Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

FUNCTION

The Agribusiness Manager position contributes to the Heifer’s strategic priority of scaling up the impact of our work through the development of strong and sustainable farmer business organizations. Reporting to the Director of Programs the Agribusiness Manager will be responsible for ensuring that project participants, self-help groups, cooperatives, and associations have the knowledge and skills to develop and run successful enterprises and cooperatives. In close collaboration and coordination with the Project Coordinators, He/she will ensure the successful, innovative, efficient, and effective functioning of all enterprise hubs and cooperatives in the Rwanda Country Program through effective business planning, business training and developing private sector linkages in collaboration with other departments towards achieving the common goal.

ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS:

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Self-starter, innovative and entrepreneurial with strong self-management skills.

RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES

To be responsible for providing the strategic inputs into all the Country Programme Business Development Work ( 40%)

  • Review the Rwanda Country Programme Business Development work and within the first 6 months develop the strategic goals and outputs for the Programme in Business Development.
  • Annually update and track the progress towards the business goals and plans for Rwanda Value Chains Development program areas.
  • Coordinate and document all the economic analysis and value chain studies for the country projects for all the new and proposed projects.
  • Develop an appropriate training package for business training for the Country Programme that includes modules in business planning, business skills, strategic planning and entrepreneurship training modules for use by the Country Program in training producer organizations, farmer groups, and farmers.
  • Undertake with the support of the Training Manager a biannual review of the training materials and delivery processes to ensure the effectiveness of Heifer Rwanda Business training Programmes.
  • Develop and annually update a list of partnerships with business organizations, academic institutions and experts and trainers to be employed in the capacity building of partners, cooperatives and farmers.
  • Design and develop for each of Heifer Rwanda active and pipeline projects the models for business implementation and contribute to the establishment of functional market structures for all projects (Collection Centers, Processing Units, Chilling and Bulking Centers) as appropriate to the commodities the projects promote.
  • Support the operationalization and tracking of business and marketing plans for all active projects, producer organizations through joint planning, monitoring, and collaboration with the Training Manager, Animal Wellbeing Manager, and Project Managers.

To contribute to improved governance and management of farmer producer organizations and cooperatives (30%)

  • Facilitate and develop a coherent country program and process for engaging with self- help groups, clusters and pre-cooperative associations to develop strong farmer producer organizations.
  • Design, operationalize and annually review the capacity assessment process to be employed by the Country Programme in engaging groups, associations, and cooperatives.
  • Develop an institutional framework for cooperatives and cooperative associations and other apex entities with clear linkages with the individual cooperatives and SHGs
  • Design and develop a Capacity Building Programme to deliver governance, strategic planning, financial management, conflict management, and human resource management training to boards, management and staff for groups, associations and cooperatives in the Heifer Rwanda Country Programmes.
  • Monitor and provide a semi-annual tracking report of the growth and development in governance, management and overall development of all self-help groups, cooperatives, and associations in the Rwanda Country Projects.

Develop amongst groups, association, and cooperatives strong cooperative Values and Principles (20%)

  • Facilitate the development of a cooperative/producer association values and principles orientation kit that incorporates Heifer’s Cornerstones.
  • Develop linkages with the relevant government institutions to support the registration, training and compliance with cooperative and groups operation guideline for all Heifer Rwanda producer groups, cooperatives, and associations.
  • Support and guide all the cooperatives under the active projects to conduct quarterly PSRPs reinforcing values and tracking overall cooperative growth and development.

Collaboration towards a common goal (10%)

  • Work as an integral part of the Heifer Rwanda team in close coordination with the Project Managers, Training Manager and Animal Wellbeing Manager and the Programme Director to contribute to the achievement of Heifer Rwanda’s business goals.
  • Participate in the new project design and in the implementation of all Heifer Rwanda enterprise development related Training of Trainers activities.
  • Work in close coordination with the Project Coordinators and Animal Well-Being Manager on quality assurance and control for all livestock-based products for processing, packaging, marketing, and distribution.
  • Develop increased knowledge and understanding of Heifer International programs through participation in cross-learning and biannual co-mentoring activities to exchange experiences with other countries and programs on the issues of hunger and poverty

May perform other job-related duties as assigned/ requested (5%)

  • This will be dependent on the specific duties assigned

Minimum Requirements:

  • A Bachelor’s Degree in Agribusiness or Agricultural Economics with at least (5) years of proven experience in setting up and running an Agribusiness Enterprise(s), specifically, livestock enterprises and cooperative developments.
  • At least five (5) years’ experience in fields related to agro-enterprise development (specifically livestock enterprises) and cooperative development.

Preferred Requirements:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in the fields of Agriculture Economics, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Development or another related field, plus five (5) years in a mix of economic growth/trade, value chain competitiveness, investment promotion, or agriculture development.
  • Minimum of five (5) years’ management level work experience.
  • Significant experience in building public/private partnerships, preferably in the dairy sector.
  • Demonstrated experience in conducting business, investment analyses, and capital budgeting and sufficient evidence on how the results were used to develop potentially viable business ideas and subsequently tangible businesses.
  • Proven experience in building the capacity of partner institutions, manage knowledge, measure progress and plan and innovate within the dairy industry.
  • Demonstrated experience in project management including in donor project budgets management, proposal development and monitoring and evaluation.
  • Demonstrated project reporting and donor reporting experience.

Most Critical Proficiencies:

  • Knowledge of and experience in agro-enterprise, commodity value-chain, and cooperative development
  • Knowledge of and experience with or within community organizations
  • Knowledge of the non-profit sector and the context in which non-profit organizations operate
  • Fluent in Kinyarwanda and English, both spoken and written knowledge of French would be an added advantage.
  • Good leadership qualities
  • Good communication skills
  • Excellent organizational skills including strong attention to detail
  • Skills with Microsoft Office Suite, internet browser, and other appropriate technology.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands:

  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to individuals diplomatically and tactfully.
  • Ability to integrate financial services within a value chain with the view to foster trust and build a strong relationship between chain actors and financial service providers.
  • Proven interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to relate to individuals and groups
  • Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality
  • Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision
  • Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner, especially in high-pressure situations.
  • Demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity
  • Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues and the general public
  • Constant sitting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may work at a computer for extended periods of time
  • Ability and willingness to work with a flexible schedule
  • Willingness and ability to travel extensively, both locally and internationally
  • Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork, and cooperation
  • Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and to gender equity.

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