Job Opportunities at TechnoServe

ob Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Finance Specialist with a dotted reporting line to the Grants and Contracts Manager, the Sub Awards Specialist is responsible for working with a portfolio of TechnoServe Nigeria's project sub-recipients to ensure that TechnoServe’s implementation strategy and Donor funds are deployed and utilized according to the intended purpose; providing thorough and diligent oversight. A critical aspect of this position involves working closely with the project team and project manager to ensure accurate activities, financial, and impact reporting, and procedural compliance on awards and sub-awards.Particularly the position works with partners to ensure they meet the accountability requirements of their contracts and generally manage their finances effectively, which involves appropriate partner staff capacity development. This position forms the link between the project and finance team. The position holder will also actively support project procurement and administration activities for the FuFaN project as well.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Project Inception Phase

• With the support of the Program Managers, take the lead on developing a subawardee’s activities and report tracker.
• Support the MEL officer in ensuring Sub awardees follow the project work plan, MEL package, and tools.
• Support SMEs/Aggregators recruitment, develop and maintain an up-to-date tracker of EAs in the assigned communities, and track their performance and activeness.
• Facilitate the process for awarding sub-awards including working with budget holders and the program development team to, ensure that Technoserve’s policies and procedures are applied effectively from selection and partner funding process, completing the approval checklist, obtaining approvals as per threshold, drafting and finalizing the partner funding agreement, providing copies to all relevant stakeholders and filing copies as per the procedure.

Project Implementation Phase

• Take ownership of keeping sub-awardees updated and integrated.
• work with sub-awardees to implement/ administer signed agreements and ensure that the terms, conditions, and requirements are fully understood
• Ensure all project reporting requirements, plans, and timelines are followed by the sub-awardees.
• Provide start-up and periodic training to sub-awardees on financial reporting and templates.
• Prompt review and submission of sub-awards reports and providing feedback on any observed errors or incomplete documentation.
• Prepare and process cash disbursement to sub-awardees.
• Assist sub-awardees in their expense projections according to signed agreements.
• Ensure sub-awardees comply with all statutory requirements.
• Interface with sub-awardees on finance and procurement-related issues.
• Act as a liaison between the Sub Awardees, TechnoServe & stakeholders; ensuring that all Sub-Awards procedures are followed promptly and stakeholders are informed of any requirements for action on their part.
• Support the project manager in a project administration capacity.
• Ensure all procurement concerns are timely and quickly handled for the core project team and sub-awardees.
• Take ownership of the learning centers and track farmer's engagement activities.
• Understand, respect, and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Supervise sub-awardee operational expenses accounts.
• Perform other duties in line with the evolving needs of the program.

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, and Agribusiness with a minimum of 3 years’ experience working with and supporting SMEs, with procurement, accounting, capacity building, and operations. Alternatively, a Master’s degree with a minimum of 1 year.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Must have strong interpersonal skills.
• Proven skills with Microsoft Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Knowledge of the use of Comcare, KoBoCollect, and accounting software like Sylogist, etc will be an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of accounting, procurement budget management, and contracting
• Ability to engage and advise a broad range of stakeholders, especially community leaders,
• Demonstrated experience in data collection and analyses.
• Demonstrated experience with digital and in-person training delivery mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing.

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Job Summary:

The Project Manager - Future Farming Nigeria (FuFaN) will work under the supervision of the Deputy Country Director/Program Director to provide overall project leadership to the Future Farming Nigeria team in Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger States to upskill Maize, Sorghum and Soybeans farmers through Extension Agents on Regenerative Agriculture. The Project Manager will also provide technical support to facilitate farmer behavioral change from conventional agriculture to regenerative/climate-smart agriculture. In addition, s/he will gather market intelligence, monitor performance and provide guidance while managing relationships with donors, implementing partners and subawardees 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 the project.

Program/Practice/Department Overview:

TechnoServe’s Future Farming Nigeria Project (FuFaN)  aims to develop an inclusive, sustainable, scalable, and adaptable regenerative agriculture solution to make smallholder farmers  (SHFs) and local SMEs (aggregators) 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 30,000  SHFs directly as beneficiaries of the program. Importantly, FuFaN will sustain and scale up the successful elements of the regenerative agriculture pilot of the recently-concluded Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains in Nigeria (DIGVCN) project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Takes full ownership of the FuFaN project in delivery of targeted objectives.
• Ensure efficient and effective implementation of project activities, output and outcomes as laid out in the executed contract.
• Lead the development of a project work plan and ensure timely and quality delivery of project Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Ensure timely preparation of donor reports according to prescribed guidelines and format.
• Recruit, lead and manage members of the project team, optimizing team performance and ensuring that members of the project team are adequately capacitated to conduct their respective project activities.
• Coordinate all required training, including training-of-trainers (ToTs), and ensure all training manuals are up to date.
• Enhance strong stakeholder engagement with government, private sector, business associations, community associations, and financial institutions as needed.
• Manage and mitigate potential program risks; develop and continuously review project risk management measures.
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) specialist to ensure proper and timely reports of the program for internal communication and action. Oversee the sharing best practices and lessons learned from the project and lead program communication activities.
• Manage project budget to ensure that burn rate targets are achieved.
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Any other tasks that may be assigned in relation to the evolving needs of the project.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness management, Project Management or relevant Social Sciences/ Humanities disciplines.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience working with communities living on less than $2 a day in educating clients/beneficiaries on business development and marketing goals while nurturing relationships with relevant stakeholders.
• Alternatively, a Master’s degree with 3 years’ experience.
• Demonstrated experience with digital training and delivery mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing.

Preferred Qualification:

• Demonstrated ability in working with small and growing businesses for at least 3 years.
• Demonstrated knowledge of fruit and/or vegetable value chains in Nigeria.
• Ability to engage and advise senior level stakeholders, including senior management of private sector companies, donor representatives, and others.
• Ability to manage budget as assigned and aligned with the donor requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in data collection and analyses, especially in the areas of agriculture and project key performance indicators.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experienced in writing excellent reports in English.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills.
• Proven skills with Microsoft Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Google workspace. Knowledge in the use of software platforms for field data collection such as CommCare, KoBoCollect will be an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English.

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Job Summary:

The Regenerative Agriculture Advisor (RAA) will work under the supervision of the Project Manager (PM) in Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger States to upskill maize, sorghum and soybean farmers through extension agents on regenerative agriculture. S/he will also provide technical support to facilitate change of behavior of farmers from conventional agriculture to regenerative and climate-smart agriculture. In addition, s/he will gather market intelligence, monitor performance and provide guidance to clusters of aggregators and manage partners 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 the project.

Program Overview:

TechnoServe’s Future Farming Nigeria Project (FuFaN)  aims to develop an inclusive, sustainable, scalable, and adaptable regenerative agriculture solution to make smallholder farmers (SHFs) and local SMEs (aggregators) 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 30,000  SHFs directly as beneficiaries of the program. Importantly, FuFaN will sustain and scale up the successful elements of the regenerative agriculture pilot of the recently-concluded Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains in Nigeria (DIGVCN) project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Project Inception Phase

• With the support of the PM, take the lead on aggregator readiness, farmer identification and farm mapping.
• Support the delivery of gender-integrated activities to ensure gender targets are met.
• Support the Project Manager and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) specialist in developing the project work plan, MEL package and tools.
• Support rapid assessment and baseline evaluation activities.
• Support SMEs/Aggregators with identification and recruitment of extension agents (EAs) in the assigned communities.

Project Implementation Phase

• Oversee the Extension agents (EAs) and ensure that their capacity is deepened through train-the-trainer sessions and technical hand holding.
• Take ownership of the upskilling process and behavioral change campaign activities via the learning center.
• Support the project manager in developing training materials.
• Support the EAs during step-down training and monitor attendance according to the program guidelines.
• Take ownership of the learning centers and track farmer engagement activities.
• Work with the PM in identifying other partners that will provide complimentary services in programs.
• Assist the PM in identifying organizations that would like to offtake produce from the farmers.
• Facilitate all monitoring and evaluation activities, surveys and reporting as well as develop success stories and lessons learnt.
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Perform other duties in line with the evolving needs of the program.

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Agriculture, Agronomy, Human Nutrition, Food Science and Technology with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working with and supporting smallholder rice, maize, soybean and sorghum farmers. Alternatively, 4 years experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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.

Required Languages: Fluency in English and Hausa or Fulani  (written and spoken)

Travel: Local Travels

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated understanding in rice, maize, soybean, and sorghum value chains in Nigeria. A thorough understanding of maize and another value chain (maize, soybean, and/or sorghum) will be preferred.
• Ability to engage and advise a broad range of stakeholders, especially community leaders.
• Demonstrated experience in data collection and analyses, especially in the areas of agriculture and project key performance indicators.
• Demonstrated experience with digital and in-person training delivery mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing in English.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and train in the Hausa or Fulani language besides English.

go to method of application »

Job Summary:

The Regenerative Agriculture Advisor (RAA) will work under the supervision of the Project Manager (PM) in Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger States to upskill maize, sorghum and soybean farmers through extension agents on regenerative agriculture. S/he will also provide technical support to facilitate change of behavior of farmers from conventional agriculture to regenerative and climate-smart agriculture. In addition, s/he will gather market intelligence, monitor performance and provide guidance to clusters of aggregators and manage partners 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 the project.

Program Overview:

TechnoServe’s Future Farming Nigeria Project (FuFaN)  aims to develop an inclusive, sustainable, scalable, and adaptable regenerative agriculture solution to make smallholder farmers (SHFs) and local SMEs (aggregators) 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 30,000  SHFs directly as beneficiaries of the program. Importantly, FuFaN will sustain and scale up the successful elements of the regenerative agriculture pilot of the recently-concluded Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains in Nigeria (DIGVCN) project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Project Inception Phase

• With the support of the PM, take the lead on aggregator readiness, farmer identification and farm mapping.
• Support the delivery of gender-integrated activities to ensure gender targets are met.
• Support the Project Manager and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) specialist in developing the project work plan, MEL package and tools.
• Support rapid assessment and baseline evaluation activities.
• Support SMEs/Aggregators with identification and recruitment of extension agents (EAs) in the assigned communities.

Project Implementation Phase

• Oversee the Extension agents (EAs) and ensure that their capacity is deepened through train-the-trainer sessions and technical hand holding.
• Take ownership of the upskilling process and behavioral change campaign activities via the learning center.
• Support the project manager in developing training materials.
• Support the EAs during step-down training and monitor attendance according to the program guidelines.
• Take ownership of the learning centers and track farmer engagement activities.
• Work with the PM in identifying other partners that will provide complimentary services in programs.
• Assist the PM in identifying organizations that would like to offtake produce from the farmers.
• Facilitate all monitoring and evaluation activities, surveys and reporting as well as develop success stories and lessons learnt.
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Perform other duties in line with the evolving needs of the program.

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Agriculture, Agronomy, Human Nutrition, Food Science and Technology with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working with and supporting smallholder rice, maize, soybean and sorghum farmers. Alternatively, 4 years experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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.

Required Languages: Fluency in English and Hausa or Fulani  (written and spoken)

Travel: Local Travels

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated understanding in rice, maize, soybean, and sorghum value chains in Nigeria. A thorough understanding of maize and another value chain (maize, soybean, and/or sorghum) will be preferred.
• Ability to engage and advise a broad range of stakeholders, especially community leaders.
• Demonstrated experience in data collection and analyses, especially in the areas of agriculture and project key performance indicators.
• Demonstrated experience with digital and in-person training delivery mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing in English.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and train in the Hausa or Fulani language besides English.

go to method of application »

Job Summary:

The Regenerative Agriculture Advisor (RAA) will work under the supervision of the Project Manager (PM) in Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger States to upskill maize, sorghum and soybean farmers through extension agents on regenerative agriculture. S/he will also provide technical support to facilitate change of behavior of farmers from conventional agriculture to regenerative and climate-smart agriculture. In addition, s/he will gather market intelligence, monitor performance and provide guidance to clusters of aggregators and manage partners 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 the project.

Program Overview:

TechnoServe’s Future Farming Nigeria Project (FuFaN)  aims to develop an inclusive, sustainable, scalable, and adaptable regenerative agriculture solution to make smallholder farmers (SHFs) and local SMEs (aggregators) 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 30,000  SHFs directly as beneficiaries of the program. Importantly, FuFaN will sustain and scale up the successful elements of the regenerative agriculture pilot of the recently-concluded Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains in Nigeria (DIGVCN) project.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Project Inception Phase

• With the support of the PM, take the lead on aggregator readiness, farmer identification and farm mapping.
• Support the delivery of gender-integrated activities to ensure gender targets are met.
• Support the Project Manager and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) specialist in developing the project work plan, MEL package and tools.
• Support rapid assessment and baseline evaluation activities.
• Support SMEs/Aggregators with identification and recruitment of extension agents (EAs) in the assigned communities.

Project Implementation Phase

• Oversee the Extension agents (EAs) and ensure that their capacity is deepened through train-the-trainer sessions and technical hand holding.
• Take ownership of the upskilling process and behavioral change campaign activities via the learning center.
• Support the project manager in developing training materials.
• Support the EAs during step-down training and monitor attendance according to the program guidelines.
• Take ownership of the learning centers and track farmer engagement activities.
• Work with the PM in identifying other partners that will provide complimentary services in programs.
• Assist the PM in identifying organizations that would like to offtake produce from the farmers.
• Facilitate all monitoring and evaluation activities, surveys and reporting as well as develop success stories and lessons learnt.
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Perform other duties in line with the evolving needs of the program.

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Agriculture, Agronomy, Human Nutrition, Food Science and Technology with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working with and supporting smallholder rice, maize, soybean and sorghum farmers. Alternatively, 4 years experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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.

Required Languages: Fluency in English and Hausa or Fulani  (written and spoken)

Travel: Local Travels

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated understanding in rice, maize, soybean, and sorghum value chains in Nigeria. A thorough understanding of maize and another value chain (maize, soybean, and/or sorghum) will be preferred.
• Ability to engage and advise a broad range of stakeholders, especially community leaders.
• Demonstrated experience in data collection and analyses, especially in the areas of agriculture and project key performance indicators.
• Demonstrated experience with digital and in-person training delivery mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing in English.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and train in the Hausa or Fulani language besides English.