Latest Job Openings at Michigan State University - The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Contract Type: One-Year Renewable Contract

Program Summary  Ag Youth Lab will focus on major food shed areas in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States. The primary objective is to assist more than 10,000 unemployed, out-of-school, disadvantaged youth ages 18 to 24 to access higher-wage jobs or start their own businesses in high-potential horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, cassava or oilseeds sectors. The program will aim for equal representation of young men and women across its programs.

 Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide in-country financial leadership of the Ag Youth Lab Program.
• Monitor budgets and expenditures for the Nigeria Ag Youth Lab office and country partners.
• Ensure that adequate financial controls are in place to maintain proper accountability of expenditures.
• Ensure that financial transactions are properly authorized, recorded, have adequate supporting documentation, are maintained and can be easily extracted for the purpose of preparing financial statements and audits.
• Ensure that all procurement processes and expenditures of the project are in accordance with MSU and project guidelines.
• Prepare and submit timely and reliable financial documents and financial reports using the dedicated online project management system.
• Arrange for travel, hotel reservations and logistical support for project staff.
• Provide administrative and logistical support for organization of events, conferences, visits, etc.
• Prepare routine correspondence, memoranda and reports.
• Participate in phone meetings, periodically during early morning or evening hours to accommodate schedules of the global management team.
• Participate in training activities in order to learn and maintain best practices related to the position. Provide training to country partners.
• Other administrative/financial assignments as requested by the Country Coordinator or MSU Financial & Administrative Officer.

Education and Experience

• A Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business or equivalent is required.
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience in finance and administrative functions.
• Excellent analytical skills and demonstrated experience in preparation of financial reports and working with budgets.
• Effective verbal and written communications skills. Must be fluent in English.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate and work effectively with cross-cultural teams.
• Strong results orientation, demonstrated ability to balance multiple projects with a high level of accuracy and the ability to prioritize tasks and work independently.
• Excellent working knowledge of word processing, database, and spreadsheet software.
• Experience with donor-funded projects is desirable.

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Contract Type: One-Year Renewable Contract

Program Summary

• Ag Youth Lab will focus on major food shed areas in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States. The primary objective is to assist more than 10,000 unemployed, out-of-school, disadvantaged youth ages 18 to 24 to access higher-wage jobs or start their own businesses in high-potential horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, cassava or oilseeds sectors.
• The program will aim for equal representation of young men and women across its programs

Duties

• Serve as MSU Ag Youth Lab representative in Nigeria on behalf of the US-based Ag Youth Lab Director.
• Provide program leadership, coordinating Ag Youth Lab Nigeria-based training partners and managing program task flow and results.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the Ag Youth Lab E-platform by the Ag Youth Lab Nigeria-based IT partner.
• Develop partnerships with key private and public sector leaders and organizations related to youth employment and agribusiness, including non-profit organizations and educational institutions.
• Manage technical programs, human resources, and project funds in accordance with MSU and funding agency requirements.
• Manage the MSU project office and oversee financial/administrative and business liaison staff.
• Organize regular calls and meetings of country partners.
• Organize stakeholder meetings to gather input for Ag Youth Lab and share research and implementation results.
• Provide advice and strong support to the research, M&E, and associated data collection activities of visiting MSU faculty and students working with Ag Youth Lab. Advise and provide staff support for program development and logistics
• Drive the development and implementation of an overall project communication strategy for Nigeria, including a campaign to generate youth interest in agrifood employment and entrepreneurship, using print, broadcast and electronic media.

Education and Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in a business or agriculture-related field is required. A Master’s degree is an advantage.
• Three to five years of experience in project management. Experience with international donorfunded projects is a plus.
• Previous experience in the agribusiness sector is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Excellent knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet software.
• Three professional references should be provided with the application.

go to method of application »

Contract Type: One-Year Renewable Contract

Program Summary

• Ag Youth Lab will focus on major food shed areas in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States. The primary objective is to assist more than 10,000 unemployed, out-of-school, disadvantaged youth ages 18 to 24 to access higher-wage jobs or start their own businesses in high-potential horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, cassava or oilseeds sectors.
• The program will aim for equal representation of young men and women across its programs.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Working with the Ag Youth Lab Country Coordinator, lead the development of, maintain and grow a vibrant network of private company, financial institution and other public and non-profit program leaders who will contribute to Ag Youth Lab in various ways - including as mentors, expert resources for training, sources of employment, start-up capital for youth enterprises and buyers of their products.
• Work with Ag Youth Lab partner organizations to manage and monitor ongoing private sector and financial institution contributions to curriculum development, internship, and incubation placements.
• These include working with Ag Youth Lab partners and the gender expert to develop and oversee training for private sector and incubation hosts.
• Lead the identification of sources of startup capital for trainees from public, private and NGO sources, and work with Ag Youth Lab country partners to match them with viable trainee businesses and set up mentoring and oversight.
• Work with Nigeria-based IT partner to develop and implement online system for Ag Youth Lab trainees to access information about and respond to relevant employment opportunities in the agrifood sector.
• Work with the Country Coordinator to develop a communications strategy and campaign to attract youth to agrifood sector opportunities.
• Bear major responsibility for implementing the strategy and campaign, working with youth and private sec tor partners to Develop interviews, case studies, blogs, etc. which can be used on the Ag Youth Lab e-platform and in outreach to print, broadcast and electronic media outlets.
• The Private Sector and Financial Institution Liaison will be directly accountable to Country Coordinator, Ag Youth Lab Nigeria. S/he will provide written bi-weekly progress reports, and use program management software to track task completion on a weekly basis.

Education and Experience

• A Bachelor's Degree in a Business or Agriculture-related field is required.
• Three to five years of private sector or financial institution experience with responsibilities including business development, communications or public relations.
• Previous experience in the agribusiness sector desirable.
• Previous experience with communications and public affairs desirable.
• Must be a self-starter, with exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Three professional references should be provided with the application.