Consulting Manager at an Institute for Food and Agriculture

The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) created this role for a forward-looking, versatile, proactive, and business-oriented technocrat to champion its projects with partners and also manage the affairs of NIFST Academy, a virtual-learning capacity-building academy for optimizing the food value chain in totality. The successful candidate/applicant is a self-starter who will report to the administrative secretary, who is the chief administrative officer of NIFST. He/she will focus on 3 areas: 

• Consultancy (10%)
• Projects (20%)
• Academy (70%)

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and manage strategies for virtual learning programs of NIFST Academy. This will include goals setting, effective planning, and implementation of programs.
• Collaborate with NIFST Academy faculty heads to develop and deliver technical training solutions. This takes into account curricula, course modules, training manuals, and interactive content (audio, video, and simulations) creation to achieve sustainable success.
• Manage enrollment and registration for training, schedule training sessions, and organize the resources to facilitate training programs.
• Manage the virtual learning environment, supervise staff, and ensure both technical and academic success. 
• Technical Proficiency—Deep understanding of learning management systems (LMS) platforms, video conferencing tools (Zoom, WhatsApp, etc.), and emerging technologies (AI, etc.) relevant to educational technology. Must be able to collect and analyze data on training program effectiveness and profitability.
• Prepare and manage budgets related to NIFST projects and the academy's operations, including resource allocation and procurement of hardware/software.
• Regular review of progress and re-forecast as necessary. Set up regular quality assurance reviews of content and delivery to ensure that training programs align with the latest industry standards and trends for achieving teaching excellence in all aspects of learning, teaching, and assessment of students.
• Any other duties in line with the level of responsibility, dependent upon NIFST business priorities. 

Key Working Relationships: 

• NIFST Academy Team
• NIFST Partners
• Certificate Accrediting Bodies (e.g., NBTE) 
• Faculty Heads
• Academy Graduates Network
• NIFST secretariat staff—direct report is 1. 

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, Food Technology, or a related field.
• Strong technical skills with proven experience in virtual learning environments, online teaching, or technical project management. 
• Experience managing budgets is essential.