Program Manager - Kenya Connected Farmer Alliance (CFA)

Program Manager - Kenya Connected Farmer Alliance (CFA)

Reports to: Program Director 

Position Location: Nairobi, Kenya

I. TECHNOSERVE BACKGROUND:

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

TechnoServe is implementing a $10 million Global Development Alliance (GDA) funded by USAID and Africa’s leading Mobile Network Operator (MNO). The three-year Connected Farmer Alliance (CFA) will develop and launch business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) mobile solutions that will create market opportunities for smallholder farmers and improve return on investment for the agribusinesses that source from them, while unlocking new market opportunities for MNOs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

III. POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Within Kenya, the Program Manager will be the primary driver of all CFA activities.

IV. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Lead the launch of country-specific CFA program activities and ensure excellence in execution
• Drive delivery of all country-specific deliverables and country-specific targets, including those identified in the proposal
• Manage the country program budget to ensure spending rates are on target
• Maintain country work plan and ensure timely project implementation
• Provide coaching, direction, and leadership support to the program team to achieve results
• Oversee country program evaluation and assessment of results, and produce narrative reports for internal and external consumption
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with relevant stakeholders in Kenya, including local partners, government ministries, private sector companies, business associations, and civil society organizations
• Represent CFA and TNS at internal and external functions
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties
• Ensure country-specific program activities are implemented with sound managerial, technical, financial, human resource, and overall programmatic practices

2. MOBILE SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS FOR RURAL SMALLHOLDER FARMERS

• Drive the development of business requirements for the mobile solution, incorporating input from agribusiness partners and farmers and iterating with key stakeholders as necessary
• Drive the identification, selection and engagement of agribusiness partners in-country and sign to MOU's
• Establish and manage day-to-day relationships with Safaricom and Kenyan agribusiness partners during all phases of the program
• Lead for all Kenya marketing and customer acquisition activities
• Ensure successful execution of Kenyan ToT workshops to build the capacity of extension agents to effectively educate farmers on the use of the technology
• Ensure constant monitoring and evaluation of the program impact
• Manage VolCons in Kenya and provide guidance on feedback on agribusiness mapping exercise

3. MOBILE FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR RURAL SMALLHOLDER FARMERS

• Establish and manage day-to-day relationships with Safaricom and the Kenyan financial institutions during all phases of the program
• Drive the identification, selection and engagement of the financial institution partners in-country and sign to MOU's
• Provide input on solution design and development
• Lead for all Kenya marketing and customer acquisition activities
• Ensure constant monitoring and evaluation of the program impact

4. VAS BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR NEW SERVICES TO SMALLHOLDERS

• Backstop the Program Director in managing the day-to-day relationship with @iLabAfrica / @iBizAfrica
• Establish and manage day-to-day relationship with Safaricom, ensuring their involvement in business selection and support of the accelerator as a corporate sponsor due to their key contributing role to ICT incubation success.
• Design and drive activities to create visibility and stimulate applications for the Accelerator in Kenya
• Ensure constant monitoring and evaluation of the program impact

5. CAPACITY BUILDING AND GENDER INTEGRATION INTO OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND APPROACH

• Oversee the design and delivery of training to Kenyan clients on the use and management of relevant mobile solutions.
• Incorporate targets for women's participation into work plans and performance management plans for Kenya
• Actively participate in relevant gender workshops, conferences and working groups
• Support Kenyan team members in implementing all aspects of the program gender integration plan

6. LEARNING, M&E SYSTEM OPERATIONAL

• Act as the main in-country M&E officer for the CFA Kenya project and work closely with the Regional M&E on the design of M&E activities
• Oversee ongoing M&E reporting, baseline assessment, midterm evaluation and closeout impact assessment for Kenya
• Oversee organizing of events in Kenya to disseminate learning’s to private sector stakeholders on development and launch of commercially viable mobile solutions that benefit smallholders, including sex-differentiated understanding of adoption and use

7. ANY OTHER DUTIES THAT MIGHT BE ALLOCATED AS PER THE TERMS OF THIS CONTRACT

V. REQUIREMENTS:

• Degree qualifications in business-related studies required
• Strong project management and financial analysis skills
• Personnel management experience required
• Minimum of five years field and technical experience with agribusiness development and/or economic or financial analysis relating to the agricultural sector in Kenya is required
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills a must
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships
• Ability to identify and understand issues and opportunities, compare data from different sources to draw conclusions, use effective approaches for developing appropriate solutions, take action that is consistent with available facts and probable consequences, communicate with and seek guidance from regional program management team
• Ability to generate innovative solutions in work situations
• Proven ability and experience working with teams will be an added advantage
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili required

VI. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Qualified and interested applicants should submit a Word-formatted single document consisting of cover letter, resume and salary history to ke-recruit@tns.org. Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line.

Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be considered or contacted. No phone calls please.

TECHNOSERVE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER