I. 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. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.
II. Program Description:
TechnoServe is implementing the USAID-funded Alliance for Inclusive and Nutritious Food Processing (AINFP) regional program in collaboration with Partners in Food Solutions (PFS). The program leverages the power of the private sector to create better nutritional outcomes for base-of-the-pyramid consumers and more profitable market opportunities for local farmers. This is achieved by supporting local food processing companies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia through remote technical assistance and training from world-leading food processing companies under PFS to increase the availability of safe, affordable, and nutritious food.

III. Position Description:

The Country Program Manager will be overall responsible for leadership of the AINFP program, including country program strategy, quality, and impact. S/he will manage the staff and guide them to develop and implement appropriate strategies to optimize impact in line with donor priorities. S/he will represent the programs and the organization in Ethiopia to external stakeholders, particularly the donors, relevant
government ministries, and industry stakeholders to increase visibility and organizational reputation. S/he will represent the organization at stakeholder events, actively seeking to promote the work of the organization, and will seek alliances to maximize opportunity and build upon relationships with other stakeholders in the business and food & nutrition ecosystems, to multiply impact and deliver value for money. Additionally, the Country Program Manager will be responsible for program representation to internal
stakeholders including the Country Director, HR, Finance, and Procurement functions. S/he will be a member of the TNS Ethiopia Senior Management Team, participating in strategic decision-making for the overall country program. S/he will lead on ensuring that the program generates learning on how the program model can most effectively transform food systems in Ethiopia and build resiliency across the food value chain.

IV. Key Roles & Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Management and Representation 

• Cultivate and maintain strong relations with key external stakeholders including donors, government, industry bodies, growth sector firms, and other development actors working in this space. 

•  Maintain good relations with the USAID mission team, ensuring timely delivery of contractual obligations and responsiveness to any issues raised.

• Ensure regular communication with all program partners, and challenges (if any) are timely addressed.

•  Participate in regular calls/meetings with program partners to ensure mutual understanding and alignment.

• Represent the programs and TechnoServe at relevant country-level fora and coordination meetings, ensuring a high level of awareness of the programs and their achievements

•  Builds the reputation of the program through sharing of evidence-based impact and participation in key stakeholder events

•  Build trust and confidence in TechnoServe as a key player in support of growth sectors, food and nutrition systems

•  Regular meetings with the Country Director to inform her/him of program progress, align with country objectives, administrative and compliance requirements and to receive support and assistance from the local office as required. 

•  Coordination in-country with Finance, HR, and Procurement functions as required to ensure smooth implementation of the program.

•  Ensures clear and effective communication with all internal program stakeholders including clients and PFS

Program Strategy, Quality, and Impact

•  Develops, presents, and implements the strategic vision, annual goals, and     objectives for the programs in line with the overall strategy and objectives

•  Strategically selects areas of work, partnerships, and methodologies that contribute to the effective delivery of a high-impact portfolio

•  Takes ownership and accountability for improved quality, impact, and effectiveness

Program Coordination & Sector Leadership

•  Ensures high-quality management of the program portfolio, overseeing the timely and impactful implementation of AINFP within the program resources and delivering agreed outcomes

•  In coordination with the Chief of Party and regional team, develop annual work plans

•  Overall accountable for the delivery of program outputs and objectives against targets

•  Proactively review, make recommendations, and report on programmatic activities to deliver the agreed plans and contribute to the success of the broader programs/portfolio

•  Hold regular coordination meetings with the implementation team and partners to ensure implementation is on track and to course correct as necessary

•  Identification of new opportunities for synergy with other programs, within TechnoServe and beyond, to further the aims of the program and grow our impact in these sectors

•  Ensure strict compliance with TechnoServe and USAID regulations, policies, and procedures

•  Coordinates with Capacity Building Team, M&E Manager, Budget & Finance Analyst and other country team members to ensure learning across the team

Technical Leadership

• Lead the process of client recruitment for AINFP program in Ethiopia

•  Ensure onboarding of high-quality clients in line with the program result areas

•  Ensure that high-quality project charters, other forms of technical assistance, and interventions of AINFP contribute to program outcomes

• Ensure that AINFP has a strong knowledge base of the food processing sector in Ethiopia

• Support the Business and Market Linkages Specialist; the Grant and Access to Finance Specialist and the Senior Food Processing Specialists in managing the technical components of the project towards achieving project results

•  Ensure documentation of program performance based on TechnoServe’s corporate program quality management standards and AINFP-specific documentation requirements

Budgeting & Financial Management

• Review program expenditures on a monthly basis to identify and explain any budget variances

• Coordinate with the Finance and Budget Analyst in timely tracking of country expenditures, budget management, and forecasting

• Ensure direct expenditure in accordance with approved budgets

• Ensure that the country team is complying with financial procedures, including timely reporting on expenses and use of correct task codes

•  Led teams in annual work-planning and budgeting Monitoring and Evaluation

•  Ensure preparation and timely submission of high-quality monthly program update reports for sharing with the Deputy Chief of Party, M&E Manager and PFS.

• Ensure preparation of good quality quarterly Program Status Report (PSR) and participation in calls to discuss.

•  Ensure timely preparation and submission of good quality semi-annual and annual reports to donors in coordination with M&E Manager

•  Ensure timely collection, analyses and reporting of program data in coordination with M&E Managers, including success stories, case studies and outcome harvest reportsKnowledge Management & Learning

•  Learning from within the program, TechnoServe practice areas, and from other programs ensure the application of best practice across the portfolio

•  Support the teams to critically analyze their work and to adopt business advisory approaches to respond and adapt proactively to clients’ needs

•  Ensure high standard of program performance based on TechnoServe’s corporate program quality management standards and specific program/donor requirements

• Contribute proactively to learning and constant improvement at a program, country and regional level

•  Active participation on regional team meetings and program reviews, sharing learnings, challenges faced and solutions identified

Staff Management & Talent Development

•  Direct line and performance management of the senior program staff, delegating responsibility as appropriate

• Team leadership and motivation, ensuring a cohesive and harmonious team

•  Establish a culture of excellence in which the team strives for constant learning and improvement, where success is celebrated, communication is open, and everyone’s contribution is valued

• Ensure that SMART goals are established for each of the staff and that these are reviewed on a regular basis

• Ensure team buy-in to the program strategy and workplans, with each team member clear on their specific responsibilities and accountability

• Provide coaching to the staff for professional and personal growth, encouraging learning opportunities

Gender Equality

• Ensure that program implementation adheres to TechnoServe’s Global and Country specific gender policies

• Ensure that at least 40% of the program clients and participants are women and/or women-led enterprises

•  Ensure greater uptake of opportunities by female and male interns in the program

•  Advance gender equality within the team, with partners and target groups

• Build knowledge of how women and men can distinctly benefit from the program and seek for continuous improvement of methods to ensure that women and women in the targeted sectors can better benefit from the program

New Business Development

• Actively seek out opportunities for new programs or program expansion in the areas of food & nutrition systems, growth industries

• In collaboration with the CD and PD team develop an opportunity pipeline and nurture relationships to capture new funding Country-level strategic management

• Active participation in the TechnoServe Ethiopia Senior Management Team contributing to strategic discussions and decision making

• Leadership on specific tasks assigned from time to time by the Country Director/Deputy Country Director

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or Master's degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Food Engineering, Business, Economics, Agriculture, or other relevant disciplines.

• 10 years or 7 years of professional experience in a relevant area i.e. food science, business, economics, agriculture, development, and agricultural value chains respectively.

• Good knowledge and understanding of the business and/or technical challenges of agro-processing in Ethiopia

• Familiarity with USAID private sector engagement or Feed the Future

• Strong project management skills

• Significant experience in managing multiple and complex stakeholder relationships

• Strategic planning and innovation

• Basic knowledge of relevant topics an assets, such as food production and processing, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), finance for growing businesses, and food systems value chain development.

• Ability to work independently and diplomatically in a multicultural environment

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should Click here to apply and submit a cover letter resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by March 28, 2023. Applications will be reviewed and considered as received/on a rolling basis. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be contacted. Please note that we are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated link.  

TECHNOSERVE ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY AT 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, AGE, DISABILITY, AND ALL OTHER PROTECTED CLASSES. 

Women are highly encouraged to apply