Jobs at TechnoServe

Job Summary

• The Access to Finance Senior Advisor, reporting directly to the Senior Program Manager, will oversee the cross-cutting activities of the program's business plan, operations, and collection systems and ensure cost-effective program implementation.
• S/he will coordinate with the program staff to ensure the successful, innovative, efficient, and effective functioning of all participants’ activities through effective collaboration with other project team members towards achieving the common goal.

Program/Practice/Department Overview

• Nigeria’s 200 million population generates an estimated 32 million metric tons of waste annually, with plastic accounting for 2.5 million metric tons.
• The Plastics Recycling Program in Southern Nigeria (PReP), started as the Nigeria Plastic Solutions Alliance Program (NPSAP), a two-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Foundation. However, in year 2, USAID pulled out and the project transitioned to PReP with a revised scope of work. Building on the successes of PReP, the project is expanding to PReP 2.0, now encompassing an additional location: Kano State. The objective of the project is to reduce plastic waste by increasing the volume and quality of recycled PET plastics.
• This objective will be achieved through inclusive, market-driven interventions along the value chain and an enabling environment that will improve the competitiveness, sustainability, and profitability of collectors, aggregators, and recyclers.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities
Access to finance:

• Identify, communicate with, and engage financial service providers to provide inclusive financing opportunities for the project's aggregators and beneficiaries.
• Link the aggregators with these financial opportunities, including credit, loans, grants, investments and other financial products.
• Build the capacity of aggregators in financial literacy, bookkeeping, and knowledge of available financial services and products, to enable them to achieve the volume and quality of finances required to build and expand their businesses.
• Build the capacity of beneficiaries in inclusive business planning to make them investment-ready.
• Contribute to the LCTs Terms of Reference (TOR) to include the mobilizing of collectors into Self Help Groups that can also serve as Village Savings and Loans groups, to enable them to save and increase their access to the funds they require during the program implementation.
• Develop the Terms of Reference for the operation of the VSLAs in Lagos, Anambra and Kano.
• Work with other TechnoServe colleagues to document what works, including other successful access to finance initiatives in TechnoServe that can be replicated or leveraged to produce results on the PReP project.

Stakeholders coordination & management:

• In relation to the Senior Business Advisor in charge of the aggregator, design and deliver engaging training sessions for beneficiaries, assess the Business Advisor's training methods, and provide constructive feedback.
• Build and maintain strong relationships between program stakeholders (collectors, aggregators, and recyclers), ensuring smooth collaboration and efficient operations.
• Proactively identify and mitigate potential risks that could hinder project success, developing contingency plans and adapting the work plan as needed.
• Work with short-term consultants to develop training modules for collectors, aggregators, and recyclers.

Requirements
Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree with 5 years’ experience in Business Management, Finance, Economics, Environmental Science, Environmental Geoscience, or related field. Alternatively, a master’s degree with 3 years of experience will be considered.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience with enterprise development, entrepreneurship training, etc., with a special focus on micro-businesses, youth development, incubation/innovation, value chain, or entrepreneurship is desirable.
• Professional experience with international donor projects in Nigeria would be an asset.
• Good IT literacy, i.e., MS. Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel, is required.
• Ability to engage and advise a broad range of stakeholders, including senior management of private sector companies, donor representatives, and others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of business planning, financial analysis, risk management, and operational efficiency.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex information, negotiate effectively, and foster collaboration within the team.
• Experience in a specific region/country or with a particular funder or donor.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders.
• Familiarity with relevant software (e.g., MS Office Suite, data analysis tools) and business systems.
• International NGO Sectoral experience.

Required Languages:

• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English. Proficiency in the local languages of Anambra, Lagos states and Kano States is highly desirable.

Travel: 

• Moderate

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience mentoring and supervising others.
• Data analysis and interpretation skills.
• Change management expertise.
• Strong interpersonal skills (including active listening).
• Good leadership skills in commitment, excitement, and the ability to create new opportunities for the team.
• Good communication skills with the ability to share ideas and positions.
• Ability to embrace complex challenges and opportunities for getting work done for timely delivery.
• Proven skills with Microsoft Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Knowledge of the use of Comcare and KoBoCollect will be an advantage.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.

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Job Summary

• Under the overall guidance of Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager, the MEL Specialist will support the implementation of the proper systems and procedures that generate timely, high-quality data and analysis that enables adaptive management within the PReP project.
• He/she will perform the technical activities related to monitoring & evaluation and serve as a key point of contact for data collection and aggregation that supports project reporting and will provide inputs to inform project decision-making.

Program Overview

• Nigeria’s 200 million population generates an estimated 32 million metric tons of waste annually, with plastic accounting for 2.5 million metric tons.
• The Plastics Recycling Program in Southern Nigeria (PReP), started as the Nigeria Plastic Solutions Alliance Program (NPSAP), a two-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Foundation.
• However, in year 2, USAID pulled out and the project transitioned to PReP with a revised scope of work. Building on the successes of PReP, the project is expanding to PReP 2.0, now encompassing an additional location: Kano State.
• The objective of the project is to reduce plastic waste by increasing the volume and quality of recycled PET plastics. This objective will be achieved through inclusive, market-driven interventions along the value chain and an enabling environment that will improve the competitiveness, sustainability, and profitability of collectors, aggregators, and recyclers.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities
Support  the MEL approach for the project, including:

• Execute a work plan for data capture and reporting against project performance indicators and emergent project information needs.
• Implement an appropriate information-gathering approach to inform emergent knowledge gaps that are relevant for project decision-making such as processor market share data, stakeholder engagement mapping, and tracking of Strategic Fortification Partner (SFP) collaboration objectives.
• Support the design of additional input forms, feedback surveys, and data gathering mechanisms that may be required to enhance the centralized database.
• Support efforts to develop and manage regular data quality assessments, data cleaning and data analysis to produce data visualization sets for reporting and presentations.
• Contribute to the building and maintenance of a dynamic country-level dashboard of the project.
• Support the MEL Manager to regularly review and revise the project’s logical framework, ensuring it’s updated in accordance with knowledge gained during implementation.
• Support the flow of information across the program team through the sharing and analysis of new information.
• Support the project learning agenda by facilitating appropriate data collection, analysis and reporting under the guidance of the MEL Manager.

 Required Skill and Experience

• A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field, such as Computer science, Data science or other relevant field and a minimum of 3 years of experience in program management or implementing multidisciplinary and results-based M&E systems OR a Master's degree with at least 1 years of similar experience.
• Experience utilizing M&E methods and methodologies (including qualitative, quantitative, and participatory methods as well as the use of causal logic in designing, planning, implementing, and evaluating projects).
• Knowledge of and capacity to learn data collection and analytical software (e.g. Commcare, Looker Studio, Excel, or others).
• Strong written and oral communication skills and experience producing clear and concise reports. Capacity to translate research, methodologies, and data into accessible formats for colleagues with non-technical backgrounds.
• Expertise in data management, analysis, and interpretation, skilled at data visualisation.
• Takes an inquisitive and creative approach to problem-solving.
• Management skills, such as project management, personnel management, work plan management, and/or financial management.
• Willingness and availability to undertake field visits.

Preferred Qualifications:

• M&E experience with environmental based projects.
• INGO Sectoral experience.

Required Languages:

• Proficiency in English.

Travel:

• Moderate

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong attention to detail.
• Good leadership skills in commitment, excitement and ability to create new opportunities for the team.
• Good communication skills with ability to share ideas and positions.
• Ability to embrace complex challenges and opportunities for getting work done for timely delivery.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.

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Slot: 8 Openings

Job Summary

• Working closely with the Senior Business Advisor, the Business Advisor will play a critical role in the Plastics Recycling Programme in Nigeria (PReP) by overseeing advisory services and conducting all program activities and training services to beneficiaries, while also facilitating formal and informal networking and linkages with various stakeholders.
• S/he will facilitate business linkages, gather market intelligence, and monitor performance.
• The tasks outlined below are the key responsibilities of the business advisor, however, the employee will be expected to perform any tasks that are necessary within the context of the evolving needs of the project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities
Project Inception Phase:

• Provide support to short-term consultants during market analysis study which will include value chain mapping, enabling environment mapping, gender and social inclusion analysis.
• Conduct recruitment/enrollment of program beneficiaries using predetermined criteria.
• Assist the Senior Business Advisor and Project Lead in developing the detailed project work plan.

Project implementation:

• Conduct or monitor the implementation of the project's digital strategy, ensuring beneficiary adoption and engagement.
• Facilitate training sessions for beneficiaries, monitoring attendance and engagement to ensure adherence to program guidelines.
• Provide crucial linkages between plastic collectors and aggregators, and between aggregators and recyclers.
• Monitor the recruited plastic collectors, aggregators, and recyclers to ensure they are operating within the terms and conditions of the program’s agreement.
• Participate in monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities, contributing to the program's reporting and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure adherence to the program work plan, identifying and mitigating risks to successful project implementation.
• Collate feedback from the program beneficiaries through the program’s feedback mechanism.
• Embody and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy, ensuring these are integrated into all program activities.
• Perform other duties in line with the evolving needs of the program.

Requirements
Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree / HND in Business Management, Marketing, Business Enterprise, Project Management, or relevant Social Sciences/ Humanities related discipline with at least 3 years’ experience working with communities living on less than $2 a day in educating clients/beneficiaries on business development and marketing goals while nurturing relationship with relevant stakeholders. Alternatively, at least 1 year experience in a similar field with a Masters degree.
• Demonstrated ability in working with small and growing businesses for at least 2 years post NYSC as a plus.
• Proven experience in stakeholder engagement, data collection and analysis, digital training delivery, and report writing.
• Ability to engage and advise a broad range of stakeholders, including senior management of private sector companies, donor representatives, and others;
• Demonstrated experience in report writing.
• Experience in the waste management or recycling sector.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); familiarity with Comcare and KoBoCollect is advantageous.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.

Required Languages:

• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English. Proficiency in the local languages of Kano State is highly desirable.

Travel: 

• At least 40% with a willingness to travel to these communities.

 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experienced in writing excellent reports.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills.
• Proven skills with Microsoft Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Knowledge of the use of Comcare, and KoBoCollect will be an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English.

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Program Overview

• The StreFas Project aims to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions through regenerative agricultural practices and at the same time develop an inclusive, sustainable, scalable, and adaptable regenerative agriculture solution to help smallholder farmers (SHFs) and local SMEs (aggregators) be more resilient and produce low-carbon grains in Nigeria.
• The three-year project will provide a guaranteed structured market for farmers to produce high-quality grains yearly, with a significant quantity of grains produced from environmentally sustainable practices.
• The project aims to impact up to 25,000 SHFs directly as beneficiaries of the program.
• Importantly, StreFas will sustain and scale up the successful elements of the regenerative agriculture pilot of the Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains in Nigeria (DIGVCN) project.

Job Summary

• The Technical Manager -Strengthening Farmers and SMEs Resilience through Climate Smart Grain Production in Nigeria (StreFas) will work under the supervision of the Country Director/Program Director to provide overall project technical support to the StreFas team in Kaduna and Nasarawa States and the goal is to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through regenerative agricultural practices.
• This goal will be achieved primarily through upskilling Maize, Rice, Sorghum, and Soybean farmers in regenerative agricultural practices.
• S/he will provide technical support to facilitate farmer behavioral change from conventional agriculture to regenerative and climate-adapted agriculture.
• In addition, s/he will provide guidance while working closely with the Program manager to manage relationships with donors, implementing partners, and sub-awardees to achieve project objectives.
• The tasks outlined below are the key responsibilities of the employee, however, s/he will be expected to perform other tasks that are necessary within the context of the evolving needs of TechnoServe’s Agricultural portfolio.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight of the project’s interventions related to the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions through regenerative agricultural practices. S/he will be the technical lead facilitating activities aimed at achieving farmer behavioral change from conventional agriculture to regenerative and climate-adapted agriculture.
• Work with the Program Manager to engage the relevant practice teams internally to get maximum support that ensures the successful delivery of the project.
• Optimize team technical competence and ensure that members are adequately capacitated to conduct their respective project activities and upskilled in critical areas of the project such as regenerative agricultural practices and carbon credit calculations. Mentor and build the technical capacity of field staff on regenerative agricultural practices.
• In collaboration with the Program Manager, develop training curriculum for farmers and coordinate all required training, including training-of-trainers (ToTs), and ensure all training manuals are updated throughout the life of the project.
• Work closely with the Program Manager and the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) specialist to ensure proper and timely reports of the program for internal communication and action. Support the sharing of best practices and lessons learned from the project and program communication activities.
• Adapt project approaches, as needed, to reach targets and milestones related to GHG Emissions reduction and mitigation targets and the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.
• 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, particularly related to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduced/mitigated through regenerative agricultural practices.
• Contribute to donor reports and presentations, and work with the Program Manager to represent the project at external meetings and events.
• Assess the gaps in SMEs (Aggregators)/SHFs technical knowledge and capacity and develop adequate technical training to enhance performance.
• Understand, respect, and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Any other tasks that may be assigned about the evolving needs of the project.

Qualifications

• An Advanced Degree in Crop Science, Agronomy, or other relevant field and at least 7 years of relevant professional experience with a bachelor’s degree. Alternatively, 5 years with a Masters’ degree.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of regenerative agriculture, carbon credits, and greenhouse gas emission reduction through regenerative practices.
• Demonstrated experience in leading technical studies such as environmental impact assessment, baseline, and endline evaluation studies, and so on.
• Experience working in Nigeria is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Deep understanding of regenerative agricultural practices in the Nigerian context.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders.
• 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.