Exciting Career Opportunity at TechnoServe
POSITION: Senior Business Advisor
Description
Everyone deserves the opportunity to create a better future. For more than 50 years, this simple principle has been central to TechnoServe’s work around the world. TechnoServe is a pioneer in using business and markets to generate long-term solutions to poverty.
The low-income neighborhoods where we work are full of enterprising individuals. Their small-scale farms and companies are critical to economic development. But they face other problems, including low literacy, limited access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics, and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. Many women and young people face even more severe obstacles. People all across the world are breaking free from poverty by working with TechnoServe professionals. The effects are amazing…as earnings rise and living conditions improve, families get access to health care and education that were previously unavailable. Communities and even countries benefit.
Job Summary:
TechnoServe seeks two Senior Business Advisors for the HAPPY Activity in Ghana, which will primarily focus on the chicken, soybean, tomato, and rice value chains.
The Senior Business Advisor will be in charge of the Inclusive Business Plans (IBPs) for all enterprises, as well as Sector Wide Training (SWT) for TechnoServe and consortium partner beneficiaries.
Program Overview:
Harnessing Agriculture Production and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) seeks to generate shared prosperity in Ghana by generating, sustaining, or upgrading dignified jobs while increasing agricultural production in the chicken, rice, soy, and tomato value chains. HAPPY will overcome production disparities in these four value chains by establishing resilient youth and women-led food systems. The initiative will use the power of young women and men to improve off-takers sourcing and business models, develop creative entrepreneurial enterprises, encourage the adoption of improved practices and inputs, and impact the enabling environment by making their voices heard. The end outcome will be a more affluent and inclusive agriculture sector that drives prosperity throughout the country.
Primary Functions and Responsibilities:
- Lead activities relating to the development and implementation of Inclusive Business Plans for program participants, including processors, aggregators, microenterprises, and other agric-SMEs. This includes managing the delivery of IBPs by Technoserve Fellows (strategic direction, process management, stakeholder management, commercial and technical quality control, and communication of the solution to key stakeholders) and effectively managing IBP operations (recruitment, timeline, budget, compliance).
- Conduct in-depth business assessments with the Value Chain Managers to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- Offer hands-on assistance in areas like as financial management, operations, marketing, and sales.
- Facilitate firms’ access to financing and investment possibilities.
- Lead the creation of inclusive business plans with smallholder farmers and other value chain operators.
- Ensure that business plans are aligned with the HAPPY program’s goals, with an emphasis on sustainability and inclusion.
- Develop and implement sector-wide training in partnership with Value Chain Managers and Microentrepreneur Business Advisors to address common difficulties faced by industry actors, to generate inclusive and long-term growth.
- Provide specialized training and consulting services to processors, aggregators, microenterprises, and other agri-SMES, including insights and advice on best practices for inclusion and sustainability in company operations.
- Facilitate communication between entrepreneurs and potential buyers, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders.
- Prepare and submit detailed reports on entrepreneurs’ development, highlighting success stories and areas for improvement.
- Ensure that all activities and support systems are gender-sensitive, and encourage the participation of young women in value chains.
- Facilitate workshops, meetings, and forums to promote information sharing and collaborative problem-solving among industry stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with partners, private sector entities, and stakeholders to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Basic Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of experience, or a Master’s degree in agriculture, business, a related field, or another applicable discipline with at least 3 years of experience.
- Proven experience with value chain development, market strategy, and project management.
- Proven stakeholder management skillset.
- Strong presentation skills and the ability to advise and coach senior corporate representatives on business capacity-building requirements and guidance.
- Demonstrated experience in leadership roles designing and leading development organizations, programs, or initiatives that need a combination of strong analytical, writing, social, and management abilities.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience in private sector development in Ghana.
- Experience working or collaborating with agricultural private sector enterprises.
- Effective project management skills.
- Required Languages: Excellent oral, writing, and interpersonal abilities, including fluency in English (equivalent to R4 or S4).
Travel: Up to 30% travel to field offices and project locations.
Knowledge, Skills, and Ability:
- Ability to work persuasively and diplomatically in a team-based workplace with a high level of uncertainty.
- Must be able to collaborate across teams to impact behavior and build capability.
- Experience with adult learning methodologies, and outstanding in-person and virtual facilitation skills.
- Detail-oriented, with great organizational, analytical, and quantitative skills.
- Able to anticipate demand, manage many tasks/projects, and meet tight deadlines.
- Strong computer abilities in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other administrative software.
- Entrepreneurial and innovative thinker with a strong focus on the private sector market
How to Apply for this Career Opportunity at TechnoServe
Closing Date: June 30, 2024
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