Summary
Date Posted: Monday, May 16, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
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 purpose of the position is to facilitate the establishment, nurturing and development of sustainable and profitable agri-enterprise by smallholder farmers and agri-businesses supported by Self Help Africa’s enterprise development programmes. The EDA will apply market system approaches to improve the competitiveness of agricultural producers and allied businesses to respond to new and expanding market opportunities.
The EDA will enhance SHA Uganda’s ability to deliver high impact market and enterprise development programming including: assisting farmer’s organisations, such as farmer groups and cooperatives in on-farm and off-farm business development; value chain development; developing innovative financial inclusion models and approaches; for relevant sector support conducting economic, and market assessment, participatory action research and market intelligence; brokerage and linking different stakeholders; and, networking with other organisations and companies promoting inclusive businesses. EDA is an integral member of the Program Management Unit and will contribute to strategic and technical direction and support business development processes within the country office. The EDA will also support the country programme in developing best practices in agri-enterprise by engaging with SHA HQ, SHA Regional Agri-Enterprise Advisor in Nairobi, and other SHA Enterprise Advisors across programme countries, managing the assigned project portfolio and supporting the proposal development.

Responsibilities
R1: Support project teams to identify and facilitate the development of dynamic and inclusive SMEs that are aligned to SHA Uganda Country Office (CO) 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
• Identifying SMEs with the potential to support businesses undertaken by smallholder, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and developing and implementing strategies to build on their strengths and address their weaknesses so they can grow their activities with smallholder
• Exploring and developing partnerships with private sector actors to provide sustainable business models that equally add up to the input and output marketing services to smallholder farmers.
• 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
• Providing technical backstopping for the SMEs through provision of business development services (BDS) and linking SMEs to BDS services providers.
• Build capacities of in-country project enterprise development officers to guarantee efficiency and effectiveness of FOs’ business capacity building and growth
• Identify relevant agribusiness platforms in the country and regionally to facilitate information sharing, participation and foster learning for SHA Uganda staff and partners.
• Recommend for appropriate enterprise development training manuals and where necessary, customize them for in-house use by SHA Uganda staff.
• Facilitate/advise in the formation of farmers cooperatives, strengthen governance & management structures and business management of the cooperatives
R2: Support institutional and enterprise development for smallholders famers and Farmer Organisations (FOs), helping them to grow their off-farm and on-farm businesses
Specific tasks shall include:
• Develop a database of FOs in all geographical areas where SHA works or intends to work, assessing and documenting their strengths and weaknesses.
• Support project teams to develop and implement strategies to strengthen FOs so they can improve their competitiveness
• 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
• Continuously source and share market intelligence and assessments to inform programming, and these shall include identification of sectors and value chains that have high potential to benefit the smallholder farmers
• Support SHA project teams and FOs to establish, operate or access market information services and opportunities that smallholders and SMEs require for their day-to-day business decisions Provide assistance in developing, harnessing and facilitating increased employment opportunities along the Agriculture value chains.
• Support FOs to analyse agribusiness trends in order to provide recommendations for business growth and problem solution.
R3: Facilitate access to financial services for smallholder farmers and SMEs
• Facilitate the adaptation and operationalisation of the Saving with a Productive Purpose (SWAPP) Savings and Loan Associations (SLA) financial services model being advanced by SHA
• Develop a database of institutions and individual VSLA services facilitators/providers, defining the range of their services and linking VSLAs supported by SHA to these services providers
• Lead the documentation and sharing of lessons learnt with the SWAP VSLA model in the country.
• Explore and develop relationships with mainstream financial services (banks, SACCOs, MFIs, FINTECHs etc.) providers to improve access to mainstream services by smallholders
• Undertake exploratory studies/analysis on a broad range of financial services products and their potential suitability for poor targeted by SHA’s work in the region.
• Explore and advance the adoption of appropriate financial services technologies in the delivery of financial services to smallholders and SMEs supported by SHA programmes across the country
• Monitor product adoption rates for new or modified financial services products in the region.
• Take lead promoting financial services innovations including digitalization of Village Savings and Loans Association, setting up of digitalized traceability systems for farmers among others.
R4: Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
Specific tasks shall include:
• With support from M&E Coordinator, ensure enterprises indicators related to SHA Results Based Framework are integrated in projects, tracked and annually reported on
• Document and disseminate case studies, best practices on market development activities and lessons on working with private sector for innovative services
• Conduct pilot studies and research relevant to the program and aimed at informing implementation and learning
• Work closely with M&E to collect, analyse, interpret and use data to improve program quality, build a body of evidence and inform advocacy in regional and country’s agribusiness space
• Initiate and manage relationships with national and international media houses and get them to publish articles on SHA’s work in Uganda
• 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
R5: Country office strategy processes and business development:
Specific tasks shall include:
• Actively participate in the development and implementation of SHA Uganda’s Country Strategy Plans (CSP) as a senior member of the Programme Team
• Support the Country Programme Team in business development through initiating and managing teaming partnerships with private sector actors, international and national NGOs, FOs and national and local governments
• Responsible for developing logical frameworks for all donor proposals, ensuring the logframes respond to SHA’s global and national strategic priorities and commitments to different stakeholders
• Support Head of Programme (HoP) and Country Director (CD) in proposal development in various ways e.g. undertaking field scoping missions, drawing up proposal development plans, writing Project Development Documents (PDD) donor budgeting, for new projects

Key relationships
Internal
• Head of Programmes, Project Managers, Advisors, Project Officers, Project Coordinators & other project staff
• Uganda Country finance and administrative staff
• Country Director and Regional Enterprise Advisor
External
• Country manager and field teams for Trutrade, identifying and developing joint programming opportunities
• Farmer groups, youth and women groups, government departments, private sector entities, donors, Civil society organisations
• Project implementation partners
• Stakeholders including government, other INGOs, research institutions, financial services providers, external auditors, donors, and private companies

Qualifications and Experience
• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree (preferably Master degree) in Business Administration, Agribusiness, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Enterprise Development or related field,
• At least 5 years of working experience in NGO, private sector or government, at technical level across development programmes focusing on any of the following fields: enterprise development, market system Development, private sector engagement, 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
• Experience with a wide range of stakeholder and partner management with national/regional companies; international agencies; community-based organizations; agribusinesses, etc. needed.
• Working experience in agriculture, livestock, or the natural resources sectors, marketing with excellent analytical/problem-solving and research skills,
• High level skills and experience in writing donor proposals and budgets,
• 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
• 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.
• Commitment to international and humanitarian NGO codes, standards and practices,

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
For more information, visit our website: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/category/careers-uganda/
You can download the Job Description and find details for how to apply.
Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.
Closing date is Friday 20th May 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.
Women applicants are highly encouraged; Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer
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 Jobs

QUICK ALERT SUBSCRIPTION