Agriculture Program Manager

The Agriculture program manager will be responsible for the following activities:

• Manage the successful implementation of technical, financial, and administrative activities of NEI's agriculture program, including:

• Manage the network of all NEI-affiliated farmers, farmer representatives (Champions) and processing groups (women's groups), and strategically identify, register and contract additional new farmers and groups;
• Provide supervision and technical support to the field team of 3-4 agronomists to ensure the sustainable expansion of NEI's supply chain;
• Design and oversee the delivery of classroom training sessions for Champions and processing groups, including preparation of relevant education and training materials, including topics on good processing practices (GPPs), post-harvest handling (PHHs) and/or good agricultural practices (GAPs as identified in the "Cultivation Manual") for the various crops in the Company's supply chain (primarily vanilla planifolia, cocoa and dried fruits);
• Design and schedule GAP/GPP/PHH group trainings in the field (e.g., at demonstration sites), ensuring maximum training effectiveness and cost-efficiency;
• Maintain regular communications with field staff to stay current on program activities; facilitate communications between Management and field staff; and proactively identify and troubleshoot problems;
• Ensure that NEI's agronomists are regularly communicating with farmers via telephone and SMS, both to promote GAPs and to keep them abreast of company activities (e.g., for procurement and relationship building);
• Track program expenditures against budget and obligated funds;
• Write donor specific reports;
• Work with General Manger to look for grant funding to support the agricultural supply chain program.

• Stay abreast of new technical developments and best practices and serve as a technical resource for crops and technologies related to NEI's existing and future products.
• Support field agronomists on existing tools and leading the development of innovative, effective, country-appropriate approaches and best practices;
• Identify training needs:
  • For farmers, by monitoring activities related to vanilla husbandry (pollination, stimulation, harvesting, etc.), and for farm-specific conditions such as diseases, growth patterns, soil conditions, rain/irrigation patterns, etc.;
  • For processing groups, by monitoring the quality of raw materials procured and post-harvest processing activities (GPPs);
• Update any technical manuals required for supply chain operations (e.g., Cultivation Manual, Curing Manual, Drying Manual, etc.);
• Promote and evangelise the increase of area under vanilla cultivation, the increase in yields, and geographic expansion, in order to meet procurement targets;
• Keep detailed, up-to-date and well organised electronic and paper records (e.g., farmer database), field reports and contracts;
• Conduct, manage and be accountable for all procurement activities, including:
  • Promote, organise and coordinate collection centres to minimise the cost of procurement and reduce post-harvest waste;
  • Oversee the timing and quality of harvesting;
  • Direct procurement coordinator to procure raw materials from collection centres and other locations/organisations;
  • Maintain effective controls to mitigate procurement risks.
• Provide quarterly report versus agreed targets, monthly and weekly reports on trainings and procurement, and ad hoc reports as may be requested by the General Manager;
• Capture, distribute, and promote program best practices, lessons learned, success stories and impacts;
• Conduct any other activities as may be required to ensure NEI's success.

How to apply

Please contact us at hr@nei-ltd.com, including your CV and a brief message about your passion for agriculture and smallholder farmers.