Summary
Date Posted: Friday, February 04, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Gorta was formed in 1965 by the Irish government in response to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s call for countries to support long term agricultural and economic development in the world’s poorest regions. Today the Gorta Group is a group of innovative organisations driving sustainable economic and social change across Africa.
Comprising Self Help Africa, Partner Africa and TruTrade, the Gorta Group combines expertise in market-based solutions to poverty and rural development; climate change mitigation and resilience; trade facilitation and farmer and worker rights; underpinned by an inclusive ethos that specifically targets women and youth.
Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international NGO, dedicated to taking a business-like approach to reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Headquartered in Ireland, with offices in the UK, the US and seven African countries, SHA focuses on agriculture and agribusiness as the engine of growth in Africa. Our approach is collaborative and market-based: although we see our primary clients as smallholder farmers in Africa, we work with all participants in agricultural value chains. With over 250 staff worldwide, and a global turnover of over €20m, SHA currently runs programmes on behalf of a range of organisations including the European Union, Irish Aid, the World Food Programme, Danida and the UK Department for International Development. SHA has an ambitious growth strategy to increase its global footprint and expand into new areas.
Self Help Africa has a long established and growing office in Uganda, with approximately 40 full-time staff running development and humanitarian projects that encompass enterprise development and climate resilience programming with smallholder farmers. The Uganda programme has a strong focus on supporting market access and enterprise development among refugee and host populations, natural resource management & green economy approaches and climate change adaptation across the country.

Job Purpose:
The Business Development Manager will provide technical support in enterprise development to all SHA projects in eastern and Northeastern region. As project lead person, he shall ensure compliance to donor funding guidelines, support capacity building of the local partners and farmers groups and produce periodic (weekly, monthly and annual as appropriate) plans and reports for different stakeholders as appropriate.
As enterprise technical lead, he shall support farmers to develop business plans to market their products, apply market system approaches to improve the competitiveness of agricultural producers to respond to new and expanding market opportunities. He shall enhance SHA Uganda’s ability to deliver high impact market and enterprise development programming including: assisting farmer groups in on-farm and off-farm business development; value chain development; developing innovative financial inclusion models and approaches.

Key Relationships
R1: Project Leadership, Management & Development
• Lead, manage relationships and motivate the project team, partners and relevant stakeholders
• Support in recruitment & selection of partner project staff according to SHA HR guidelines and procurement procedures
• Plan and assign deliverables and activities to all relevant stakeholders, review their progress and address deviations in terms of timelines and quality, based on agreed outputs and budgets
• Prepare and submit monthly and quarterly narrative reports to the PM with key points of analysis
• Support beneficiaries understanding of the value for money concept and the 3 E’s (Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness)
• Document methods, good adaptation practices, experiences and results from the communities and partners for replication and future programming
• Develop strategies for strengthening adoption of knowledge and skills acquired by the partners to ensure implementation of projects and enhance effectiveness
• Provide regular feedback to the partners/farmers and PM on project activities
R2: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
• In collaboration with the rest of the team ensure participatory development of monitoring and evaluation templates, tools and compiling data on project progress
• Follow-up project implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the activities of the project
• Conduct M&E visits and reflection meetings with partners/farmers to gather information for reporting
• Act as the first point of contact with beneficiaries to ensure excellence in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) as it pertains to projects in line with institutional funders
• Support the implementing partners to build their capacities to apply participatory methods for monitoring their projects
• Manage the work plans and quality of partner project staff and steer their performance, in line with HR policy, and in consultation with the PM
• Ensure full synthesis, analysis and documentation and sharing of project insights, processes and outcomes within SHA Uganda and other SHA COs and key stakeholders
• Facilitate learning, promote peer-learning between staff and partners, participate in relevant national networks and actively engage in organisation level focal groups.
• Explore opportunities for positioning, innovation, upscaling and potential follow up projects
R3: Support the development of dynamic and inclusive SMEs that are aligned to Uganda Country enterprise development programmes
Specific tasks shall include:
• Leading value chain and/or market analysis studies intended to support project design and/or implementation of ongoing projects.
• Exploring and developing partnerships with public private sector actors to provide sustainable business models
• Facilitating market driven linkages between farmers, input/output dealers, and other value chain actors by establishing business relationships and facilitating deals (both formal and informal) which open new market channels for producers.
• Facilitating value chain and/or market analysis studies intended to support project design and/or implementation of ongoing projects.
• Providing technical backstopping for the SMEs through provision of business development services.
• Supporting FOs to analyse agribusiness trends in order to provide recommendations for business growth and problem solution.
• Keeping up-date with new knowledge and developments in inclusive businesses through on-line research and networking, and ensuring these development are understood and included in SHA Uganda’s work.
R4: Support institutional and enterprise development for smallholders famers, including off-farm and on-farm businesses
Specific tasks shall include:
• Map and lead surveys of farmer groups’ to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Contribute to the development and strengthening of farmers groups’ and improve their competitiveness
• Recommend for appropriate enterprise development training manuals and where necessary, customise them for in-house use by SHA Uganda staff.
• Conduct refresher and specialized trainings as needed with staff, partners and farmer groups and design necessary educational materials (manuals, handouts etc.).
• Conduct continuous market intelligence and assessments to inform programming including identification of sectors and value chains that have high potential to benefit the smallholder farmers
• Support institutional and enterprise development for smallholders farmers and Farmer Organisations (FOs).
• Work with project teams and farmer institutions to identify and advance opportunities to grow farmers institutions into fully registered viable cooperatives that are effectively serving the interest of their membership.
• Provide assistance in developing, harnessing and facilitating increased employment opportunities along the agriculture value chains.
R5: Facilitate access to financial services for smallholder farmers
Specific tasks shall include:
• Facilitate the adaptation and operationalisation of rural financial inclusive model e.g. Saving with a Productive Purpose (SWAPP), Gender Action Learning (GALs) and Savings and Loan Associations (SLA) financial services model being advanced by SHA Uganda.
• Monitoring and ensuring quality of VSLA services delivery to ensure it is accordance with adapted model;
• Lead research initiatives on pro-poor financial services products and facilitate access to an adaptation of new financial services products to the target communities.
• Facilitate access to financial services for smallholder farmers and SMEs.
• Explore and develop relationships with mainstream financial services (banks, SACCOs, MFIs, FINTECHs etc.) providers to improve access to mainstream services by smallholders.
R6: Network and Relationship building
• Initiate and manage cooperative and productive linkages with external partners and the donor(s) by ensuring a high level of SHA visibility and branding according to donor guidelines
• Support SHA partners to understand and practice ethical codes of conduct, that are in line with SHA’s own core values
• Initiate and oversee strategies for engagement of civil society in policy formulation at local, regional and national levels, and support the implementation of agreed policy engagement initiatives
• Identify opportunities and coordinate the implementation of mechanisms for greater engagement with all project stakeholders including government, civil society, private sector and beneficiaries, ensuring they are fully involved in planning and design, implementation, monitoring and reporting of project activities as appropriate
• Explore and implement mechanisms for the promotion of sharing of experience with other projects in the CO, as well as with other NGOs in the sectors, and this could include cross visits, lessons learned papers, etc.
• Participate in national or regional initiatives related to the project sector/theme and this could include planning and other action beyond the project level, and initiate collaboration in these areas with partners and other stakeholders, when appropriate.

Role Competencies
Internal
• Programme Manager & other project staff within Soroti
• SHA Uganda Country Programme Team and Administrative Staff
External
• Partner staff, farmer groups, youth and women groups, government departments, private enterprises, donors, Civil society organisations

Knowledge and Experience
Qualifications/Other
• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Enterprise Development or related field,
• At least 3 years of working experience NGO, private sector or government, at technical level across development programmes focusing on any of the following fields: enterprise development, value chain development, value addition, pro-poor financial services, business management or agri-business with strong private sector linkages,
• Experience and knowledge in the design and implementation of both on-farm and off-farm enterprise development projects for individuals and groups
• Working experience in agriculture, livestock, or the natural resources sectors, marketing with excellent analytical/problem-solving and research skills,
• Skills in training/facilitation of development processes including organisation and mobilization of communities, enterprise development and networking among different development partners,
• Strong skills in speaking and writing English with solid computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, power point and email.

Competencies
• Excellent communication skills
• Proven ability to produce results within tight deadlines in a very busy environment
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and take initiative
• Ability to solve problems and take corrective action.
• Commitment to international and humanitarian NGO codes, standards and practices,
• Ability to speak Ateso will be an added advantage
• Ability to ride a motor cycle

To download the job description, please visit our website: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/category/careers/

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 36

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Please visit our website for instructions for how to apply: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/category/careers/
Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.
Closing date is Friday 11th February 2022 at 5pm

Please note that Self Help Africa Uganda advocates for equal opportunity and does not require applicants to pay any fee at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.
Self Help Africa is committed to the highest possible standards of openness, transparency, and accountability in all its affairs and is completely against fraud, bribery, and corruption. All employees are bound by code of conduct, child protection and conflict of interest policies.
Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
Police vetting is required.

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