Latest Jobs at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)

Position Description

• Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Party, the Agribusiness Specialist will work with agricultural enterprises of all sizes along the rice, maize, soy, fish and cowpea value chains to increase agribusiness investment and access to finance. Leading the Agribusiness Unit, s/he will oversee the regional agribusiness offer and a team of six (6) State level Agribusiness Coordinators.
• The Agribusiness Specialist will work directly, and through the cadre of Agribusiness Coordinators, with large established agribusinesses (‘Lead Firms”) in the target value chains, in addition to their key regionally located suppliers, distributors, service providers, MSMEs, smallholder farmers, and other service providers within their value chains. 
• Serving as the Project’s main lead generation engine, the Agribusiness Specialist will help identify (i) the most critical legal and/or regulatory burdens constraining the partner firms’ growth and competitiveness, (ii) valid and justified access to finance requirements of the Lead Firms and their value chain partners (e.g. smallholder farmers, farmer associations, inputs dealers, aggregators, transport and storage firms), and (iii) potential agribusiness investment opportunities. 
• As a member of the Project’s Executive Team, this position will require close coordination with the other Project leaders such as the 3 Component Leaders, M&E Specialist, and Strategic Communications team.

Program Description

• The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on three interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations. In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
• Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas. As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new investment and $75 million in finance across the 5 crops in 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.  

Duties and Responsibilities

• Providing oversight to the field based agribusiness coordinators in Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger States to ensure a high level of regional interest and awareness of the Project, and subsequently a steady volume of high quality leads (e.g. potential agribusiness loans and investments) are generated;
• Organizing forums and meetings, including but not limited to Project launches, policy reform focus groups, and agribusiness lending stakeholder roundtables, with Nigerian government officials, business associations, business development service providers, investors, financial institutions, and SME’s at the Federal as well as State level;
• Ensuring that stakeholders and beneficiaries are aware of and interested in collaborating with the Project, resulting in the Project’s ability to capitalize on any shared efficiencies;
• Meeting with agribusinesses to develop a strong understanding of the legal, regulatory, and other barriers constraining agribusiness finance and investment in each crop/location, and in association with the Enabling Environment Policy Unit, actively contribute to the development of a clear and coherent vision for the reduction of these barriers to project leadership;
• Leading a team of six (6) agribusiness coordinators and one regional agribusiness officer that serve as the Project’s lead generation division for investment and financial transactions; and
• Backstopping and supporting other long- and short-term specialists.

Qualifications

• Relevant specialist post-graduate degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration or another related field;
• At least (10) years of relevant, progressively responsible experience is required;
• Proven track record in developing, analyzing, and implementing projects focused on agribusinesses, agricultural finance, and agricultural value chains;
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating private-sector investments and familiarity with the workings of government legal and regulatory frameworks at the National and State levels;
• Demonstrated experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, or Africa as a whole, is an advantage;
• Experience effectively managing and supporting a team of long- and short-term domestic and international specialists
• Able to maintain a rigorous focus on project deliverables, indicators and results, including being able to engage stakeholders to capitalize on any shared efficiencies; and
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is required, knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

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Position Description

• Reporting to the M&E Director, the MEL Specialist will support all Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities. S/he will be responsible for implementing M&E systems including indicator targeting, tracking and reporting according to USAID and CNFA standards, managing data collection systems, leading impact assessments, and contributing to a knowledge management and learning strategy.

Program Description

• The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on three interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations. In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
• Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas. As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new lending and $100 million in new investment across the 5 crops in the following 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.  The USAID/Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity is a 5-year year, $15 million-dollar project implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative.  The project’s goal is to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. Activities will encompass three broad but interrelated components. First, the Agribusiness Investment Activity will improve the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; second, the Activity will expand access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and third, the Activity will promote investment opportunities for agribusinesses to strengthen their readiness to expand and scale up their operations. Taken together, these efforts will increase the volume, added value, and diversification of agribusiness investments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation a MEL strategy (per the approved MEL Plan) outlining M&E systems for data collection, targeting and tracking custom and USAID/FTF indicators, knowledge management, impact assessments, learning activities and reporting in compliance with the requirements provided in the Activity contract, USAID regulations and CNFA standards;
• Support the M&E Director in working closely with other technical units in establishing and managing a GIS referencing, cloud-based MEL system and ensure data requirements are integrated into project management processes;
• Provide oversight to relevant project staff on data collection and analysis, and to ensure timely data collection, analyses, reporting, and completion of other M&E activities;
• Facilitate Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) strategies to support the use of data and information from the M&E system for real-time decision-making to improve project implementation;
• Regularly review monitoring data and help organize periodic learning days and annual learning summits with staff to help managers identify successes and make decisions about adapting activities and approaches to achieve results;
• Ensure compliance with all USAID, CNFA, and, if/where applicable, host country government reporting requirements;
• Complete other duties as necessary and assigned by M&E Director and/or Chief of Party.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience working on monitoring, evaluation and learning for donor funded projects; USAID experience is highly desirable;
• Master's degree required in relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and work experience in a relevant competency area, including Statistics, International Development, Economics or other;
• Experience using monitoring and evaluation systems with USAID-supported indicators, including Feed the Future and nutrition indicators;
• Willingness to collaborate, innovate and ability to think systematically;
• Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate with wide range of stakeholders both verbally and in writing;
• Proven experience in managing multiple and competing tasks while maintaining quality of deliverables within deadlines; and
• Strong communication skills and ability to present and write high quality technical reports in English.

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Position Description

• The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will work closely with and report to the Chief of Party (COP) to provide technical and managerial oversight for the Activity, including the development and implementation of the Project’s vision and strategy, annual work plans, and performance reporting. 
• S/he will also represent the Activity before a wide range of audiences at the Federal and State levels.  The DCOP will ensure all Project activities adhere to USAID technical guidance and align with global best practices.  The DCOP will also directly oversee the Agribusiness Specialist, responsible for the day to day operations of the Regional Agribusiness Officer and 6 State-based Agribusiness Coordinators, as well as all activities taking place outside Abuja. 
• The DCOP will also supervise the Director of Finance and Operations and be responsible for all Project sponsored events, working closely with the Project’s security, travel, procurement, human resources, and finance units.  
• As DCOP, this position will oversee the development of any subcontracts, long and short-term SOWs, MOUs, and in-country activities of domestic and international consultants.  The DCOP will also assist the COP in various technical, governmental, and USAID matters as requested.

Program Description

• The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on three interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations. In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
• Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas. As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new lending and $100 million in new investment across the 5 crops in the following 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.  The USAID/Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity is a 5-year year, $15 million-dollar project implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative.  The project’s goal is to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. Activities will encompass three broad but interrelated components. First, the Agribusiness Investment Activity will improve the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; second, the Activity will expand access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and third, the Activity will promote investment opportunities for agribusinesses to strengthen their readiness to expand and scale up their operations. Taken together, these efforts will increase the volume, added value, and diversification of agribusiness investments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Working closely with the Chief of Party to provide technical and managerial oversight for the Activity, including the development and implementation of the Project’s vision and strategy, technical direction, annual work plans, and performance reporting;
• Working closely with other senior managers to ensure that Project activities are of the highest ethical standard, adhere to USAID technical guidance, align with best practices, and directly contribute to the attainments of the Project’s contractual deliverables;
• Managing implementation and coordination of all activities taking place outside Abuja, including serving as the supervisor of the Agribusiness Specialist and his/her team;
• Supporting the COP and other senior managers in the development of papers, studies, and required reports and presentations, including but not limited to weekly updates, quarterly reports, annual work plans, annual reports, Project PowerPoints, and MEL-related documentation;
• Maintaining rigorous focus on the performance of the Project’s Finance and Operations team, through the Director of Finance and Operations, including the finance, human resources, security, IT, procurement, and travel divisions;  
• Managing the implementation and coordination of all events, technical forums, conferences, roundtables;
• Effectively backstopping and supporting long- and short-term project specialists;
• Ensuring that the Activity remains focused on achieving results;
• Representing the Activity and CNFA in meetings with private and public sector stakeholders as requested by the COP;
• Other duties as assigned on an ad hoc basis by the COP.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree, or higher, in Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration, Agriculture, or a related field
• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant, progressively responsible management experience;
• Demonstrated experience and a proven track record of implementing and/or managing activities focused on agricultural development
• A combination of technical familiarity and management skills that span the subject areas covered by the Activity; and in-depth experience in at least one of the major areas of project involvement (agricultural finance regulations, agricultural finance services, capacity building for agribusinesses)
• An in depth understanding of the public sector organizational and functional structure at the Federal and State levels
• A current professional network in the most relevant ministries and offices of Government at the Federal and State levels is an advantage
• Demonstrated experience effectively backstopping and supporting long- and short-term consultants;
• Demonstrated experience ensuring efficiency across a wide variety of project activities involving economic growth, private sector development, women and youth empowerment, upskilling, business linkages, and job creation; and
• Demonstrated experience maintaining rigorous focus on project indicators, results, and more generally supporting the M&E and communications functions.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is required, knowledge of local languages is an advantage