The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:   Cluster Coordinator (3 Positions)

Organisation: Heifer International (Heifer)

Duty Station:  Busoga, Uganda

About US:

Heifer International (Heifer) is a non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger, poverty and saving the earth. HI works with resource limited families around the globe to become self-reliant. Since it begun in 1944, Heifer International has worked directly with 7 million families in more than 125 countries.

About Master Card Foundation Project:

Heifer Project International in Uganda is set to implement a 5-year project funded by the Master Card Foundation under its program the Young Africa Works. The project seeks to improve socio-economic wellbeing and resilience of young people in the Busoga sub-region by 2029. The project target is to reach 250,000 young people between 16-35 years (70% females and 3% youth with disabilities). The project will achieve this target by facilitating collaboration with like-minded partners to include The Consortium for Enhancing University responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD), The Federation for Small & Medium Enterprises (FSME), Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSDU) and ASIGMA group.

Job Summary:  The Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment Project-SAYE Cluster Coordinator will coordinate all components of the project at cluster level including MSMEs engagement and agri-hub development processes. They will be responsible for the overall management of the cluster including efficient management of financial resources. Serve as a point of contact within the cluster and strengthen synergies among all partners and government institutions.

S/he will be responsible for ensuring that project participants, self-help groups, youth groups and agri-hubs have the knowledge and skills to develop and run successful agri-business and non-agribusiness enterprises. Reporting to the Partnership & Project Technical Lead while working in close collaboration with the Business Development Specialist and Value Chain Specialist, the Cluster Coordinator will ensure successful, innovative, efficient, and effective functioning of all agri-hubs, youth and women groups. He/she will also work with cooperatives/hubs and or producer organisations in the SAYE Project to generate information for decision making, coordination and supervision of field technical staff in his/her cluster.

Essential Character Traits: Respect, accountability, Good stewardship, Credibility, excellence, analytical ability, Teachable, interpersonal skills and proactive, problem-solving, humility, flexibility, enthusiasm, dependability, creativity and team player.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Effectiveness (50%)   

• Lead the development of practical strategies to increase hub businesses, production and productivity within the respective value chains i.e.  poultry, swine, oilseeds, dairy and horticulture.
• Develop profitable and sustainable business models around the selected value chains, pitch to project participants and facilitate adoption.
• Implement plans to support Producer organizations to setup robust business, leadership extension systems and link producer organizations to input and service providers.
• Provide support in exploring non-agribusiness opportunities, identify participants and link them to SME’s for training and subsequently skills acquisition.
• With the guidance of the partnership manager, implement private sector engagement strategies.
• With the guidance of the Gender and Safeguarding specialist and Youth and Engagement specialist streamline gender and youth activities which promote production and productivity within the cluster.
• Support the development of model farms and put in place strategies to upscale adoption of productivity enhancement technologies.
• Facilitate the transition of SHGs into cooperatives and support in the registration process.
• Monitor performance of hub businesses and provide required support and ensure they are profitable.
• With the guidance of the Business development specialist, support youth groups/hubs to access affordable financial products.
• Productivity analysis & market assessments at the Cluster level conducted to ensure hubs have profitable businesses.
• 85% of the planned cluster level milestones achieved by the project.
• At least 10 agri-hubs and youth associations Supported in preparation of articles of incorporation, bye laws and facilitated to register.
• Hub board members trained in business development, private sector engagement, leadership, group dynamics and good corporate governance.
• Model farms established and operational.
• Financial institutions linked to hubs and youth groups to access loans and grants.

Management and Compliance    

• Track productivity and use of project inputs and services at cluster level.
• Manage the Cluster budget &resources and ensure these are used in compliance with approved guidelines.
• Accountable for ensuring that the project’s cluster level administrative, human resource and finance functions are timely, efficient and in compliance with Heifer’s global, area and country-level policies and procedures within the framework of local law.
• Ensure 100% compliance to the donor contractual obligations.
• Enhanced compliance and accountability in the management of project resources achieving 100% compliance.
• Ensure fund requests and accountabilities are submitted in time.

Project Reporting and Documentation (25%)   

• Compile regular monthly, quarterly and annual reports and ensure compliance with requirements in terms of quality and timeliness and ensure these are of the highest standards.
• Document project lessons learnt and experiences for dissemination and sharing to inform future project development.
• Create databases for the clusters.
• Lessons learnt from SAYE implementation documented and impact of the project interventions reported on quarterly basis.
• Document the project progress, lessons learned, success stories, good experiences and impact of the project interventions.
• Submit timely weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual and annual reports  through the Project Technical Lead.
• Maintain updated cluster data bases on youth membership, jobs/employments created, hub businesses among others.

Partnership and Engagement (20%)   

• Coordinate cluster team and external partnerships to bring best farm practice to the project.
• Represent SAYE in various district level stakeholder meetings, workshops, conferences and shared learning events.
• Coordinate the hubs and private sector engagement to enhance the hub businesses.
• Coordinate and build linkages and networks with the appropriate government Cooperative Office and other organizations, as required.
• Support the hubs to strengthen relationships with local partners working with youth in agribusiness to facilitate access to best farming practices and market linkages.
• Hubs proactively supported to develop their value chain businesses and to access markets and linkages to service providers.
• Conduct hubs and private sector business pitching fora µ enterprise fairs to promote and market hub businesses.
• Provide reports to the Project Technical Lead.

Others:

• May perform other duties as assigned (5 %)
• Performs other duties assigned by his/her supervisor or designee.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in the fields of agricultural economics, social sciences, agribusiness, Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Science or a related field, with five (5) years’ managerial experience in dairy production, dairy, poultry, oilseeds value chains management and three (3) experience working with the cooperative model.
• Preferred requirements
• Master’s degree in the fields of agricultural economics, Animal Science, social sciences, agribusiness, or a related field is required, plus five (5) years working experience in the agro-enterprise development (specifically dairy, oilseeds, poultry, and swine enterprises) and cooperative development.
• Proven experience in building the capacity of partner institutions, knowledge management, and measuring progress among others.
• Demonstrate experience in conducting business, investment analyses, and capital budgeting and sufficient evidence on how the results were used to develop potentially viable business ideas and subsequently tangible businesses.
• Experience in developing private-public partnerships, especially at the country level working in a matrix reporting environment.
• Demonstrate experience in project management including donor project budgets management.
• Knowledge of and experience in agro-enterprise and selected project value chains i.e., oilseeds, dairy, swine, poultry and horticulture.
• Familiar with the project target area and the social economic challenges.
• Knowledge of the non-profit sector and the context in which non-profit organizations operate.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the latest developments in advancing good/best practices in value chain development that reaches the youth and vulnerable.
• Demonstrated creativity, ability to think systematically, willingness and ability to incorporate innovative solutions and design catalytic activities within the selected value chains.
• Demonstrated experience in setting robust and sustainable extension systems for producer organizations. This requirement is in line with the need to have built-in exit strategies within the project as a measure of ensuring that there are self-sustaining businesses by project end.
• Proven team leadership, project management, motivational and supervisory skills with ability to train and work cooperatively with a diverse staff.
• Computer literacy including facility with word, excel and other relevant Microsoft office suite applications as well as any other databases.
• Proficient in communicating in English and local languages, oral and written.
• Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision.
• Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner.
• Produce and present reports in a well-designed and attractive format with superior attention to detail.
• Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues and the general public.
• Working in a multi-cultural setting and commitment to promoting teamwork, gender, equality and sensitivity to unemployment and poverty issues.
• Sensitivity to the needs and priorities of disadvantaged populations particularly women and persons with disabilities.
• Ability to work under pressure in response to changing needs and ability to work well in a team.
• Constant sitting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may work at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Sound judgment, professionalism and a positive attitude with the ability to demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity.
• Ability and willingness to work with a flexible schedule.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively locally.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested applicants should apply online at the link below

Click Here

Deadline: 26^th February 2024

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline

Related Jobs