Senior Dairy Business Advisor at TechnoServe

Job Summary:

The Senior Dairy Business Advisor will work under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager. S/he will provide support and leadership to the Dairy Business Advisors who will be interfacing with mini-farms, ensuring they operate at optimal capacity to supply high-quality and quantities of fresh milk to Danone with good returns. S/he will support the Senior Program Manager in developing plans and drive effective and efficient implementation.

Program Overview:

TechnoServe’s Building a Resilient Local Dairy Supply Chain in Nigeria (BuPreDMiN) aims to build a precision, sustainable, and productive local dairy value chain in Nigeria within 4 years in a way that increases the incomes, resilience, and carbon footprint of dairy farmers in Nigeria.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Project Inception Phase

• Develop a framework for the mapping and profiling of mini-farm owners into the Danone backward integration in the dairy value chain.
• Work with the gender focal person alongside the M&E to develop and periodically review gender key performance indicators for mini-farm owners.
• Develop weekly and monthly reports of the mini-farms' activities implemented in the reporting periods and submit them to the Senior Program Manager.

Project Implementation Phase

• Plan, organize, and coordinate the execution of activities assigned to the Dairy Business Advisor with the understanding, compliance with, and promotion of TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy.
• Design the framework for the expansion of the mini-farms enrolment into the Danone backward integration in the dairy value chain.
• Work with the gender focal person alongside the M&E to develop and periodically review gender key performance indicators for mini-farmers.
• Lead the development of training content and schedules to address quality and quantity gaps identified at the Milk Collection Center (MCC).
• Build the capacity of the dairy business advisor to provide business advisory and training to mini-farms on best practices for profitability.
• Support the MCC manager and work in alignment to mobilize mini-farms to supply Danone with high-quality quantities of milk at designated collection points.
• Conduct periodic analysis of available data to unearth financial inclusion gaps and proffer mitigations
• Develop and periodically review information and communication material to resolve occasional discrepancies that may evolve between mini-farm owners and Danone for an efficient supply chain.
• Lead conversations with high-quality and cost-effective input providers for mini-farms to drive profitability.
• Support all monitoring and evaluation activities, and surveys.
• Develop weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual activities reports, as well as success stories and lessons learned.
• Develop templates and processes to support the Dairy Business Advisor in coordinating the mini-farms in maintaining records of activities and data collection of information required for monthly reports and analysis.
• Develop a risk register and update it periodically to support the Dairy Business Advisors in mitigating evolving issues.
• Interface with stakeholders and represent TechnoServe at official functions.
• Perform other duties in line with the evolving needs of the program.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or HND in Agriculture, Vet. Medicine, Agribusiness, Animal Science, or other relevant fields with at least 5 years of experience in capacities related to project planning and execution, agribusiness, training, or Marketing, which should include at least three years of experience in the livestock value chain (cattle, goats, sheep) within western Nigeria.
• Master’s degree in Agriculture, Vet. Medicine, Agribusiness, Animal Science, or other relevant fields with at least 3 years of experience in capacities related to project planning and execution, agribusiness, training, or Marketing, with at least two years of experience in the livestock value chain (cattle, goats, sheep) within western Nigeria.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Dairy Value Chain in Nigeria.

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Must have strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong communication and knowledge transfer skills
• Ability to constructively engage a broad range of stakeholders, especially community leaders and influential persons
• Good negotiation and persuasion skills
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
• Proven skills with Microsoft Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Knowledge of the use of Appsheet or a similar application will be an advantage.