Agriculture Specialist (Deputy Programme Manager) at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Reporting to: Programme Manager

Proposed start date: February 2025

Work location: Maiduguri, Borno State

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and/or contribute to feasibility studies, assessments, and evaluations related to agricultural and livestock interventions;
• Define implementation modalities in consultation with the FSL Technical team, covering areas such as beneficiary identification and registration, distribution, training, awareness, and monitoring for agricultural and livelihood activities;
• Collaborate with the Programme Manager and sector leads to define the project intervention strategy;
• Develop costed plans for agricultural activities and ensure their effective implementation in close coordination with the Programme Manager;
• Supervise and manage staff involved in agricultural and livestock activities, including Agriculture and Veterinary Officers, while supporting recruitment efforts under the SO3 component as needed;
• Ensure the adoption of innovative and climate-resilient agricultural practices while monitoring adherence to work plans and technical guidelines;
• Collaborate with the MEAL Manager to establish a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system and beneficiary support mechanisms;
• Promote gender-sensitive approaches and actively engage women and youth in agricultural training and livelihood support initiatives;
• Contribute to the preparation of technical and operational documents for knowledge sharing and lesson capitalization;
• Monitor project progress, identify areas for improvement, and recommend course corrections as necessary;
• Provide technical and operational support to field teams for agriculture and livestock-related activities;
• Support the development of activities progress reports for the program team as well as contribute to the development of donor reports;
• Ensure synergy between the agriculture and livestock sector and other project components to maximize impact;
• Manage the agricultural activities budget, ensuring compliance with internal policies in close collaboration with the Programme Manager;
• Collaborate with the Consortium MEAL Manager to define a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan for agriculture interventions;
• Monitor performance indicators and address any variances by proposing solutions to the Programme Manager;
• Ensure timely and quality reporting for all agricultural and livestock activities, feeding into internal and external reports;
• Support the Program Manager to Plan, Review, update, and manage the budget including FSL related follow-up on activities on a regular basis and share with relevant team Action Against Hunger staff members;
• Contribute to mapping relevant external stakeholders and building relationships;
• Develop and maintain relationships with government bodies, civil society, and humanitarian partners working in the target areas;
• Represent Action Against Hunger at external meetings with government bodies, civil society, and international stakeholders;
• Actively create opportunities to share key messages and promote climate-resilient agricultural practices;
• Ensure compliance with RESILAC’s communication and visibility protocols during external representation;
• Supervise and provide technical guidance to the Agriculture Officer and Veterinary Officer, ensuring they work collaboratively to achieve project goals;
• Lead the capacity building of project staff, local extension workers, and community leaders, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and tools to implement sustainable agricultural practices;
• Communicate Action Against Hunger performance standards and expectations to team members which includes; 10 minutes monthly conversation, 3 months/end of probation performance appraisal, and annual/ end of contract appraisal;
• Establish performance objectives, provide feedback, and identify strengths and areas for professional improvement.

Position Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture, Agriculture Technology/Engineering, Agronomy, Veterinary, or related fields;
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in food security, livelihoods, Agro/livestock-related interventions, and climate adaptation projects;
• Strong computer literacy, organizational and planning skills, report writing, and budget oversight;
• Commitment to upholding Action Against Hunger’s values, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Experience in the INGO/NGO and humanitarian context;
• Experience managing a team of staff.

Our employees enjoy a work culture that promotes diversity and inclusion.