Core Crops Technical Manager (Processing of Agricultural Crops - Soybean and Sesame) at TechnoServe

Job Summary

• The primary responsibility of the Core Crops Technical Manager is to provide technical oversight and leadership across the program’s priority crop value chains to achieve the project’s goals. This role requires expertise in the agri-food processing sector, as well as experience working with the private sector food processing companies. The ideal candidate should have a proven track record of working with high performing teams.
• The role will oversee the design and implementation of interventions that improve processing, quality assurance, and market competitiveness for the core crops - soybean, and sesame.
• The Manager will identify and work with crop-specific technical consultants, coordinate with private sector partners and government stakeholders, and ensure delivery of high-quality technical assistance to the project’s clients/beneficiaries, processors, and agribusinesses. The position plays a key role in driving innovation, scaling best practices, and ensuring that project results are achieved on time and within budget.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Strategy:

• Lead the design and implementation of technical interventions for soybean and sesame value chains within the broader program.
• Provide technical oversight of the project’s interventions in soybean and sesame.
• Develop specific strategies for value addition and improved processing of soybean and sesame, post-harvest handling and quality management,
• Provide technical guidance on equipment selection, plant layout, food safety, and processing efficiency.
• Identify and pilot innovations to improve processing efficiency, reduce losses, and increase profitability.
• Identify systemic constraints and opportunities in soybean and sesame production, aggregation, processing, and marketing.
• Develop upgrading strategies for women-led micro and small enterprises engaged in soybean and sesame
• Provide technical input into program workplans, budgets, and intervention pipelines.Offer technical solutions to implementation challenges
• Work with the Program Director and the project team to enroll and engage young people, women, PLWDs, SMEs and other beneficiaries on the project, while adapting project approaches, as needed, to reach targets and milestones.
• Advise TechnoServe’s Program Development team on project proposals, as needed
• Contribute to donor reports and presentations to enable the Country Director and Program Director to effectively represent the project at external meetings and events.

Program Implementation:

• Oversee field and enterprise-level technical activities, ensuring alignment with program objectives and work plans.
• Supervise technical consultants delivering support to clients, beneficiaries, cooperatives, and processors.
• Ensure integration of cross-cutting themes including youth engagement, women and youth inclusion, climate-smart practices, and environmental compliance.
• Assess the gaps in the clients’ technical knowledge and capacity.
• Develop technical training materials for the clients and beneficiaries. to enhance the quality of their products and improve their performance.
• Work with the teams to provide tailored technical assistance to the clients and beneficiaries and to transition them into commercially viable high yield businesses.
• Work with the processors and processing clusters to ensure operational efficiency, compliance with quality and hygiene standards.
• Engage state and federal government agencies, research institutes, and industry associations relevant to soybean and sesame value chains.

Private Sector and Market Engagement:

• Build partnerships with processors, aggregators, input suppliers, off-takers, financial institutions, equipment vendors, buyers and technology providers.
• Support enterprises to become investment-ready through technical upgrading and business improvement planning.
• Facilitate market linkages between producers, processors, women entrepreneurs, market actors and buyers for soybean and sesame.
• Support access to appropriate technologies for improved processing of soybean and sesame, storage, and quality assurance.

Capacity Building:

• Design and deliver training programs on good manufacturing practices, post-harvest handling, processing, quality management, food safety, business operations and quality assurance.
• Strengthen local service providers and extension networks to sustain impact beyond project life.
• Mentor and build the technical capacity of the project’s team.
• Strengthen extension and service delivery models that support soybean and sesame value chain actors.
• Promote adoption of resource-efficient processing practices for soybean and sesame.

Quality Assurance and Standards:

• Promote adoption of food safety standards, traceability systems, and relevant national/international certifications.
• Support enterprises to meet regulatory and buyer requirements.

Monitoring, Learning, and Reporting:

• Contribute to technical reporting, documentation of results, and knowledge-sharing products.
• Work closely with the MEL team to track performance indicators and adapt interventions based on learning.
• Work with the MEL Specialist to assess the impact of the project’s interventions and ensure high-quality data is being collected to demonstrate project results.

Qualifications

• An advanced Degree in Agricultural Science, Food Science, Agricultural Engineering, Agribusiness, Crop Science,  Agricultural Economics, or other relevant field and at least 5 years of relevant professional experience (7 years with a Bachelor’s Degree).
• Experience in international development or the private sector is preferred.
• Prior experience working or collaborating with private sector companies and businesses, SMEs, and processing companies.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of processing technologies, post-harvest systems, and food safety standards.
• Proven ability to manage teams and deliver complex field programs.
• Practical knowledge of Nigeria’s agricultural and agro-processing landscape.
• Familiarity with national regulatory frameworks (NAFDAC, SON, etc.).
• Experience in investment-readiness support for SMEs.
• Strong problem-solving and adaptive management capability.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and cultural sensitivity.
• Excellent communication, training, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently to field locations.
• Experience in designing and delivering technical training programs is highly desirable.
• Experience working in Nigeria is preferred.
• Experience in successfully implementing gender-integrated programs is a plus.Strong interpersonal and communications skills in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to work with tight deadlines while managing multiple tasks and priorities.
• Ability to contribute to well-written, cohesive analyses and reports.