Value Chain Development Lead at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Job Reference: tbigc/TP/132/57
Contract Type: Fixed Term/Full Time
Working Hours: 35 Hours per week
Job Category: Advisory
Business Area / Division: Advisory - Africa

Focus of the Role

• Our Governance (Africa) pillar supports the governments and leaders of developing and emerging states to enhance their effectiveness. We are focused on helping governments and leaders make their vision for the development of their country a reality. We work in the centre of government and key line ministries and our work is shaped by national priorities.

Job Introduction

• Following the recent Presidential election, the Federal Government of Nigeria has set agriculture transformation as a top priority. It is establishing an agriculture coordination secretariat in the Office of the Vice-President, with responsibility for the coordination of the implementation of two flagship programmes: the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and the Green Imperative (GI) - a partnership with Brazil to improve access to mechanization and technology in Nigerian agriculture.
• The Value Chain Development Lead will be assigned to work with the Office of the Vice President to map the priority value chains , understand political economy constraints, identify contraints, gaps and opportunities along the value chain and propose practical, market and government systems solutions to these constraints. The role will work closely with the Head of the Unit, Lead Delivery Advisor and other experts including the Mechanisation, Processing and Good Agronomic Practices Leads; supporting them and key states and ministries alongside the delivery advisors to facilitate the development of the priority value chains and agricultural markets.
• The Value Chain Development Lead will report to Mechanisation Lead. The role will require travel across Nigeria.

Key Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the role include:

• Have an in-depth understanding of agricultural market systems
• Develop detailed mapping along the value chains for the selected market systems, including of their political economy
• Conduct analyses of the market systems, including supporting functions (e.g. information,
• training, finance, inputs) and rules and regulations to identify constraints along the value chain and solve them
• Understand market dynamics – consumers, competition, major players – to inform recommendations made for improvements along the value chain
• Understand drivers for value chain development – system efficiency, product quality, product differentiation, social and environmental standards, business environment (including regulation)
• Implement market-driven sustainable solutions built around local market realities to remedy bottlenecks in the value chain and its underlying constraints that hinder participation
• Develop good monitoring and results measurement system, to measure the success of implemented interventions and provide feedback on what needs to be done further
• Work across different stakeholder groups in the wider market system – BDS providers, government institutions, NGOs
• Understand private agro processing
• Create market linkages with priority placed on local market
• Prepare detailed 5 year and annual work plans and progress reports on value chain components

Person Specification
Experience and Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Rural Development or related field, with postgraduate qualifications preferred
• Ideally 8 years of market-systems and value chain development experience managing complex projects or businesses in areas such as livelihood diversification, value chain, rural business development and agricultural marketing, preferably in fragile or conflict affected states
• Experience in conducting politically smart value chain assessments and determining appropriate interventions to enhance agricultural productivity and market access for farmers, agro-pastoralist and pastoralist
• Experience in designing and implementing projects aimed at improving agricultural value chains and linkages with markets
• Strong working experience with key value chain stakeholders (producers, traders, enterprise groups, rural financing institutions/banks, and research/policy associations)
• Strong knowledge and demonstrated ability to nurture and/or build effective partnerships with the stakeholders within and outside the agricultural sector
• Knowledge of the use of ICT and eCommerce in agricultural value chains is desirable
• Excellent communication skills, especially written communications and group facilitation skills.
• Significant Africa experience with a strong preference for Nigerian contextual experience
• Strong administrative and organization skills, commitment, attention to detail and strong forward planning skills
• Hands on approach to work, with the ability to deliver on deadlines in a fast-paced and fast-changing environment, with minimal or no supervision

Essentials Skills:

• Exceptional oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
• Effective inter-personal and leadership skills with an ability to develop and foster relationships across a wide range of diverse and senior stakeholders
• Ability to operate and succeed in a highly political environment;
• Strong analytical and management skills, including sound knowledge of strategic planning and project management tools;
• Ability to use own initiative and actively look for opportunities to have an impact rather than simply be reactive
• A decent understanding of how governments, businesses and international development organisations operate and how to succeed in them
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office products Word, Excel and PPT and other relevant  software and tools

Personal Specifications:

• Drive, motivation and ability to consistently achieve results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is desirable but not essential.

Salary
Competitive