Managing Director Job at The Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD)

Job Title: Managing Director
Organisation: The
Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development
Limited (CURAD)
Reports to: The Board
Duty Station: Makerere
University Agricultural Research Institute at Kabanyolo, Uganda
About CURAD
The Consortium for enhancing
University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD) is a
public-private partnership initiative owned and promoted by Makerere
University; the National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises
(NUCAFE) Limited; the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO); the
University of Copenhagen (UC) and NIRAS International.
CURAD Vision: ‘To
be the leading generator of young agribusiness entrepreneurs creating wealth
and jobs in East Africa’. CURAD Mission Statement ‘To produce young innovative
and skilful agribusiness entrepreneurs through strategic partnerships that
support investment in agribusiness by fostering collaboration between
university, business and the research to create cultures and environment that
will value, encourage and enable innovation and produce graduates who are
problem solvers, decision makers and successful entrepreneurs”.
CURAD is funded by the Royal
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DANIDA) and is supported by the
Universities, Business & Research in Agricultural Innovation (UniBRAIN), an
initiative of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). CURAD is
the first agribusiness value chain incubator based at the Makerere University
Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo. Under this initiative, the coffee
value chain is the first value chain to be used as a pilot before CURAD can
diversify into other value chains. The key outputs of the incubator will be
mainly young skilled entrepreneurs of BSc and MSc Agriculture and Agribusiness
students, profitable SME enterprises started and commercialised technological
innovations shared and upscaled. The objective is to improve the efficiency of
marketing, to improve the quality of the product and to capture more value
added products in ways that will increase returns on investments and create
jobs.
Job Summary: CURAD is
looking for a person to take up the position of the Managing Director who will
be the Incubator Manager to manage CURAD in a business and professional manner.
He or She will have to manage the incubator on a self-sustainable mode and
achieve the set targets projected in its business plan.
Key Duties & Responsibilities:
  • Implement
    policies and strategies governing CURAD and delivery of services to
    clients as approved by the Board.
  • Manage
    the overall implementation of the approved business plan and workplan of
    CURAD.
  • In
    this connection, the Managing Director is responsible for ensuring
    efficient work distribution and coordination of tasks, effective linkages,
    and flow of communication lines and management information among different
    spans of controls and encouragement of cross-functional teamwork among
    staff.
  • Be
    the head of management and staff and day-to-day chief accounting officer
    and custodian on behalf of the Board.
  • Manage
    the operations of the incubator and provide business assistance to its
    clients while generating revenue for the incubator.
  • Manage
    delivery of services to clients and be a catalyst in strengthening the
    small-business start ups.
  • Developing
    business partnerships with consortium members and partners focused on
    access to research and technical expertise available to incubator clients.
  • Working
    with universities, business and research institutions in the consortium to
    design and deliver services that foster business startups from technology
    licensing, students, and faculty in the value chain activities of the
    incubator.
  • Develop
    and expand the membership of the consortium.
  • Market
    the services, facilities and activities of the incubator
  • Screen
    and recruit potential clients for the incubator.
  • Map
    and develop business relationship with various clients and stakeholders in
    the different agricultural value chains: farmers, logistic operators,
    market players, large scale processors.
  • Work
    with and support clients with leased and rented CURAD facilities in
    developing new value added products and market them through the incubator.
  • Proactively
    pursue increased support and funding from other development partners that
    can complement existing partners.
  • Coordinate
    with UniBRAIN facility to achieve the three outputs of the incubator
    business.
  • Develop
    Monitoring & Evaluation system in line with requirements of UniBRAIN and
    up date the UniBRAIN facilitated Management Information and Collaboration
    System (MICS).
  • Schedule
    regular networking receptions at the incubator.
  • Prepare
    monthly press releases on incubator activities and clients.
  • Publish
    an annual report with data on job creation, revenue generated etc.
  • Perform
    any other duties as assigned by the Board.
 Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
  • Education
    BSc in Agriculture or equivalent and Master of Business Administration or
    Masters degree in agribusiness or economics or finance.
  • 10
    years experience in agribusiness development in product marketing of which
    2-3 years on consultancy and/or experience in handling Fast Moving
    Consumer Goods (FMCG) sales.
  • Managing
    entrepreneurship and innovations development and/or Business consulting
    experience in agribusiness value chains.
  • Proven
    team leader, having negotiation skills and ability to interact with a
    multi disciplinary support environment.
  • Managing/developing
    training programs, event management and understanding the demands of the
    students, SMEs, farmer organizations and market.
  • Management
    of incubators or agribusiness parks as businesses facilitating business
    startups.
  • Experience
    and knowledge of agricultural value chain approach and marketing.
  • Excellent
    marketing skills.
  • Entrepreneurial
    skills, revenue generation and project management
  • Computer
    skills in MS Office package.
  • Good
    written and oral communication in English.
  • A
    positive attitude and passionate approach to the job will be very much appreciated.
  • Team-building
    and ability to work with multi-partnerships.
How to Apply:
NB: Only East African candidates
are preferred.  Applications should be addressed to the Chairman
of the CURAD Board accompanied with copies of academic transcripts and
certificates sent to postal address P.O.BOX 1509, Kampala Uganda or email: curad.curad@
gmail.com with a copy to skyamanywa@agric.mak.ac.ug.
Deadline: 27th May 2013 at 4.00pm East African standard
time.
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