Processing Specialist 71 views

We are recruiting for an enthusiastic and organized results-oriented professional as part of the business advisory unit of a large-scale five-year program in Yirgacheffe. If you want to be a part of a project from its inception this is the opportune moment to join TechnoServe as we move to the next phase of impact within the Ethiopian coffee industry.

If you are an emotionally intelligent listener who puts your clients’ needs first, if you are enthusiastic about private sector driven impact, if you are a learner and a natural problem solver with an eye for detail, if you are passionate about coaching others to lead trainings that facilitate behavior change, and if you are a skillful communicator, then you may be exactly the person that we are looking for!

The role

As a Processing Specialist you will directly contribute to the Regrow Yirga program’s deep impact by training and providing tailored technical support to coffee processing stations and exporters. This is an exciting opportunity to support the roll out of new digital tools and approaches for processing clients to improve their internal management systems, operations, coffee quality, and revenue. You will report directly to the Business Program Manager.

The Project

The project will help farmers boost productivity and expand trade. Specifically, the Regrow Yirga program seeks to serve 42,000+ farmers, 45+ processing businesses, and coffee industry service providers. The project will launch an innovative Farmer Stumping Fund which will facilitate direct incentive (tools or cash) transfers to farmers to encourage tree rejuvination which has the potential to be scaled up to over 1 million coffee farmers nation-wide.

This USD 15 million project finds its roots in TechnoServe’s 10+ years of experience working with the coffee farmers in Ethiopia. Our work was recently honored as the “Origin Charity of the Year” by the National Coffee Association – the leading trade organization for the coffee industry in the United States.

What we Offer

We offer competitive salaries and career growth opportunities. We offer online learning resources from top universities. We provide regular training to all our staff to equip you with the coffee-specific technical know-how for you to excel. We provide autonomy in your job and freedom to bring in new ideas and initiatives. You get to be part of a stellar team and shape the project from its inception. You will be challenged and grow as a professional. We offer a diverse team environment and highly encourage women and underrepresented groups to apply. And of course… we serve great coffee and host regular fun team activities.

Our ideal candidate

1.    Has at least four years’ professional work experience, with a strong preference for work experience in the private sector in the fields of food processing, SME development, management consulting, project or business management, finance, or engineering. No prior coffee specific experience required (we provide world class training during onboarding).

2.    Has at least a Bachelor’s degree in the fields of Business, Economics, Supply chain management, Agricultural economics, Finance, Engineering. Another degree combined with more than 5 years or more of relevant experience working in or owning a private business can be considered in lieu of Bachelor’s degree.

3.    Demonstrates excellent soft skills such as communication, listening skills and client orientation, problem solving skills with an adept strategic orientation, strong planning skills, and a history of working independently and within agreed timelines

4.    Has excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Amharic (knowledge of Afan Oromo, Sidamigna, or Gedigna is an added advantage) with proven report writing and numerical analysis skills

5.    Is motivated to be located in the field and spend time traveling to project client sites in rural areas

6.    Is passionate about creating a positive impact and believes in the power of the private sector; experience working in the private sector highly preferable

7.    Embraces our values of collegiality (we stick our necks out for each other), integrity (doing the ‘right thing’ regardless), resourcefulness (solve problems) and results (bias for action)