The duties and responsibilities of this role fall into the following four categories:
Lead and adaptively manage project strategy and technical design- with support from a TNS Fellow
· Identify, assess and select honey producers in prioritized areas
· Develop TechnoServe’s exit strategy together with funding partner
Lead and manage team to effectively implement project
· Recruit and manage TechnoServe’s staff team dedicated to the program
· Coach, motivate and build capacity of these team members on a regular basis, actively supporting and mentoring their growth and professional development; complete annual performance reviews as well as quarterly progress meetings with staff
· Develop and maintain overall work plan for TNS’s team, which is both feasible and efficient, and corresponding budget on an annual and quarterly basis; monitor project and update/adjust based upon learnings and feedback
· Oversee trainings for honey producers and processors, with an emphasis on quality
· Oversee and ensure achievement of major project milestones including contract signing, contract enforcement, honey aggregation, quality testing, and honey transport, troubleshooting as needed
· Manage engage with and support from other TNS projects;
· Participate in TNS Ethiopia staff quarterly meetings
· Promote learning and gender equality within team
Manage external relationships and represent project externally
· Manage relationships with honey producers (suppliers), with a special emphasis on women beekeepers and honey processors/honey enterprises (buyers);
· Lead team’s efforts to foster and facilitate effective working relationships between the actors; facilitate effective information flow between honey producers and buyers (honey processors)
· Represent project and TNS externally; plan visits and host guests
Learning and Reporting
· Work closely with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team; support team to conduct baseline study of both honey producers and honey processors
· Prepare internal and external technical reports and liaise with finance team for financial reports, as required, including PSRs and CM reports
· A true passion for and commitment to economic empowerment of poor smallholder farmers, especially women
· Practical experience implementing contract farming projects
· A Master’s degree in business, economics, public policy or other relevant discipline with 5-7 years work experience or a Bachelor’s degree with 7-10 years work experience from this 4 years of relevant professional experience.
· At least six (6) years of professional management experience – ideally a blend of private sector and international development
· Demonstrated effectiveness and experience in project leadership and management
· Experience working in relevant geographies
· Knowledge of and familiarity with private sector companies
· Experience analyzing sectors, in terms of economic opportunities and constraints and leading teams in this process
· Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
· Strong interpersonal/people management and organizational skills and excellent oral and written communication skills a must, including report writing and presentations
· Willingness and ability to travel domestically frequently, between project areas
· Strong skills in business software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
· Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic
Attributes:
· Strong and very detailed oriented when planning and preparing documents
· Problem solver, structured thinker with high attention to detail
· Innovative mindset; learning attitude
· Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills; effective negotiation skills
· Flexibility and ability to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances
· Committed to quality and achieving impact; motivated; high level of integrity and honesty
Preferred Qualifications and Capabilities
· Knowledge of apiculture
· Experience with designing and conducting training, particularly for agribusinesses and men and women smallholder farmers
· Experience working in partnerships