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.

Program Description:

Nespresso has launched its 2020-2030 strategy with the belief that great coffee can shape lives and landscapes for the better. Achieving this ambition requires Nespresso and its partners to further align the supply chain within the AAA program, drive greater traceability and transparency, and expand certification.

In order to help Nespresso fulfill its strategic goals mainly related to coffee quality and traceability, sustainability and organic certification, TechnoServe proposes a five-year training program that deepens the company’s existing partnerships with exporters and wet mills, expands Nespresso’s supply of high quality coffee in Ethiopia and aligns the incentives of important partners throughout the value chain. Under this “Phase 3” of the AAA Program in Ethiopia, TechnoServe will build on the success and learnings of the previous eight years while adding new innovations and sharpening the program’s focus to achieve the core objectives over the next five years:

Position Description:

As the Agronomy Advisor, you oversee the Farmer Trainers who work directly with the Nespresso program’s 8,800 coffee farmers. You will coach and supervise Farmer trainers to effectively deliver lessons plans, conduct farmer visits, and report data on attendance and adoption. You will report directly to the SAA while overseeing at least 7-10 FT is who provide monthly training on good Agronomy best practices and Nespress Academy plus to farmer groups. You will use and refine agronomy strategies that enable smallholder coffee farmers to increase their yields and quality.

Duties and responsibilities

 Planning and management of FT’s

• Submit AA weekly work plan – details when will attend trainings
• Review FT weekly work plan with dates
• Collect weekly training plans and data from FT’s
• Clearly communicate goals and roles and responsibilities to all staff
• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities related to performance  
• Management, following HR guidelines. 
• Notify SAA of any performance issues as soon as observed.
• Develop a team spirit among all reports.
• Submit Farmer Trainer of the month nominations for own reports.

Conduct monthly Agronomy trainings to FTs

• Model that month’s agronomy training to FTs at local training demo
• Supervise teach-backs and give feedback
• Ensure all training materials reach FT’s

 Observe FT’s delivering training at demo plot

• Observe full training to farmers
• Complete the training observation form and give feedback and coaching to FT
• Check attendance form, cross check with number of farmers seen as present. Ensure reported data is accurate.
• Check demo plot status, complete form and give feedback to FT

 Visit farmers

Pick farmers at random

Discuss training, farmer adoption and challenges

Complete Best Practice check list

Visit Demo plots

Meet with FF and discuss any challenges

Check demo plot status, complete form and give feedback to FT.

Attendance M & E

Collect, check for completion and submit complete set of FT’s attendance sheets to SAA within 1 week of training completion. 

Discuss any attendance issues with FT’s and SAA and develop action plan.

Compile weekly attendance update and submit to SAA

Prepare & check FTs expenses

Collect official voucher receipts for transport and accommodation

Submit these documents to the SAA in a timely fashion

Stakeholder Management

• Create a good working relationship with stakeholders. 
• Holding meeting with Agricultural Development and administration offices of the appropriate Wereda’s once every quarter.
• Meet with Kebele leaders and Cooperative to give progress report every quarter.
• Support FTs to mobilize farmers at the Kebele level. 

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy or Agricultural Science, Plant science, Crop sciences, and Horticulture etc/Masters preferred.
• At least 3 to 5 years’ professional experience – ideally private sector – in one or more of the following areas: coffee processing or agronomy, business or cooperative management, SME development, agriculture
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
• Willingness to spend significant time in rural areas
• In addition to local language, excellent English and Amharic oral & written presentation skills is an advantage in some locations
• Strong planning skills and experience working to strict time-guidelines
• Computer literacy, Business Acumen
• Knowledge of the area and the local language is advantageous
• Motorcycle driving ability and renewed license is a must

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:

• Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
• Donor/Partnership Management: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• 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.
• Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity. 

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should Click here to apply for this position and submit a cover letter resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by November 30, 2021. Applications will be reviewed and considered as received/on a rolling basis. Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be contacted. Please note that we are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated link.

For now, the duration of the position will be up to the end of 2022, with the possibility of an extension

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, DISABILITY, AND ALL OTHER PROTECTED CLASSES. 

TechnoServe has the right to cancel this advertisement. Women are highly encouraged to apply