Vacancy title:
Agribusiness Officer

Jobs at:

Deadline of this Job:
05 March 2023  

Summary
Date Posted: Saturday, February 25, 2023 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Job purpose
The purpose of the job is to facilitate access to green economy opportunities (agriculture, eco-tourism, waste management) and enhance capacities of smallholder farmers, women and youth in marketing, financial inclusion and establish green businesses in Kigezi Region. The Agribusiness Officer will be responsible for ensuring high quality implementation, delivering and coordinating to build the resilience of smallholder farmers, women, and youth in the green economy around Lake Bunyonyi Sub Catchment.This also includes technical backstopping and other support to beneficiary individuals, producer organisations and associations and other stakeholders like local CBOs/NGOs, Local Government and private sector players, who are working with project beneficiaries.

Responsibilities and Activities
R1: Facilitate planning process and implementation of activity plans with project beneficiaries/ participants
1. Participate in the process of identification, selection and registration of project beneficiaries for various green businesses in line with the targeting criteria developed for the project and ensure the creation of upto date data base for all beneficiaries information.
2. Conduct needs and capacity assessment of various green business interest groups and based on the identified gaps, develop group based capacity improvement and training plan
3. Take lead in the training of youth and women livelihood groups on technical aspects of Village Saving and loans (VSLA) implementation, small scale business management and development and marketing and value addition
4. Take lead in mobilization and establishment of various youth and women green business groups in the proposed project locations
5. Take the lead in the development of green business
6. Guide the established youth and women green business groups in the development of their business plans based on the identified local market potentials and opportunities using appropriate tools and provide technical business management training relative to the implementation of each group enterprises.
7. Make follow-ups to review progress on the implementation of the activity and eco-business plans.
8. Prepare reports on group and/or community planning processes, activity implementation and project progress in accordance with the implementation plan.

R2: Liaison and linkage with government officials, local businesses, CBOs and other service providers within the project area.
1. Develop vital linkages between the established business groups and local microfinance institutions such as the Village Saving and Loans Associations and cooperatives to facilitate groups’ access to credit and loans to invest in their businesses and livelihoods development
2. Facilitate establishment and strengthening of vital market linkages between green business groups and other vital value chain actors in the project areas.
3. Promote linkages and cordial relationships with government officials, NGOs and eco-businesses within the Lake Bunyonyi Sub catchment.
4. Identify public and private sector service providers within the project area whose services and activities may be useful to the project beneficiaries.
5. Ensure technical support is provided in the implementation of eco-business
6. Coordinate with local communities, local government, and other projects in the identification and implementation of sustainable eco-business solutions in environmentally Lake Bunyonyi sub catchment
7. Support the PM in creating awareness on project activities and approaches to government officials, businesses and NGOs in the project area.
8. Perform any other assignment that may be given to you regarding linkages and liaison with other NGOs, private and the government sectors.

R3: Supporting institutional and business development for smallholder farmers and/or farmer groups
1. Support groups formation and organisational development processes, including registration and development of constitutions and/or group rules/regulations
2. Establish good relationships with local leaders, opinion leaders, and local government technical staff and private sector actors in the area.
3. Strengthen partnership with local private sectors and traders in implementation of green businesses/venture
4. Prepare and conduct eco-business profiling and capacity assessment to identify needs including training and other capacity needs.
5. Facilitate sustainable access to financial services and products for smallholder farmers and eco-business enterprises through a partnership with financial service providers and other financial institutions.
6. Support the effective roll-out of eco-business training to smallholder farmers and eco-business groups/enterprise
7. Link farmers to market players including input providers, post-harvest equipment, suppliers and market information providers and buyers.
8. Conduct continuous market screening and assessments (including identification of market actors, and eco-business agents) that have high potential to benefit the eco-business groups/ enterprises
9. Oversee the implementation of eco-businesses (including ecotourism and waste management)
10. Contribute to the planning and carrying out of exchange visits, conferences and business exhibitions on product marketing.

R4: Support the integration of nutrition, WASH and gender into the project activities
1. Sensitise communities on WASH and nutrition gender-related issues.
2. Identify and promote measures/approaches to enhance the integration of nutrition, wash and gender into project activities according to the project document.
3. Work with M&E Officer to ensure nutrition and gender concerns are manifested in the project M&E reports
4. Conduct any other duties assigned to you by your supervisor concerning the maximization of nutrition and gender integration in project activities.

R5: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
1. Support the implementation of the M&E plans
2. Facilitate learning, promote peer-to-peer learning between staff and partners, participate in relevant national networks and actively engage in organization-level focal groups.
3. Explore opportunities for positioning, innovation, upscaling and potential follow up projects

Key Relationships:
Internal
• Project Manager, Project Officers, technical Coordinators & other project staff
• Self Help Africa Uganda Country Programme Staff and administrative staff

External
• Farmer groups, youth and women groups, government departments, private enterprises, donors, Civil society organisations

Qualifications/Other Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree, Diploma or equivalent in Agribusiness, Agriculture and rural development, Food Security, Microfinance and business administration.
• Experience in participatory market system programming and value chain analysis/Development of different agricultural commodities
• Indepth understanding of project cycle management, with particular experience in participatory planning, implementation and results based monitoring of project activities.
• Familiar with the local context in the proposed location and can effectively navigate challenges in this location
• Understanding of key aspects of SHA development work; including food, nutrition, gender and livelihood security and other cross-cutting themes (e.g. youth, social inclusion, environment, HIV and AIDS);
• Skills in training and facilitation of community processes, including organization and mobilization of communities and networking among different development partners such as youth groups, community-based organisations, government officers and SHA staff;
• Ability to effectively use MS Office suite;
• High level of integrity and high standards of personal conduct;

Desirable
• Experience working in project geographical region
• Experience working with farmer groups and private sector actors.

Most Critical Proficiencies:
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work as part of team across different cultures.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and take initiative
• Ability to solve problems and take corrective action.



Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 36

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Please download the Application Form and fill it in. Qualified candidates should upload a completed application form, motivational letter and CV to the SHA Online Recruitment Portal. If you experience issues with the Recruitment Portal, please visit this link for assistance: https://bit.ly/SHA_TechSupport1 

Closing date is Sunday 5th March 2023 at 5pm EAT.

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.

All applicants are encouraged to read through the following safeguarding policies as you make your applications:

1. Code of Conduct
2. Conflict of Interest
3. Child Protection

Women applicants are highly encouraged; Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer
Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.

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