Regional Market Specialists will lead the overall work in his/her assigned regions, including markets and value chain assessments and analyses, supporting business plan development and implementation. Regional Market Specialists will coach and train farmer organizations, local extension and Development Agents to enhance their ability to analyze different entrepreneurial and agronomic options and support effective organizational/enterprise management. S/he will facilitate linkages to buyers, financial institutions and other key market actors as well as ensure ongoing learning, knowledge exchange and capacity building.
Regional Market Specialists’ duties and responsibilities are described below:
Technical Assistance in Market analysis and Marketing
· Assess key site-specific market opportunities by identifying and engaging potential buyers
· Assess technical and financial viability of market opportunities through data collection and analysis;
· Evaluate current production and marketing systems and identify opportunities for developing new and/or enhancing existing businesses
· Engage with farmers and their organizations to make choices on major crops to be cultivated and technologies applied based on an informed analysis of their options, which depend on market demand, technical capability, assess to technologies and finance, as well as other relevant factors;
Business Plan Development and Implementation
Training and Coaching
· Train and coach local extension experts and Development Agents (DAs), cooperatives and farmers on managing production, accessing markets and services, engaging in participatory planning and applying tools for financial viability analysis;
· Coach DAs to enhance their ability to support IWUA, Irrigation cooperatives and farmers’ groups in managing their enterprises;
· Regularly visit IWUA, Cooperatives, farmers and DAs to coach them and monitor performance;
· Train Irrigation water user association, cooperative leaders, DA on the issues related to marketing, market oriented irrigated crop production, Business plan Development, ADP and other training identified through Training Need Assessment;
Facilitate linkages with other key market actors and manage relationships
Work planning, Reporting and Learning
· B.Sc. /M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, Marketing, Rural Development, Cooperatives, Business Administration, Finance or related fields with 7 years’ overall work experience;
· Demonstrated expertise and experience in agribusiness; and, in particular, marketing of agricultural products (most preferably)
· Demonstrated strong analytic capabilities: Value chain analysis, financial analysis, markets analysis
· Excellent planning skills; Strong and very detailed oriented when planning and preparing documents
· Ability to work according to a work plan and meet deadlines; while at the same time adapting to new information
· Excellent problem solving, negotiation skills and willingness and experience serving remote rural areas;
· Strong skills in business software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
· Fluency in written and spoken English, Oromiffa and Amharic (must);
Preferred Qualifications and Capabilities
· Experience identifying buyers and facilitating agreements
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