Overview

Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) invites applications for a Field Project Manager/Business Consultant position for a development project in East Africa. MEDA is an association of compassionate women and men who invest in people living in poverty around the world so they can unleash their potential to earn a sustainable livelihood to provide for their families and enrich their communities. MEDA provides management, technical and consulting expertise to a wide range of clients, helping as many as possible by creating business solutions to poverty.  To find out more about MEDA, please visit our website at www.meda.org. 

Position Summary 

The Field Project Manager/Business Consultant ensures effective implementation of project strategies, adjusting course as needed based on interim performance, to achieve life-of-project performance targets. This position involves frequent travel to project locations within East Africa, particularly in Uganda and Tanzania. This is a full-time contract for the duration of the project, subject to continued donor funding. The estimated start date is May 2019.

Project Summary

RAPID is a 4-year project led by MEDA with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and developed and implemented in collaboration with partner and subgrantee Context Global Development (CGD), the international development arm of the international agribusiness consulting firm Context Network.  The project name “RAPID” is an acronym derived from elements of the project title: RTB (Roots, Tubers & Bananas) Accelerator for rapid Propagation Innovations and Distribution of seeds.

Regional Context: Banana remains the highest value staple crop for smallholder farmers in East Africa, particularly in Uganda and Tanzania; yet productivity remains extremely low due in large part to high levels of pests and diseases that are transmitted in the field and through the vegetative planting material.   

Project Goals: The ultimate goal of the new RAPID project is to get new and improved, higher yielding varieties of banana to farmers in Uganda and Tanzania. 

MEDA Approach: MEDA will focus efforts on tackling the bottleneck of early generation seed (EGS) production.   Specifically, this grant will provide matching capital and technical advisory services to up to 15 Small & Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) companies (such as tissue culture labs and nursery operators) that will commercialize new technologies and business models to dramatically increase productivity for distributing new banana varieties to farmers. Business consulting activities will also include a gender lens in the landscaping and design activities to ensure that companies’ business plans include gender considerations in a way that is targeted and appropriate for their business.

Responsibilities
 

Grant Management 

• Responsible for grant management for up to 15 SME sub-grantees including financial reporting, advance and expense reconciliation and ensure subgrantees meet project deliverables laid out in their business plans

Business Consulting

• Supplementing expert technical assistance provided to subgrantees by MEDA HQ staff and partners (such as Context Global Development) 

Relationship Management

• Managing successful relationships with the government, donor agencies, the business community, related donor-funded projects and other stakeholders as required
• Managing successful relationships with SME sub-grantees; ensuring positive relationships are maintained and project targets are achieved. 

Project Implementation and Coordination

• Ensuring daily management of the project and assuming full accountability of project results
• Responsible for day-to-day operational coordination of partner activities, expert technical assistance and grantee company convenings
• Ensuring project performance tracking
• Implementing security protocols
  

Project Financial Management

• Maintaining strict budgetary adherence and monitoring
• Ensuring review and timely submission of regular financial reports

Project Compliance

• Ensuring effective and efficient management of project's compliance with planning, monitoring, evaluation, performance and reporting
• Ensuring adherence to local legal requirements

Job Requirements

• Follow all Organizational Policies and Procedures
• Demonstration of MEDA Core Performance Values:  Respect, Collaboration, Entrepreneurship and Accountability
• Keep up to date on all required training
• Support effective Staff Management and supportive work environment

Qualifications

• A minimum of five to ten years of senior-level business experience in a related role (or similar private sector experience)
• Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or relevant Masters level degree 
• Experience with agribusiness, seed systems, international development, and/or economics are desirable
• Direct private sector experience is an asset
• Appreciation and support of MEDA’s faith, values, and goals
• Fluency (written and verbal) in English is required
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize stakeholders into partnerships and alliances, lead and facilitate collaborative processes
• Prior work experience in East Africa is preferred
• Understanding and appreciation of business principles, international development and MEDA’s approach of creating business solutions to poverty

* Application deadline is: April 1, 2019.

MEDA is an equal opportunity employer and accommodations are available during all phases of the recruitment process. We ask that any applicants requiring accommodation make their needs known in advance.