Business Advisor- NORAD 165 views

1. About TechnoServe 

TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. A nonprofit organization operating in 29 countries, we work with hard working men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. By linking people to information, capital, and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. In East Africa, we operate in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.  Across the region, we implement a range of large-scale value chain interventions, agribusiness programs and entrepreneurship/economic empowerment projects. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

2. About the Project 

TechnoServe an ambitious, three-year project to catalyze the growth of Ethiopia’s export sector through efficient, inclusive, and regenerative market systems with Ethiopian small-scale farmers. Through sustainable, smallholder-sourced high-value exports, Ethiopian small-scale farmers will access higher income generating opportunities and lucrative, premium export markets, contributing to more resilient and improved farming livelihoods, particularly for women and youth. We envision a climate-resilient and inclusive horticulture export sector that strengthens partnerships between small-scale farmers and export enterprises, allows small-scale farmers to produce high-value export crops with access to climate-smart technology, and responds to end-market consumer demand for regeneratively grown products.

Position Description  

The Business Advisor will follow up a day-to-day implementation of NORAD project activities.  She/he will provide technical assistance to project sub grant/ enterprises, smallholder farmers and their institutions(coops). Support farmers on financial analysis. Provide technical assistance in organizing and engaging export/domestic crop producer farmers. She/he will advise /train farmers on export crop selection and production. Mentor farmers, Farmer Trainers(FT), and development agents in order to improve their capacity to analyze entrepreneurial and production options.  S/he will select, organize, and coach a successful export horticultural crop producer cooperatives. The Business Advisor will help establish connections with exporters (buyers), input providers, distributors, financial institutions, and other important market players, as well as assure continuing learning, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist smallholder farmers and private sectors on financial analysis records and preparing budgets.
• Support enterprises and farmers’ cooperatives evaluate and improving their horticultural product sales, marketing, and brandings.
• Coordinate smallholder/out grower farmers to produce high margin crops;
• Assist market analysist through collecting data on horticultural crop buyers and competitor behavior
• Organize smallholder farmers into out growers’ groups/cooperatives;
• Provide Agronomy and market technical support;
• Assist farmers with the identification of climate smart agricultural technologies and applications;
• Collect data related to smallholder farmers’ demos to support evidence-based horticultural seed registration,
• Assist smallholder irrigation farmer on on-farm water management
• In collaboration with Senior Business Advisor and Market Analyst, identify potential financial sources for out-grower smallholder farmers.
• Improve processes by high margin crop production and marketing operational changes
• Assist job creation activities, trainings and follow-up
• Provide guidance on market-oriented irrigation crop production, including postharvest management;

            Training and Coaching

• Train farmers, Farmer Trainers(FTs), Development Agents on knowledge gaps identified export crops production;
• Coach and give on-the-job support to small holder farmers to build their capacity around on climate smart agricultural technologies, and marketing
• Assist export oriented irrigation crop out-grower farmers to make choices on major irrigation crops to be cultivated and technologies applied;
• Assist preparation of crop calendar and follow up its implementation;
• Promote and support improved gender and youth mainstreaming;
• Assist in the design and execution of gender equality and equitable action
• Gather gender-disaggregated data from the implementation of production, marketing, coop members, and leadership

Facilitate relationships between market system actors

• Facilitate linkages with financial lending institutions
• Assist agriculture input supply chain plan and distribution chain linkages;
• Stakeholder Management

Under the guidance of the (Senior Business Advisor);

• Create a good working relationship with stakeholders;
• Holding meeting with respective stakeholders including enterprises and sub grantees;
• Meet out-grower farmers and DAs day to day and provide technical support

             Deliverables

• Improved capacity of commercial exporters & accelerated process for increasing sourcing from smallholder farmers, with a particular focus on women
• Provided all the necessary technical support to smallholder farmers that required high-touch support with farmers, and export enterprises in the intervention areas,
• Carry out ongoing market data collection and analysis;
• Participate on the production or translation of training materials into appropriate regional languages;
• Other deliverables as assigned by SBA

Work planning, Reporting and Learning

• Submit BA weekly work plan – details when will attend trainings
• Review FT weekly work plan with dates
• Collect weekly training plans and data from FT’s
• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities

• BSc Degree in: Agronomy, Horticulture/Crop Science, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics/Cooperative, Rural Development, Agricultural Extension, other related fields with minimum 3 years of experience.
• Experience on cooperative farmer organization,
• Willingness and ability to work according to a work plan and meet deadlines;
• Good communication in; English, Amharic, and one of SNNPR languages;
• Willingness and experience serving remote SNNPR woredas/kebele areas (Butajira);
• Knowledge on Gender.