TechnoServe : International Cotton Advisor, Tanzania

General Information

TechnoServe is an international business development organization whose mission is to solve poverty. Our approach is based on hiring high-performing people who share our vision of private sector solutions that create long-term transformation in people’s lives. We believe in hard work, creativity, and leveraging the dynamism of talented people. We are committed to innovation, learning, and results. Our global team is drawn from world-class industry and management consulting firms. We are working in over 20 countries in Africa, Latin America and India.

Our program in Tanzania is currently works in 5 agricultural value chains – coffee, cocoa, cotton, horticulture, and grains – as well as provides direct advisory services to food processing companies. One of the largest country programs in the TechnoServe network, TechnoServe Tanzania’s annual revenue is currently about $7 million and we have a staff of over 60 people. We are viewed as a leader in agribusiness development by major international donors and the private sector.

We have been working in the cotton industry since 2008 when we piloted contract farming in Mara Region. Currently, we have nearly 40,000 farmers under contract with 7 ginners. The goal for the 2011-12 harvest season is to get all 400,000 cotton farmers under contract with 30 ginners. The project is a collaborative effort with the Tanzania Gatsby Trust, the Tanzania Cotton Board, the Ministry of Agriculture, Golder Associates and Ukiriguru Agricultural Research Institute.

Primary Purpose

To provide strategic advice on TechnoServe Tanzania’s cotton program, ensure excellence in program implementation through the 2011-12 season, and support the field teams to meet or exceed program goals.

Major Responsibilities

• Project Management (60%)
  1. Advise TechnoServe Tanzania’s field operations and ensure quality execution in the cotton program
     
  2. Ensure that all cotton program deliverables are on time, within budget, and meet or exceed program targets and TechnoServe’s standard of quality
     
  3. Support the team to develop and manage comprehensive budgets, logical frameworks, and works plans for successful delivery of results
     
  4. Ensure sufficient resources are mobilized (e.g. financial, human, and information) in a timely way to deliver results
     
  5. Build the capacity of the cotton team to achieve excellence in program implementation through targeted training
     
  6. Design proprietary and innovative tools and initiatives to enhance performance and service delivery to clients
     
  7. Support the Program Manager to monitor the expenditures of the cotton program and support the team to manage their budget
     
  8. Conduct quarterly cotton program reviews and propose modifications to strategy in response to changes in markets and enabling environments
     
  9. Support the team to prepare quality and timely reports to the donor and other stakeholders in accordance with our contractual obligations as well as TechnoServe procedures
     
  10. Develop and sustain trust-based relationships with clients
      
  11. Support the Country Director to manage relationships with relevant cotton stakeholders, including government, private sector, and NGOs
      
  12. Ensure the highest quality of services are provided to clients
      
  13. Demonstrate empathy, cultural understanding, and diplomacy while delivering clear, high-impact communications
      
  14. Ensure that strategic initiatives are aligned with the objectives of relevant industry stakeholders
      
  15. Represent TechnoServe Tanzania in public in a manner that upholds our solid reputation in the country
      
• Program monitoring & evaluation (30%)
  

Communicate effectively with senior management, including the Country Director and Regional Director, on performance against targets (operational and financial) as well as risks
Support the Program Manager to:

1. maintain accurate and up-to-date Core Indicators and PSRs for the cotton program
   
2. establish a robust and accurate program baseline at the start of the season
   
3. ensure the objectives and measures upon which the cotton program will be evaluated are clearly defined and understood by all team members
   
4. ensure appropriate processes / systems are in place in all field offices to track program data necessary for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
   
5. ensure data necessary to assess program performance against set objectives and measures are tracked in a systematical, timely and methodical manner
   
6. ensure program performance is evaluated and that obstacles restricting the ability to achieve set objectives are identified and communicated to the teams and senior management
   
7. ensure program data and reports are transmitted on a timely basis to the Country Director and the donor
   

Proactively raise issues of concern with the Country Director, Financial Controller, and other relevant internal stakeholders

• Administration (10%)
  1. Recruit and manage project consultants as required
     
  2. Work with team to prepare performance goals
     
  3. Contribute to performance evaluations in a timely and comprehensive manner
     

Professional Profile
Strive to add value for the processor, smallholder farmer and other industry stakeholders

1. Exhibit independent thinking and acts as a trusted third-party advisor (provides what the client needs not just what they ask for)
   
2. Demonstrate break-through thinking to help client improve value chain efficiency and profitability
   
3. Possess a sense of accountability for the success of the client and smallholder as a high-performing business / industry
   

• Inspire clients, smallholder farmers and other industry stakeholders to take action toward bold and large-scale transformation that benefits the rural poor
  1. Demonstrate full commitment to working with the client and smallholder farmers to eliminate rural poverty
     
  2. Deliver difficult messages with understanding and encouragement
     
  3. Listen and act with empathy
     
  4. Collaborate openly with client and TechnoServe team and proactively apply a broad range of TechnoServe and client capabilities to achieve impact
     
• Develop a deep knowledge of Techno
  

1. Serve’s work rather than only one narrow field. Potential areas of expertise are grouped by industries, developing businesses, developing industries and improving the enabling environmentDeveloping Businesses – Business needs and feasibility assessment, business planning, market linkages, capital raising, managerial and employee training, management consulting and technical advice, intensive operational support, farmer organization and support and world-class business mentor linkages
   
2. Developing industries – Market and industry research, industry strategic planning, supply chain organization, and industry association formation and support
   
3. Improving the Enabling Environment – Entrepreneurship development, policy analysis, advocacy support, and training
   

Requirements

1. A Master’s degree in business, economics, agricultural development, public policy or other relevant discipline
   
2. A minimum of 20 years of professional experience, and at least 10 years in the cotton industry in Africa
   
3. Strong private sector experience and entrepreneurial skills
   
4. Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English
   
5. Ability to develop well written, cohesive reports that are responsive to the donors’ needs
   
6. A valid driving license
   
7. Excellent problem solving and analytical skills; a self-starter
   
8. Strong interpersonal/people management skills
   
9. Strong passion for assisting clients in building profitable and sustainable businesses that benefit the rural poor
   
10. Strong financial analysis and management skills
    
11. Good working knowledge of country’s economic development
    
12. Willingness to travel internationally and domestically when necessary
    
13. Strong skills in business software (Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint)
    

Duration: July 2011 – Sept. 2012

Duty Station: Mwanza, Tanzania

Reports To: Country Director

To Apply: Please submit a; resume, cover letter, salary history, three references and the source by which you came to learn about this opportunity i.e. Economist, DevEx, Inside NGO, alumni networks etc., to:rdelem@tns.org . Place position title in the subject line. Please include all documents together. No phone calls please.

Apply By 01 October 2011