New Employment Opportunity at AGRA
ROLE: Lead, Soil Health & Integrated Management
AGRA is an organization that is run by Africans and works to make agricultural changes and food systems that are sustainable for everyone. We do this by giving the 33 million small-scale farming households on the continent the tools they need to turn farming from a struggle for survival into a profitable business.
Farmers on the continent face problems all the time, and we want to help them by coming up with solutions that are only possible in Africa. These solutions would help them with their farming and the environment, leading to bigger harvests, less hunger, and more money.
Working with the development priorities of the countries we focus on, we help farmers get access to improved and high-yielding seeds, learn how to farm in a sustainable way, and connect to markets where they can make money.
The Opportunity
Lead – Health of the Soil and Integrated Management
Role purpose
The Lead – Soil Health and Integrated Management is in charge of building national and regional capacity for operationalizing integrated soil fertility management, targeted fertilizer use, and broader soil health on the continent. This person is also in charge of integrating nutrient use efficiency and recycling thinking and approaches into AGRA’s strategy and country plans, as well as serving as AGRA’s technical lead in this area to shape potential investments and unlock soil health funds for farmers.
Summary of Role
Together with AGRA’s teams and partners, he or she will work at the farmer, system, and national levels to set up programs and policies that improve soil health and fertilizer innovations and increase farmers’ and systems’ ability to deal with a wide range of land degradation and food security issues in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), such as soil fertility decline, land degradation, and resilience.
Key Measures of Performance
The person in this position will be judged on their work based on how well they:
- AGRA’s country plans will be made better by putting ISFM, soil health, and resilience thinking into them.
- AGRA’s programs or African agriculture as a whole could get more money from USAID’s “space to place” program, the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, and other sources that put a high priority on soil health.
- Management of knowledge and leadership of thought in soil health
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Purpose – Adapt
- Integrates soil health and nutrient management into AGRA’s country operational plans across the continent to build resilient agricultural systems at all levels.
- AGRA looks at its strategy and M&E dashboard to see where it is making and where it isn’t making progress on outputs and outcomes related to soil health. This helps leaders decide on the next steps and new interventions.
- Develops and put into place policies that can help countries reach ISFM and soil health goals
- Encourages different institutions to help develop and implement new financing and soil health programs that will help make loans and crop insurance more affordable.
- Collaborates with and leads the development of soil fertility management technologies and practices that increase productivity and prepare small farmers for threats through research and capacity-building interventions for building resilience.
- Develops plans to get money for soil health, fertilizer systems, and integrated soil fertility management.
- At the continental level, expand and drive (through relevant parties) the increase of regional engagements to strengthen and complement the pan-African efforts of the AUC-NPCA (and RECs) by turning its vision and commitments into actionable country priorities.
Engagement – Persuade
- As a thought partner, gives advice to the country teams and other AGRA management on how to improve programming to improve soil health.
- Helps governments develop national agricultural plans, value chain analyses, and partnerships with the private sector by giving them advice on strategy, building their skills, and analyzing data.
- Promotes private sector engagement and increases public sector investments in resilient technologies, such as weather-based insurance, mechanization, etc., to reduce volatility in the agriculture sector caused by externalities.
- Also, Builds partnerships that are good for both sides and uses different networks between communities, civil society, research institutions, NGOs, technical agencies, the government, and the private sector to work on policy, research and development, analytics, funding, and other things.
- Lastly, Positions AGRA as a broker or agent between AU/NEPAD, RECs, and national governments, using AGRA’s influence to align regional and national political interests and investments in soil nutrients and soil health management.
Academic and Professional Qualifications
- A Master’s degree in soil science, natural resources management, agriculture, agricultural economics, or a related field.
- Having a relevant Doctorate degree will be a plus.
- Experience managing complex projects and a proven ability to make partnerships with a big impact.
- Working with similar organizations or institutions before will be a plus.
- Fluency in English is required, and being able to talk in French will be a plus.
Skills or abilities needed
- I know R&D and analytics houses well and have worked with them before.
- Strong understanding of small farmer soil health needs and the ability to interpret and act on them
- Analytical and good at finding patterns in data
- Strong ability to make things go up and down in a good way across cultures and countries.
- Proven ability as a leader to influence, develop, and give employees the tools they need to do their best work as a team
- A deep understanding of both the policies and structures of the government and the private sector
- Focused on results and details, with a hands-on style.
- Excellent skills in leadership, organization, solving problems, and making decisions.
- Smart and self-motivated, with good people skills and a strong work ethic.
Relevant Experience
- At least 10 years of experience working on soils, natural resource management, or sustainable intensification, mostly in Africa.
- At least three years of senior-level experience designing and implementing programs and/or policy and regulatory reform in a relevant sector
- Having experience leading resilience projects in a similar setting will be a plus.
How to Apply for this Employment Opportunity at AGRA
Closing Date: 27th August 2023
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