Jobs 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.

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The Senior Dairy Productivity Specialist will work under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager. S/he will provide support and leadership to a team of Dairy Productivity Advisors to build herders’ capacities for a sustainable increase in quality and quantity of fresh milk. S/he will support the Senior Program Manager in developing plans and drive effective and efficient implementation.

Program Overview:

TechnoServe’s Building Precision Dairy Models 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

• Plan, organize, and coordinate enrollment of smallholder herders into the Danone backward integration in the dairy value chain.
• Work with the Gender and Youth Manager alongside the M&E to develop and periodically review gender key performance indicators for identified and enrolled herders.
• Develop a job description for local community trainers to support the dairy productivity advisors in identifying potential candidates in their assigned communities and support the operations team during recruitment.
• Develop a framework to support the dairy productivity advisors in coordinating the formation of self-help groups for training interventions, milk aggregation, and supply to Danone

Project Implementation Phase

• Develop scope of work for the Dairy Productivity Advisors with the understanding, compliance with, and promotion of TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy.
• Design and support the Dairy Productivity Advisors in coordinating the scaling up of the enrolment of herders into the Danone backward integration in the dairy value chain
• Work with the gender specialist alongside the M&E to develop and periodically review gender key performance indicators for identified and enrolled herders on the project.
• Develop a job description for local community trainers to support the Dairy Productivity Advisors in identifying potential candidates in their assigned communities and support the operations team during recruitment.
• Develop a framework to support the dairy productivity advisors in coordinating the formation of self-help groups for training interventions, milk aggregation, and supply to Danone
• Build the capacity of the Dairy Productivity Advisor to provide training to the Local Community Trainers on best practices for herders' dairy business.
• Provide leadership to the Dairy Productivity Advisor through adaptive management.
• Support the Milk Collection Centre Manager (MCC Manager) in addressing quality and quantity gaps identified at the Milk Collection Center (MCC) through the development of appropriate training schedules and content
• Lead conversations with financial institutions in resolving herders’ financial inclusion gaps for seamless business transactions with Danone.
• Lead conversations with high-quality and cost-effective input providers for herders to drive yields and profitability.
• Support the MCC manager and work in alignment to mobilize herders to supply Danone with high-quality quantities of milk at designated collection points.
• Work alongside the MCC manager in planning and organizing regular town hall meetings with herders to brief and address emerging issues in the supply chain.
• Provide support to the monitoring and evaluation team in conducting quality-related activities, surveys, and developing success stories and lessons learned.
• Support the Senior Program Manager. in weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual report writing for donor and internal consumption.
• Develop templates and processes to support the Dairy Productivity Advisor in coordinating the herders 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 Productivity 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 and Experiences:

• 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 relating 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 relating 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.
• Demonstrate understanding of the dairy value chain in Nigeria.

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.

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Job Summary:

The Senior Program Manager is responsible for leading the implementation of BuPreDMiN activities through the operationalization of the work plan. S/he will lead a team of staff to deliver the results in the log frame.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Implementation Phase

• Develop the Detailed Implementation plan, Log Frame, Work plan and other project management documents to ensure efficiency of implementation.
• Lead the implementation of BuPreDMiN activities through the operationalization of the work plan
• Oversee the implementation and rollout of the Milk Collection Centres in Oyo, Ogun and Osun states.
• Identifying existing commercial ranches and scaling them up.
• Identifying high-performing herders willing to invest in ranches.
• Attracting investment into different components of the project’s viable business models.
• With the MEL Manager, ensure high-quality data is being collected to demonstrate project impact and results
• Adapt project approaches and interventions, as needed, to reach targets and milestones
• Develop high-quality deliverables, including quarterly progress reports, that meet donor requirements and deadlines
• Identify and address implementation challenges
• Support the development of training materials
• Monitor the project budget to ensure a healthy burn rate and allowability of costs
• Serve as the primary liaison with public and private sector counterparts, including local government agencies, and other key stakeholders
• Prepare and provide a quarterly presentation to the donors on project progress
• Represent the project at external events
• Advise TechnoServe’s Program Development team on project proposals, as needed

Qualifications:

• A master’s degree or equivalent in 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.
• Within the years of experience, at least eight years should include relevant professional experience in international development.
• Within the years of experience, at least five years should include experience managing and implementing medium to large programs.
• Extensive experience managing large teams at a high level of leadership (e.g., Team Lead, Chief of Party, Program Director).
• Prior work experience or collaboration with private sector companies and businesses.

Preferred Qualification

• Experience leading large donor-funded projects is highly desirable.
• Experience working in Nigeria is preferred.
• Experience in successfully implementing programs that empower women and youth is a plus.

Required Languages: Fluency in English and Yoruba is required. Knowledge of Fulfude is a plus.

Travel: Local travel 40-50%

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Extensive project management skills, including strategic planning, stakeholder coordination, resource allocation, compliance monitoring, and performance tracking
• A good understanding of waste management, particularly the Nigerian plastic waste sector is desirable.
• Ability to build dairy businesses models for investors.
• Experience driving investment in dairy businesses would be an added advantage.
• 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.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of the livestock and dairy sector.