The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title: Agronomy Advisor

Organisation: TechnoServe

Duty Station:  South West Uganda

Reports to: Senior Agronomy Advisor

Duration: 5 months with possible extension

 

About US:

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. With more than four decades of proven
results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

 

Program Description:

TechnoServe is implementing a four-year (2018-2021) coffee agronomy
training program that seeks to improve incomes for 30,000 coffee farming
households in Central and Western Uganda by increasing their coffee farm
productivity. This will be achieved by promoting improved coffee agronomic
practices at the farm level through a two-year structured and farm-based
training program based on the coffee growing cycle. The training is conducted
by locally recruited and trained Farmer Trainers (FTs) and delivered in three
different cohorts. It is expected that up to 60% of the target households will
adopt at least half of the coffee best practices, which will translate to at
least 50% increase in coffee yields. To validate the impact of the program on
yield increase and attribute the results to actions of the program, a
Randomized Control Trial (RCT) is conducted by external agencies. The Temporary
Agronomy Advisor function directly supervises the Farmer Trainers.

 

Job Summary:  The
Agronomy Advisor shall support the implementation of strategies that will
enable clients to achieve sustainable increases in coffee quality and yields.

 

Key Duties And Responsibilities: 

 Planning and management of
Farmer Trainers (FTs)

·       Supervise 7 to10
Farmer Trainers (FTs)

·       Prepare and submit weekly work plan and monthly training
schedules

·       Collect and
review weekly training plans and attendance data from FT’s. Ensurecompleteness, accuracy and clarify of data prior
to submission for processing

·       Clearly
communicate goals and roles and
responsibilities to Farmer Trainers

·       Provide
feedback, coaching and development activities related to performance

management

·       Develop a team
spirit among all reports

Conduct monthly Agronomy
trainings to FTs

·       Model monthly
agronomy training to FTs at
local training demonstration plots

·       Supervise
teach-backs and give feedback to Farmer Trainers

·       Prepare and
ensure all training materials reach FT’s in a timely manner.

 Observe FT’s delivering
training to farmers

·       Observe full
training delivered to farmers by assigned Farmer Trainers (FTs)

·       Check attendance
form, cross check with number of farmers seen as present. Ensure reported data is accurate, clear and
complete.

·       Complete
training observation assessment on tablet and give feedback and coaching to the FT.

·       Each FT must be
observed at least once a month, with a minimum of 9 observations in total per month.

Visit farmer fields and
demonstration plots

·       Visit randomly
selected farmers, discuss training, farmer adoption and challenges and complete best practice check list on
tablet

·       Meet with Focal
Farmer (FF), check demo plot status and discuss any challenges and innovations

·       Complete
demonstration plot assessment on tablet. Give feedback to FT on improvements required. A minimum of 10 demonstration
plot visits and assessments to be made each month.

 Attendance Monitoring

·       Support the FT
to develop strategies to encourage the attendance of women at training.

·       Collect, check
for completion and submit complete
set of FT’s attendance sheets to the M&E team within 1 week of training
completion.

·       Compile weekly
attendance update and discuss any attendance issues with FT’s and develop actions to solve problems.

 Prepare & check FTs
expenses

·       Collect official voucher receipts for transport and
accommodation and timely submit to Finance

 Stakeholder Management

·       Create a good
working relationship with stakeholders and manage quarterly update

·       meetings with local stakeholders including
district, sub-county, parish and village leaders

 Program representation and
expansion

·       Lead and manage
the expansion of the agronomy program into a new operational area including needs assessment, stakeholder
sensitization, farmer mobilization, group formation and recruitment of FTs.

·       Be a program
ambassador at the operational area

·       Provide
translation and contextualization services to high-level visitors

·       Spearhead
efforts in making the agronomy program more gender inclusive and conflict sensitive using local customs etc.

·       Provide support
to the Uganda country operations as required.

 

 

Qualifications, Skills And Experience:

·       The ideal
applicant must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness,
Horticulture or related agricultural sciences.

·       At least three
years’ professional experience –
ideally in the private sector – in one or more of the following areas:
agriculture, small and medium enterprise development, farmer associations or cooperatives,
project management, financing, engineering, community development.

·       Strong planning
abilities; prior experience
working to tight and strict deadlines

·       WILLINGNESS TO
SPEND SIGNIFICANT TIME IN RURAL AREAS.

·       Ability to lead
a team and work collaboratively within a team; prior experience managing direct
reports

·       Strong
interpersonal and cross-cultural
skills,

·       Experience
working with farmers is essential, Experience in riding motorcycles and a valid
riding permit

·        Experience working in the project location and
knowledge of Runyakitara are essential.

 

 

Success Factors:

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs)
directly related to successful performance on the job.

 

Core Competencies include:

·       Integrity and
honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents
truthful information in an
appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not
misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.

·       Team Work/
Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be
played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to
build and maintain effective relationships and networks.

·       Learning
attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively
identifies new areas for
learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.

·       Diversity/Inclusiveness:
Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts
effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures,
ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.

·       Communication:
Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens
effectively; shares information,
ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to
the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that
facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal
communication.

·       Decision
making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key
issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a
logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions
on a day-to day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound
judgement in escalating issues where necessary.

·       Results
Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to
achieve quality results
consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to
achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal
achievement.

Accomplishes
tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern
for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.

·       Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course
of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively
plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates
and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time)
to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s
goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.

·       Business Acumen:
The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall
business performance.

 

Job Specific/Technical
Competencies include:

·       Partnership/Donor
Management: program staff should understand and apply techniques to develop, maintain and manage business
relationships with clients, donors and internal or external partners in order
to implement and manage projects and/or identify new business.

·       Financial &
Resource Management: an important competency program staff must possess to enable them budget properly based on facts
and change course when necessary, knowledge of finance to develop and manage
budgets.

·       Innovative
Mindset: program staff should know how to ask questions and seeks out
information from multiple
sources, learn from mistakes, and see change as an opportunity.

·        Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience
in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in
business writing.

 

Managerial Competencies
include:

·       Emotional
Intelligence: Empathetic, understands attitudes, interests, needs of others;
predict others behavior.
Self-aware and keeps own emotions from interfering with work. Understanding both
the strengths and limitations of others.

·       Trust to Delegate: Appropriately allocates decision‐making authority
and/or task responsibility to
others; maximizes the organization’s and individual’s effectiveness.

·       Strategic
Thinking: Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent
with the long-term interests of
the organization in a global environment. Capitalizes on opportunities and manages
risks.

·       Staff
Development: Planning and supporting the development of individuals’ skills and
abilities so that they can
fulfill current or future job responsibilities more effectively.

·       Coaching/Feedback:
Recognizes and acknowledges strengths in others. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others develop knowledge
and skill areas to accomplish tasks or solve problems.

 

Career Pathways:

·       The position that might be next career
opportunities for employees in this job title include Senior Agronomy Advisor.

 

How to Apply:

 All suitably Qualified and
interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter in one single
Microsoft Word document to ug-jobs@tns.org

 

Note:

Please identify the position for which you
are applying in the subject line. Due to a high volume

of applicants, please understand that we are able to contact only those
who meet the minimum qualifications. No phone calls, please. TechnoServe
encourages diversity in all levels and across all facets of our organization.
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.

 

Deadline: 14th  February 2021 by 5 pm.

 

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