Private Sector Component Lead, Tanzania

Location: Tanzania

Travel: International up to 10%, Domestic up to 30%

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:

USAID/ Tanzania is planning a new, multi-year value chain strengthening program for Tanzania that seeks to increase the competitiveness and inclusiveness of the horticulture subsector, while improving the nutritional status of Tanzanians by:

1. Scaling improved technologies and practices that lead to the increased productivity of smallholders, including large numbers of women and youth, in targeted commodities;
2. Scaling market system models able to reach large numbers of direct and indirect beneficiaries, including vulnerable populations, while increasing trade for targeted commodities; and
3. Strengthening the overall capacity of the industry.

The program will employ a facilitative value chain approach, a market system approach to development which focuses on end market demand and identifies leverage points to catalyze the dissemination of innovative technologies, practices and market system models. Interventions will encourage the adoption and scaling of innovations at the firm and/or farmer level, innovative business models at the market system/value chain level, and a more broad-based distribution of benefits all along the chain, including at the level of the producer/ smallholder.

III. Position Description:

The Private Sector Component Lead will lead and manage the Program's relationship with private sector market actors, including input suppliers, aggregators, traders, processors, transporters, end buyers, financial institutions, and service providers of supporting markets. S/he will lead efforts to scale market models that lead to a more organized market system; strengthen the supporting markets needed to enable value chain actors to innovate and invest, including building the capacity of lead firms; and facilitate increased trade. In addition, s/he will work to strengthen commercial relationships between service providers and clients, while testing innovative new business models that foster both extending the reach of service provision to smallholders, as well as creating employment, particularly for women and youth.

Core responsibilities include identification and development of innovative business models that can scale outreach to smallholders and create employment – especially for women and youth – and deliver significant impact; management of the implementation of business model piloting and the scale-up of successful pilots; and the brokering of deals with lead firms and low-income ultimate beneficiaries.

S/he will forge partnerships with lead firms, help them analyze and address the opportunities and challenges they face in the market, and strengthen their internal operations and market strategies, with the aim of increasing growth and improving performance, while at the same time benefitting smallholder producers. S/he will also lead efforts to explore ways to develop industry food safety standards and increase domestic demand for horticultural products to expand market opportunities for smallholders, while also building awareness of the nutritional value and health benefits of these products. The Private Sector Component Lead will also lead and supervise a team of colleagues, coordinate project activities with our partners, manage technical inputs and identify strategies to effective execution of the project objectives. Additional, specific responsibilities are outlined below; position is contingent upon successful award of donor funding.

Build Sustainable Partnership with Local and International Organizations

• Responsible for developing systems and tools to methodically identify local and national partners in the various districts where the program is implemented
• Map partner's needs and capabilities, develop standards for vetting them and present value propositions (in accordance with the program framework) to the potential partners to secure their commitment to support the program
• Engage and work with lead firms in the horticulture market system
• Assist with policy advocacy training and event coordination.
• Together with the M&E team, design an appropriate framework for supervision and tracking of partner performance and compliance with the obligations under the partnership agreements signed
• Make regular visits to the partners to track their performance and provide regular updates/reports on their progress

Access to Finance

• Evaluate access to finance options and solutions (formal and informal)
• Engage with broad group of financial stakeholders that may engage with the project teams
• Analyze and communicate the benefits of horticulture to financial sector actors and educate commercial bank staff as needed
• Establish successful linkage of horticulture aggregation and service providers to finance institutions
• In order to build relationship with banks staff, facilitate promotion and outreach efforts, and actively advocate for timely approval of the loan applications
• Train male and female members of selected aggregation and services businesses in business plan, loan documents and loan application preparation
• Train financial institution staff in horticulture, loan application review, and improvements in head quarter and branch offices

Access to Markets

• Support negotiations where required with current or interested buyers or financiers
• Support program opportunity development, where required, in building business case surrounding Tanzanian horticulture for domestic and regional markets
• Support developing the business case for how to achieve sustainable, high quality horticulture, and how the costs of this can be embedded in the supply chain and scaled

IV. Required Skills & Experience:

• Holds a Masters degree or equivalent in Business, Finance, Economics, Agricultural Economics or other business related fields;
• 5+ years of experience in developing and implementing market systems and/or market-led value-chain interventions in agricultural / rural markets and/or in relevant support markets (e.g. inputs, transport, financial services, etc.) as well as basic understanding of production systems; horticulture sector experience strongly preferred;
• Understanding of Tanzanian agriculture and private sector challenges and opportunities; experience working in a sub-Saharan African context, with Tanzanian experience strongly preferred;
• Strong skills in quantitative analytics
• Experience working with agri-businesses;
• Demonstrated knowledge of business and ability to write a business case about an economic opportunity preferred;
• Proven experience engaging and equitably integrating women and/or youth strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated capability of effectively managing teams;
• Excellent communication and soft skills, including strong presentation, networking and facilitation skills.
• Highly desirable: experience and strong understanding related to climate smart agriculture, including addressing issues of climate change and resilience; gender mainstreaming/ women's economic empowerment; and/or rural access to finance;
• Fluent in English as well as in Kiswahili.

V. Application Instructions:

All applications should be informed that this opportunity is dependent upon successfully securing funding for this program. Qualified and interested applicants should submit a single Word-formatted document consisting of cover letter, resume and salary history to jobs@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. Applications will be considered as received. No phone calls please

Please also submit this Candidate Self-Identification Form. The form is voluntary but the information helps us to track our diversity goals. If a reasonable accommodation is needed for the recruitment process, please contact a member of our recruitment team at 202-785-4515 or jobs@tns.org.

TechnoServe encourages diversity in all levels and across all facets of our organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.