Agriculture Value Chain Lead

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified
applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race,
religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, status as a
protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual
with some form of especially abled.

FUNCTION:
The Agriculture Value Chain Lead (Manager) is responsible for successfully bringing
products and/or services through the phases of production to delivery to the final
consumers and disposal after use. S/he is accountable for horticulture value chain
management with a focus on improving business operations at the level of producers,
processors, and other actors in the chain and/or the (contractual) relationships among
them, flow of knowledge, and information and innovation. This position will also be
responsible for fostering overall coordination in the value chain; participation of
selected beneficiaries in local, national, or global value chains; reduction of entry
barriers and a higher share of value addition for certain actors.

RESPONSIBILIIES AND DELIVERABLES: (including approximate percentage
effort)
Inclusive agriculture value chain development (40%)
 Accelerate growth in the value chain of vegetable production and smallholder
farmer producers.
 Work with the country team to map the value chain including main actors, flow
of products, infrastructure facilities, financial institutions, and all supporting
organizations.
 Conduct value chain assessments to identify gaps and develop
recommendations on how to improve the selected value chains and maximize
impact.
 Support business plan development and analysis for vegetable SMEs and
agricultural cooperative (ACs).
 Provide technical support for the formation of cooperatives or producer groups
for vegetable-based inputs.
 Develop and deliver capacity development activities in the areas of agribusiness,
vegetable value chain and marketing development.
 Supervise and monitor the implementation of vegetable value chain activities
with a focus on improving crops, productivity processing and input-output
market enhancement.
 Conduct market assessments on vegetable production and markets.
 Support cooperatives to develop safe vegetable farming at a commercial scale.
 Deploy the Public Private Producer Partnership (4P) model to mobilize joint
ventures for vegetable producers and cooperatives.
 Work with AC committees to ensure agribusinesses are run with increased
revenues and profitability against the business plan and targets.
 Facilitate connections between vegetable producers to bring their products to
the collection center, then effectively linking to the markets/buyers.
 Lead in marketing and promoting farmers’ products.
 Coordinate and collaborate with partners including private enterprises,
community-based organizations and NGOs working in vegetable value chains
and cooperatives to leverage project resources, avoid duplication of efforts and
ensure complementarities.

Agriculture/horticulture production capacity building (60%)
 Develop the horticulture business model and vegetable prototypes based on
needs assessments and market demands.
 Design a training curriculum manual for vegetable farming including post-harvest
management.
 Provide TOTs on vegetable farming and post-harvest management to SHG/AC
focal persons and project partners.
 Initiate and develop the best practice option of climate smart agriculture for
replication.
 Lead in research development and develop options for improving horticulture
production.
 Ensure that products are well processed and appropriately packaged.
 Be accountable for water resource management.
 Be accountable for creating an enterprise enabling environment.
 Support cooperatives to build safe vegetable storage facility infrastructure, i.e.,
cleaning, grading, cold storage, etc.
 Scale-up safe vegetable producers to become MSMEs.
 Promote the use of solar technologies for the agriculture value chain.
 Increase smallholder farm productivity through the adaptation of innovative
technology and improved valued chain.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:
 Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in agriculture, business,
horticulture technical extension, international development, or a related field,
plus at least seven (7) years of related experience OR Master’s degree plus five
(5) years of related experience.
 Demonstrated experience in community mobilization, social capital
development, institutional development, capacity building, training, smallholder
farmers/rural SMEs/co-ops, and base of the pyramid consumers.
 Fluent in national language and English, spoken as well as written.
 Have an interest in animals/agriculture/community development.
 Skills with Microsoft Office package, internet browser, and other appropriate
technology.
 Ability to implement and maintain various capacity assessment tools for quality
and accountability assurance of cooperatives and agribusinesses.
 Working knowledge of sustainable livelihoods, value chain development and
market systems development.
 Exceptional communication skills with the ability to both help groups reach
agreements and to represent collective perspectives.
 Strong commitment to the shared leadership model.
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES:
 Demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity.
 Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule.
 Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision.
 Produce and present reports in a well-designed and attractive format with
superior attention to detail.
 Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner.
 Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues,
potential donors, and the public.
 Constant setting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may
work at a computer for extended periods of time.
 Willingness and ability to travel extensively, both locally and internationally