Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is a Foreign Charity specializing in commercial solutions to poverty. MEDA uses innovative approaches; market linkages, investment finance and business development services to improve profits for producers and enterprises along selected value chains. MEDA is recruiting highly motivated and capable staff for the following position:
Reports to: Value Chain Coordinator
Overview: The Value Chain Specialist/Team leader provides technical and leadership support to developing the value chain. The specialist will simultaneously design value chain upgrade activities, and inherently build capacity in partners and clients. The individual will research and design activities using best practices, utilizing private sector approaches, providing technical support to value chain clients.
The position is collaborative in nature, working closely with other value chain specialists to address ongoing constraints, surveying and identifying stakeholders able to take advantage of innovations, and thus effect value chain upgrades. Innovations include structural relationships between value chain participants, enhancing small scale infrastructure and technologies, and introducing or strengthening new services.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Serve as expert in value chain constraints analysis, assessing threats, strengths, opportunities and threats to the value chain, and in particular to participating value chain clients. Develop within the value chain clients, new partnerships capable of supporting on-going constraints analysis.
Provide weekly reports to management of progress, and new challenges and risks
Lead the annual review, and develop annual work plan for your respective areas, including developing strong understanding and capacity in value chain strategies and methodologies amongst key Government of Ethiopia and other stakeholders.
Lead quarterly reviews and work plan refinement around arising issues and new opportunities by involving technical team of MEDA specialists, MEDA Monitoring and Evaluation, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
Lead Project Technical Advisory Committee, and integrate and adjust input into work plans, as needed.
Build strong understanding and capacity of value chain clients to engage in the value chain strategies and assist in, or carry out constraints analysis
Provide leadership, expert advice and build core capacities in the value chain staff in developing innovative business services, new business partnerships, and market oriented information systems.
Takes lead role to develop new contacts with other stakeholders; institutions able to partner and establishes opportunities to leverage their activities to enhance the value chain and make desired impact
Develops new business contacts; traders, retailers, and commercial firms able to invest in the value chain
Takes lead role to establish effective market information system that provides innovative and real time market data to all value chain actors, which leads to increased prices for farmers and processors.
Responsible for supporting existing, or developing new consulting services to support participating financial and non-financial institutions in all aspects of value chain opportunities toward increasing understanding of the value chain, markets and enhanced risk assessment of clients thus improving clients’ access to financial products.
Takes lead role in integrating MEDA’s Financial Services Specialists in building profitable producer and processor enterprises.
Active engagement with clients to upgrade business plans through value chain actors, and integrating other BDS
Take lead in sourcing and developing database of available BDS, including consultants, niche business organizations, and non-profit business support institutions
Identifies innovative uses for credit and innovation funds, to show demonstrated impact on VC upgrading, with high value for investment.
Work with public institutions and research institutions, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, business community to build sector-wide, mutual benefits on the value chain, including reduction of transaction costs, reduced waste, reduction in risk, and to increase market opportunities, i.e., volume and/or profit.
Liaise with regional agriculture, trade and cooperative offices to facilitate the rollout the agricultural strengthening and market support for rice
Number Required: 2
Terms of employment: One year with very high possibility of extension.
Job Requirement
Essential: Bachelor’s degree or MA/MSc. in Agriculture, Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, or other relevant discipline. Seven years of agricultural market/value chain experience demonstrating success in business consulting, investment finance, marketing or private sector entrepreneurship and management Proven experience to manage a team of specialist. Knowledge of rice production, including quality control, market standards, and/or product development. Excellent oral and written communication in English and Amharic, including report writing
Desired:
Development of Business Services, finance and financial services