Exciting Career Opportunity at AGRA

Role: Development Cooperation Officer – West africa
Job Code: DCO/WA/09/2023

Purpose of Role

• The creation Cooperation Officer – West Africa is in charge of assisting in the creation and implementation of AGRA’s overall resource mobilization strategy in West Africa.

Summary of Functions

The Development Cooperation Officer (DCO) will support the growth of AGRA’s funding partnerships by building a strong donor stewardship culture and a healthy funding pipeline to resource AGRA’s new five-year strategic plan for East and Southern Africa, in collaboration with the Head – Development Cooperation, the wider Development Cooperation (DC) team, and other divisional teams.
In collaboration with him/her, you will lead and organize the identification of resource mobilization possibilities to support the delivery of regional and country strategies.
Capturing donor intelligence, developing and presenting proposals to potential donors and partners, and advising teams on donor stewardship and compliance during implementation will all be part of this effort to maximize the delivery of strategic partnerships and shared mission.
The position will be situated in Accra, Ghana, and will provide assistance to AGRA West African countries such as Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Nigeria. As needed and requested by the Head of Development Cooperation, the post will also provide support to other AGRA target regions and countries.

Key Performance Indicators

Development and implementation of the West African resource mobilization plan, as well as assistance for the institution’s resource mobilization strategy and goals.
Identifying and cultivating strategic financing relationships at the national and regional levels to foster new business development and satisfy institutional fundraising goals.
Leading and organizing bid development that results in effective conversion rates in order to acquire substantial, consistent, and long-term donor support.
Ensure that appropriate cost recovery is built in to ensure financial sustainability.
In close collaboration with the DC HQ team, lead and supervise the delivery of all donor contract compliance needs for West Africa.
Assist the DC HQ team with overall institutional resource mobilization, donor stewardship, and contract compliance.
Strong ties with donors in West Africa must be maintained in order to maximize the value of collaborations and ensure a strong position for future reinvestment and/or supplemental contributions.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose – Adapt

Creates a resource mobilization strategy for the East and Southern Africa region with short, medium, and long-term KPIs for sustainable growth and flexibility.
Examines significant trends and accumulates information on individual donor policies and plans in relation to AGRA, with a focus on West Africa.
Increases AGRA’s current donor base by discovering and cultivating opportunities with bilateral, multilateral, philanthropic, and private sector partnerships, as well as transforming partnership opportunities into both funding and leverage to meet resource targets.
Develops and maintains a current awareness of AGRA’s initiatives and partners throughout the organization in all areas of operation, with a particular emphasis on West Africa.

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Engagement – Persuade

Gets and builds strategic partnerships with a group of national, regional, and private sector development partners and collaborators that AGRA in West Africa can work with to get the most out of its investments in changing agriculture.
Collaborates closely with AGRA’s Communication Unit and Strategy & Analytics Unit to create external fundraising materials and coordinate inputs for West African events and opportunities.
Advises senior management at the regional and country levels, including the Head of Development Cooperation, on strategic donor goals and alignment with the AGRA strategy in West Africa in a proactive and timely manner.
Provides donor compliance and AGRA requirements advice to teams, including timely and accurate donor reporting.
Represents AGRA at external forums and meetings as needed to position the organization with donors and partners crucial to the achievement of AGRA’s goal.

Delivery – Adapt the Project Cycle

Is familiar with AGRA’s strategy and knowledge management products in order to prepare the organization for successful resource mobilization.
Collaborates with teams to create concept notes, proposals, and budgets in order to fulfill institutional funding targets and deliver AGRA’s strategic plan in East and Southern Africa’s key countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia.
Manages and updates the CRM donor database for East and Southern Africa (as well as other regions as requested), which contains critical information such as donor policies, funding cycles, and so on, in order to strengthen AGRA’s institutional capacity to effectively position itself with potential donors and retain and upgrade current partners.
Arrange briefings, meetings, visits, and events with current and prospective funders, coordinate programming and logistical arrangements, draft reports, and establish follow-up action plans.
Creates and disseminates best practices and lessons learned in order to support AGRA’s institutional strengthening activities.
As needed, organize capacity-building sessions in resource mobilization activities.

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Model the IRISE Values & Be a Culture Carrier

Integrity: Upholding moral convictions and always doing what is right.
Respect: Recognize and value differences, as well as promote diversity and inclusiveness.
Innovation: Striving for perfection while also embracing constant improvement, daring innovation, and change.
Stewardship: Take responsibility for acts taken and resources entrusted to you.
Equity: Be guided by fairness in all endeavors.

Qualifications and Experience Required

Academic and professional credentials

A master’s degree in international development, agriculture, agricultural economics, public finance, public administration, rural development, social sciences, or a related discipline is required.

Required Capabilities/Skills

Strong awareness of the donor financing landscape and processes in East and Southern Africa; ability to deal with donors as well as manage and establish strategic donor relationships
The ability to work on performance-based fundraising targets
Results-oriented, accountable, proactive, and able to deal with a diverse range of stakeholders on behalf of AGRA.
The ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams
Excellent quantitative and analytical abilities.
The ability to interact effectively and professionally with individuals and groups of people.
The ability to translate program-based notions into real-world applications

Relevant Work Experience

Extensive expertise in international development, including resource mobilization and/or business development for UN agencies and multilateral organizations, big non-governmental organizations, or donor-aid programs
Fluency in English, both written and spoken, is necessary as the working language of AGRA and key partners in priority countries.
Proven track record of obtaining money from private-sector donors.
Knowledge of European bilateral and multilateral funders, as well as ties with them, will be advantageous.

Competencies

Results: Anticipates constraints, finds solutions, and takes charge of key situations. Goes above and beyond to meet company goals. Takes action to achieve these goals; tracks and quantifies progress; Aligns projects with company goals and understands how team and individual work affects external and internal stakeholders.
Knowledge Management and Sharing: Openly disseminates and shares knowledge and actively contributes to knowledge/network communities for topics relevant to expertise; builds networks for effective communication and exchange of knowledge and ideas and connects others to various knowledge sources; Encourages learning and innovation.
Accountability: Acts ethically, admits mistakes, and fulfills performance objectives; aggressively seeks answers. Maintains personal and team accountability; Identifies and addresses departmental weaknesses.
Diversity & Inclusion: Learns dispute resolution methods. Actively resolves issues rather than avoiding them; Actively seeks context and does not assume; He attempts to comprehend and adapt to varied ways when dealing with them. Treats individuals as they want to be treated; adapts to the needs of diverse people.
Adaptability: Changes behavior to fit new circumstances; seeks advice.
Teamwork: Good relationships with coworkers and partners; good communication at all levels. Understands and appreciates team goals and individual and group responsibilities; Unasked, goes above and beyond, and takes a ‘hands-on’ approach to team goals; Coordinating efforts with the team to meet priorities and deadlines.

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Appointment Terms

Fixed Term of 3 Years (Renewal will be considered based on AGRA’s needs, available resources, and performance.)

Accra is the location.

How to Apply for this Career Opportunity at AGRA

If you believe you are the perfect candidate for this post, please send your application along with a complete CV (containing your e-mail address and phone number) to: recruit@agra.org. Please provide the job reference number in the subject line of your email.)

Closing Date: The deadline is November 6, 2023.

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Exciting Career Opportunity at AGRA