IITA-TZ2022-R4D-003-NRS- MOROGORO

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture(IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agricul­ture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit https://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has won a competitive two-year grant from IFAD- South-South Cooperation (SSTC) Facility to implement a project titled ‘Supporting the Recovery of Priority Food Crop Value Chains from the Effects of COVID19 to Strengthen Community Resilience, Markets, and Trade Development in Tanzania”. The project will operate in the Central Corridor and part of the Lake Zone and will provide technical input and support to the IFAD-funded Agriculture and Fisheries Development Programme (AFDP). The two-year grant will be implemented in collaboration with the Alliance Bioversity International -CIAT (ABC) and other partners in target regions along the Central Corridor and part of the Lake Zone.

The second project titled BASICS II (Building An Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed Systems), is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with a vision of developing and commercializing the cassava seed supply chain-from the pre-basic seed of officially released varieties to the farmers through a network of government-certified commercial cassava seed entrepreneurs located throughout the primary cassava growing regions of Tanzania.

It is a five-year project which has been operating in Nigeria since 2020 and now has been extended to Tanzania with effect from 2022.

IITA-Tanzania office is seeking to recruit a qualified person to fill the vacancy of the Business Development and Marketing Specialist (Project Coordinator) for the IITA-led IFAD-SSTCand BASIC-II projects’areas respectively.

Duty Station: This is a Nationally Recruited Position, and the incumbent will be based in Morogoro, Tanzania.

Purpose and Overall Objectives

The overall objective of the IFAD-SSTC funded project is to restore and increase the productivity and profitability of key food and oilseed crops and enhance market access for rural women and young farmers in Tanzania to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 and enhance resilience, and for BASICS II project is to provide farmers with access to affordable, quality-assured seeds of cassava varieties in demand by local food and processor markets through the establishment of a commercially viable seed value chain operating across breeder, foundation, and commercial seed levels. This value chain will enable more efficient dissemination and adoption of new varieties to improve productivity, raise incomes of cassava growers and seed entrepreneurs, enhance gender equity, and contribute to inclusive agricultural transformation in Nigeria and Tanzania.”

Scope of Work:

Linder IFAD -SSTC Project the Business Development and Marketing Specialist (Project Coordinator) will ensure the structured components are well coordinated by ensuring the boosted resilience of smallholder farmers through enhancing the productivity of cassava in drought-prone areas. Increased linkages between smallholder farmers and domestic and export markets in the cassava, beans, and sunflower value chains and manage the project, coordination of IITA-CIAT project activities, facilitate South-South collaboration, align the project activities with AFDP, gender integration, and M&E.

Subsequently, under the BASICS-II project, s/he will ensure Integration of Breeding and Seed System Activities, Development of Early Generation Seed Enterprises, Development of Commercial Seed Entrepreneurs, Development of the Processor-Associated Seed System Model, Quality Control and Disease Management and Catalysing Scaling and Replication through Partners. The coordinator will ensure the team’s approach to achieving these outcomes is a continuation and strengthening of the innovative approaches undertaken during the current phases of BASICS-I and BEST but enhanced with changes informed by lessons learned over the past 5 years.

Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and coordination of projects teams to ensure that project targets are achieved within the set timelines and corresponding budgets.
• Develop elaborate work plans for all actions and activities of the projects including preparation of planning, implementation, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation studies.
• For the IFAD-SSTC project, create efficient mechanisms for synergies and extensive sharing of knowledge between the project and the IFAD-funded Agriculture and Fisheries Development Programme (AFDP)
• Managing successful relationships with the government, donor agencies, the business community, related donor-funded projects, and other stakehold­ers as required
• Prepare the periodic financial and technical reports which include- quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports.
• Establish and strengthen productive partnerships with the public (district)and private sector partners to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing.
• Organize coordination-planning and review meetings with the project implementing partners
• Work closely with the MEL officer to develop a performance management plan for the projects and monitor the implementation processes to track milestones.
• Ensuring daily management of the projects and assuming full accountability of projects results.
• Responsible for day-to-day operational coordination of partner activities,
• Contribute to the publication of action research results and success stories.
• Ensuring effective and efficient management of project’s compliance with planning, monitoring, evaluation, performance, and reporting.
• Work closely with the projects Finance Administrator to ensure monitoring and strict budgetary adherence.
• Work closely with the projects Finance Administrator to review and ensure timely submission of regular financial reports
• Perform other activities as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification and Experience

The candidate should have a master’s degree relevant to general agriculture, agribusiness, and seed systems or its equivalent from a recognized university with experience in agricultural technology transfer, marketing, and management of partnerships.

A minimum of five years of senior level field experience in cassava productivity and seed business system

Core Competencies:

• Experience of at least 5 years as a project manager/ coordinator of large-scale agricultural development projects, in East Africa and Tanzania in particular.
• Having experience and a good understanding of production, markets, sustainable seed systems development, marketing challenges, and opportunities in Tanzania
• Demonstrated ability to integrate gender, youth, and private sector engagement issues into development projects
• Ability to work collegially and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment.
• Demonstrated communication, networking, computer, and organizational skills and ability to prepare high-quality reports.
• Proven experience with engaging with public and private sector stakeholders
• Experience in marketing and business development skills is an added advantage
• Demonstrated ability in stakeholder and partner engagement and policy dialogue with an emphasis on district engagement.
• Excellent leadership, interpersonal and team-building skills.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Excellent resource mobilization skills

General information:

The initial contract for the position is for two years: renewable subject to performance and availability of funds. The duty station for the position will be IITA in Morogoro. This is a nationally recruited position and IITA offers a competitive remuneration package.

Applications:

Applications including curriculum vitae, copies of certificates, telephone number, email address, and names and addresses of two referees should be sent to the Country Representative, IITA-Tanzania, Plot No. 25, Mwenge – Coca-Cola Road, Mikocheni Industrial Area P.0. Box 34441, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania or by email to IITA-Tanzania@cgiar.org

Applicants are requested to please indicate the reference number for the position as indicated on the heading of the announcement in your application as well as on the subject of your email if sending by email. If sending by post or hand delivery, please indicate the reference number on your application as well as on the left-hand side of your envelope. Please note that any applications without the reference indicated will be automatically disqualified.

The deadline for submitting the application is 07 April 2022.

Please note that only shortlisted candi­dates will be contacted.