FMTP Program Director - Food Processing at TechnoServe

Job Summary:

• The Program Director will provide overall strategic, technical, and operational leadership for a market systems development (MSD) project focused on strengthening food processing and inclusive markets for tomato, soybean, ginger, and sesame. S/he is responsible for the implementation of FMTP, managing a team of 10+ people across ten states and will execute the overall strategy of the project to reach its goals and targets. S/he will operationalize the work plan, adapting technical approaches and interventions as needed, and manage project resources.
• The role is responsible for ensuring the project achieves sustainable, scalable, and commercially viable outcomes by facilitating systemic change across input supply, aggregation, processing, finance, and market linkages—without distorting markets.
• The Program Director will lead a multidisciplinary team, engage public and private sector partners, ensure donor compliance, and drive results that improve incomes, resilience, and employment—particularly for women and youth. S/he will also serve as the primary liaison with public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders, including donors. This role requires expertise in project management and a deep understanding of Nigeria’s agri-food systems and food processing ecosystem and regulatory landscape, especially for the core crops (soybean and sesame) and intercrops (tomato and ginger). The ideal candidate will be motivated and able to provide critical leadership in the final year of the project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Provide overall vision, strategy, and technical direction for the market systems development approach across the four priority crops.
• Ensure interventions align with MSD principles, including facilitation (not substitution), sustainability, and scale.
• Oversee the design and implementation of interventions across:
  • Processing and value addition
  • Input and service markets
  • Aggregation and logistics
  • Access to finance
  • Market access and trade
• Lead the implementation of activities through the operationalization of the work plan
• Adapt project approaches and interventions, as needed, to reach targets and milestones
• Work with the Women, Youth and Accessibility Specialist, as well as the Women and Youth Practice to ensure inclusivity and that the targets for women, youth and people living with disabilities are met.
• Guide adaptive management, ensuring strategies evolve based on learning and market signals.
• Advise TechnoServe’s Program Development team on project proposals, as needed 2. Market Systems Development
• Apply MSD principles to ensure interventions are facilitative, scalable, and sustainable.
• Support pilot innovations and crowd-in private sector investment in soybean, sesame, tomato and ginger value chains.
• Monitor market responses and adapt interventions based on learning. 3. Value Chain & Food Processing Development
• Lead efforts to strengthen processing capacity, quality standards, and competitiveness for tomato, soybean, ginger, and sesame.
• Support the development of commercially viable processing models, including SMEs and anchor firms.
• Promote improved post-harvest handling, food safety, traceability, and quality assurance systems.
• Work with the other consortium partners to facilitate linkages between producers, aggregators, processors, and end markets (domestic and export).
• Support the development of training materials. 4. Partner & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and manage strong partnerships with:
  • The consortium lead for the project.
  • Other consortium partners (for linkages and where necessary)
  • Private sector firms (processors, off-takers, input suppliers, financiers)
  • Government ministries, agencies, and regulators
  • Industry associations and business membership organizations
  • Development partners and other donors
• Work with the Country Director to represent the project at high-level forums and policy dialogues.
• Serve as the primary liaison with public and private sector counterparts, including local government agencies, and other key stakeholders
• Support policy and regulatory reforms that improve the enabling environment for food processing and agribusiness. 5. Team Leadership & Management
• Lead, mentor, and manage a high-performing project team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and learning.
• Ensure effective coordination across technical, operations, finance, M&E and other cross-cutting functions (women and youth, communications, safeguarding, etc).
• Oversee performance management and professional development of project staff.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Adaptation (MEL)
• Work with the MEL Manager & Project MEL Specialist to ensure robust results measurement systems are aligned with TechnoServe’s best practices.
• With the Senior MEL Specialist, ensure high-quality data is being collected to demonstrate project impact and results
• Use data and evidence to inform strategic decisions and adaptive management.
• Work with the Knowledge and Content Development Manager to oversee documentation of learning, success stories, and systemic change.
• Develop high-quality deliverables, including quarterly progress reports/presentations, that meet donor requirements and deadlines
• Ensure timely and high-quality reporting to the consortium lead/donor and internal stakeholders in TechnoServe.
• Financial & Operational Oversight
• Provide oversight of project budgets, work plans, and resource allocation.
• Monitor the project budget to ensure a healthy burn rate and allowability of costs
• Ensure compliance with donor rules, regulations, and reporting requirements.
• Manage risks related to implementation, partnerships, and external shocks.
• Identify and address implementation challenges
• Ensure value for money and cost-effectiveness across all project activities.

Qualifications:

• A master’s degree or equivalent in agribusiness, agricultural economics, business administration, international development, economics, or other relevant field with at least 7 years of experience. Alternatively, a bachelor’s degree with 10 years of experience.
• At least eight years of relevant professional experience in international development.
• At least four years of proven experience leading/managing and implementing large, multi-stakeholder donor-funded programs/projects.

Required Languages: Fluency in English is required.

Travel: Local travel 40-50%

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Deep technical expertise in MSD and food processing value chains
• Demonstrated experience working across multiple value chains, preferably including tomato, soybean, ginger, or sesame.
• Strong understanding of the private sector–led development and market systems development approaches.
• Extensive experience managing large teams at a high level of leadership (e.g Team Lead, Chief of Party, Program Director).
• Familiarity with food safety standards, quality certification, and export requirements
• Prior work experience or collaboration with private sector companies and businesses.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders.
• Experience working in Nigeria or similar emerging market contexts preferred.
• Experience in successfully implementing inclusive women/youth/PLWD-integrated programs and promoting women- and youth-led enterprises is a plus.
• Strong local and regional market knowledge
• Strong strategic thinking and systems analysis skills
• Excellent leadership, team management, and mentoring abilities
• High-level stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills
• Strong financial and operational management capability
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage complexity, uncertainty, and adaptive programming
• Commitment to gender equity, youth inclusion, and environmental sustainability
• Extensive project management skills, including strategic planning, stakeholder coordination, resource allocation, compliance monitoring, and performance tracking
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to work with tight deadlines while managing multiple tasks and priorities.
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports.