for irrigation improvement.
• Work with the relevant government agencies and non-government agencies to ensure alignment with their priorities, as well as to reach out to small farmers' communities
• Build alliance and coordinate partnerships with local agri-focused organizations with significant extension networks to help with farmer mobilization and buy-in during the implementation phase
• Conduct baseline assessment/farmer needs assessment to inform project design.
• Supplier survey assessment: Support the PTM in identifying appropriate solar irrigation suppliers, assessing their needs and initiating engagement with them
• In collaboration with the project Capital Access Officer support the design of a financial mechanism that is appropriate to the needs of farmers and starts engagement with financial institutions
• Establish partnerships with other relevant stakeholders as appropriate such as farmer cooperatives
• In collaboration with the program manager and the PTM produce an action plan and procurement process for the implementation phase based on the findings and recommendations provided in the design phase

Lead on the delivery of the project implementation phase and provide technical inputs in close collaboration with other team members, including:

• Lead on project mobilization and outreach to farmers. Organize, promote and manage outreach events.
• Support in final selection and engagement with solar irrigation suppliers (including preparation of tender documents specifying product requirements and evaluation criteria)
• Support in providing technical and financial assistance to solar suppliers in particular on market development activities to reach out to farmers
• Support in establishing and setting up a financing facility to provide access to finance to both suppliers and farmers
• Lead on setting up with solar irrigation suppliers and distribution agents a process to provide support to farmers before, during and after the purchasing cycle.
• Participate in mainstreaming gender in activities to ensure women among the target beneficiaries of the project
• Strengthening and maintaining relations with relevant government line ministries and private sector/research institutions to coordinate the adoption of new products and/or approaches in agriculture development and marketing
• Design a strategy to strengthen linkages with any other NGO’s, private sector and service providers or government agencies in supporting and addressing various farmer’s needs
• Develop project work plans and ensure timely implementation of the project activities in line with work plans and activity schedules
• Provide support and guidance to the programmer manager to develop, review, oversee and review project strategy and activities related to the implementation of the project according to the project design, risk and challenges encountered during implementation;
• Provide technical assistance for the design of the project’s monitoring and evaluation strategy. Support in developing M&E system to measure profitability and relevant business indicators of targeted farmers.
• Monitor, identify and advice on challenges and risks facing the implementation of the project
• Ensuring the provision of quality data on a timely basis for internal project management and external reporting purposes;
• Contribute to dissemination of good practice and lessons from the organization’s work and promote experience sharing and learning in the organization and among partners
• Supporting project reporting and assisting programme management in other activities as and when necessary.
• Organize and assist with management of project budgets.
• Team management

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management or Agronomy
• 3 - 5 years’ experience in agro-business development and management of agriculture focused projects
• Demonstrated capacity to work with private sector players (financial institutions, buyers, traders, transporters, input suppliers, processors in agriculture value chain)
• Experience with commonly used tools for market analysis and program design such as sub-sector analysis, gross margin analysis and business planning.
• Knowledge of agronomic principles and practices, including crops, soils, and nutrients.
• Experience in the practices, principles, and operations associated with modern production agriculture and irrigation. Expertise in small scale irrigation management;
• Experience with irrigation technologies ; Experience with solar irrigation technology is a real advantage
• Proven experience delivering agriculture focussed programme to improve livelihood and reduce poverty of smallholder farmers in Rwanda
• Knowledge of the agriculture sector in Rwanda and its regulation and stakeholders
• High level of computer literacy (primarily in Microsoft Office packages).
• Excellent planning and time management skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to work calmly under pressure to deliver as part of a team
• A high level of attention to detail and accuracy in working with numbers;
• Strong analytical ability, able to evaluate and to appraise critically quantitative and qualitative information.
• Fluent in Local languages and English.
• Knowledge of the energy sector and its challenges preferred
• The position will require regular travel within remote rural.

Salary
N300,000 Monthly.