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 specially-abled**.**
FUNCTION:
The Program Officer- Agriculture will lead Heifer’s project activities on connecting producer owned cooperatives and self-help groups with financial institutions. The Officer will work in collaboration and consultation with the Regional Program Office (RPO) and Country Program Office (CPO) teams. S/he will lead development and execution of the overall strategic vision, goal and objectives of the agriculture component of the project.
RESPONSIBILIIES AND DELIVERABLES**: (**including approximate percentage effort)
Support project partners in effective project implementation and achieving project objectives (25%):
- Assist project partners in social capital building.
- Assist project partners in staff selection, orientation and capacity building.
- Assist project partners in various trainings, farmer’s field trips and exchange visits.
- Assist project partners to develop/produce market-oriented quality products.
- Ensure that training is delivered following the training module and schedule.
- Ensure that project activities are completed on-time and on-budget as per the project implementation plan.
- Ensure that activities and trainings are supervised in field and follow-up instructions are given.
- Ensure that exponential POG and PSRP are completed following the schedule.
- Assist project partners to ensure that physical passing on of gifts and assets are tracked, quality is ensured, and achieved within the approved time period.
- Ensure that PMD Pro tools (project planning, designing, project charter, RACI, Issue Log, PIP, Gantt Chart, project closing) are used across the project.
Program monitoring, review and reporting (25%):
- Ensure that the partner meets Heifer’s monitoring and evaluation requirements and deadlines.
- Review project progress (physical and financial) with partner staff on a monthly basis and ensure that reports are submitted on schedule.
- Participate in ongoing partner activities on a regular basis for quality control and improvement.
- Ensure that the activity-based reforecasting is prepared following the participatory method with appropriate stakeholders (PMC, co-funder, etc.).
- Ensure documentation and sharing of best practices.
- Promote the PSRP process at all levels of the project.
- Assist in organizing field visits of the Heifer team and other stakeholders.
- Ensure that activity-based reforecasts and fund requests are reviewed and submitted to regional and country offices as per the schedule.
- Participate in all field trainings on a quarterly basis and regularly at the initial stage of the project.
- Ensure that baseline and GIM surveys are completed each year.
- Ensure that auditors are supported, and the audit is completed successfully.
Sustainable agriculture practices (25%):
- Provide leadership to the development, roll out and effective implementation of the agricultural extension model in the project.
- Establish and lead market research to continuously evaluate the business environment to refine the model.
- Lead execution of the extension model, including on-the-ground set-up of operations, developing relevant relations with ecosystem actors, and effective flow of products and services.
- Exercise oversight on the operations of the model, with a focus on quality and diversification of products and services, capacity building, and scale up in promoting sustainable agriculture systems.
- Develop entrepreneurs as per the objectives of the project.
- Focus on SRI practices and build skills of the farmers.
- Promote a model kitchen garden effective at the FPO/farmer level.
- Promote horticulture product businesses at the FPO/farmer level.
Reporting, documentation and liaising with line agencies (15%):
- Network with relevant line departments, KVKs, and state agriculture universities at village and block levels for leveraging resources.
- Prepare official documents, reports, periodic statements and MIS reports for each project and share them with relevant stakeholders.
- Create agri-business plans for the farmers, facilitate bank and market linkages.
- Support monitoring and evaluation of the effects and impacts of the project.
- Share Heifer’s model with stakeholders and build relationships with them.
- Support the partners in mobilization of the committed co-funding (Catalytic Leverage Funding).
Optimize agricultural practices in the project (10%):
- Develop a package of practices in consultation with State Agriculture Universities and KVKs and disseminate the same in the project area.
- Conduct crop modeling, soil mapping and weather modeling.
- Prepare and conduct advisory sessions and trainings for farmers, policy makers and other stakeholders.
- Analyze agricultural data and report on findings.
- Maintain records of agricultural yields and services.
- Analyze soil composition as it relates to plant growth.
- Be actively involved in practices related to waste matter, increased production and irrigation practices.
- Promote organic agriculture across the project area.
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:
- A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university in the fields of Agriculture Economics, Business Administration, Rural Development, Enterprise Development or other related field plus a minimum of five (5) years of field and technical experience with commercial sector, agribusiness development in a mix of economic growth/trade, value chain competitiveness, investment promotion, or agriculture development.
- Clear understanding of the goat, vegetable, agriproducts value chains.
- Knowledge of enterprise development and linkages to poverty alleviation.
- Strong consumer marketing, financial analysis and management skills.
- Experience in supporting and monitoring field-based programs in the country.
- Proven experience in building the capacity of partner institutions to document and disseminate industry information, manage knowledge, measure progress and plan and advocate within the industry.
- Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships.
- Significant experience in building public/private partnerships
- Experience of working with SHGs, farmer groups, and Farmer Producer Organizations.
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES:
- Strong interpersonal/people management skills.
- Excellent organizational and leadership skills.
- Proficient knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, presentation tools, electronic mail (Microsoft Office preferred) and Internet.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Hindi, English and other local languages, both oral and written.
- Experience in the commercial sector with skills to develop and evaluate investment opportunities and promote such opportunities to financial institutions.
- Ability to generate innovative solutions in work situations.
- Ability to prepare and present documents in a well-designed and attractive format with superior attention to detail.
- Ability to understand, appreciate and implement Heifer’s Values-Based Holistic Community Development model.
- Demonstrated creativity, ability to think systematically, willingness and ability to incorporate innovative solutions.
- Willingness and ability to travel extensively throughout India.
- Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to manage and execute multiple tasks with little supervision while meeting sometimes inflexible deadlines.