BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (BDO)

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

From the Guardian of 12th March
The International lnstitute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a member of a world-wide network of International Agricultural Research Centers. /ITA's research focuses on smallholder cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa. /ITA has a regional hub in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which co-ordinates the work of the Institute in East Africa. /ITA seek to recruit two positions under the project Putting Nitrogen to work for smallholder farmers in Africa (N2 Africa) in Tanzania.
The BOO will be based at /ITA-Dar es Salaam Office with fieldwork travels to project sites in Mtwara, Southern Highlands, Lushoto, Kilimanjaro and Arusha
Responsibilities:
The purpose of the position is to provide overall leadership, support activities to identify opportunities for and stimulate business development by farming communities participating in the project along the value chains of priority grain legumes. The BOO will report to the N2Africa Country Coordinator. He or she will:
Establish strategic framework for sustainable agricultural input business development; Identify existing partnerships and initiatives in the agricultural input business sector ;Identify business opportunities and prospective and potential successful business alliances; Participate/establish platforms on legume crop value chains and establish business incubation partnerships; Collect and compile information on yield gap, use of input and farmers practices with respect to the targeted legume crops; Identify opportunities for fund raising and assist in applying for grants for business development and establishment; liaise with donor community on possible grant making for business incubation and development; Conduct and oversee advocacy for business development and promotional campaigns; Report to project management on developments and achievement in promoting business development; any other duties assigned by the Supervisor
Education requirements and experience: The successful candidate should have:
A Masters degree in Business Economics, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management~ Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Development Economics or any other related discipline.
At least 5 years' experience in agribusiness development
Core competences:
Must have both an extensive conceptual understanding of and demonstrated practical skills in facilitating multi-stakeholder platforms in the context of input-output markets
Must be a results orientated leader who can manage and satisfy multiple and at times conflicting organizational, partner and other stakeholder demands
Must have solid public relations skills and a strong team player Has good interpersonal and networking skills
Demonstrated success at developing strategic plans, partnerships and effective partnerships in the development and agricultural sectors.
Good communication skills

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

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.O. Box 34441,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania