Market Linkage Specialist| Oromia

Job Description

About Technoserve 

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing...when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.  

About Horticulture for Growth- H4G

Horticulture 4 Growth (H4G) an Initiative of the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACCs) is a 5-year project being jointly implemented by TechnoServe and the Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. H4G will accelerate the transformation of Ethiopia’s horticulture sub-sector by leveraging the power of the private sector to strengthen the link between production and demand and improve the road-to-market for horticultural products through modernized domestic and export market channels. The project will primarily focus on five priority horticulture crops (banana, avocado, tomato, onion, and avocado) sourced from horticulture ACC woredas to transform the relationships of key market actors to be more inclusive and equitable. By the end of five years, a strengthened horticulture market system underpinned by a strong private sector will enable Ethiopian small-scale producers to earn higher, more stable incomes and increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in rural and urban areas.

Key responsibilities 

• As Market Linkages Specialists, you will be responsible for facilitating linkages for start-up entrepreneurs and/or existing Horticulture value chain actors in the program ACCs woredas.
• As major tasks of the role, identification and building of linkages between buyers, aggregators and agro input suppliers to increase efficiency of the supply chains.
• Provide support on conducting and updating market scans and analyses, as well as in the identification of potential strategic partners.
• Organize Market Linkage forums and workshops among the horticulture value chain actors in ACC woredas.
• Ensure the delivery of the sales volume targets via market facilitation
• Facilitates relationships of each supply chain actors toward creating a more transparent and inclusive sector to ensure sustainable supply chains.
• Provide technical assistance to agro dealers, buyers and aggregators to put together realistic sourcing strategy, bookkeeping, basic business plans and build business relations among the supply chain actors
• Organize business to business meetings and group platforms for market linkages to facilitate negotiations and contract agreements between aggregators and buyers/off takers.
• Organize business to business meetings and group platforms for market linkages to facilitate negotiations and contract agreement between input distributors & local agro dealers
• Coordinate and facilitates trainings for aggregators on quality standards to ensure buyers source raw materials according to their requirements
• You will closely coordinate and work together with the ATI cluster coordinators, MoA focal persons in the assigned ACCs woredas, Local trade offices, with the guidance of your supervisor to formalize the supply chain.
• Closely work with health and nutrition extension agents to promote horticulture nutrition campaigning and linking local market actors with aggregators
• Nurture and maintain the necessary network in the private sector and among the farming community as well as development projects that support agricultural productivity and marketing
• Develop and keep up-to-date profile of supply and demands / off-takers among buyers and aggregators both for agro inputs and produce supply
• Identify and undertake thorough and periodic analyses of demand and supply gap between aggregators and buyers
• Encourage private sectors/buyers to invest resources in smallholder farm production and logistics to support quality and reliable supply.
• Ensure aggregators understand each buyer product requirements.
• Support the piloting and implementation activities of contract farming legislations in Oromia
• Implement gender action plans and strategies to ensure participation of women owned and/or led businesses as well as women SHF benefit from the market linkages work

Job Requirement

Bachelor/Master’s degree in one of the following: Agribusiness; Economics; Business Administration; Horticulture, and/or related field;

Experience 

Bachelor's Degree + 3 years experience, Master's Degree + 1 year experience working experience in developing and facilitating market linkages, business advising and organ; Working experience in market systems development and facilitation.

Technical and Social Skills

• Able to use and utilize MS office applications. Strong analytical and risk assessment skills.
• Serious and hard-working, eager to learn, good feedback mentality, result oriented, taking responsibility and accountability, good in building and maintaining relations key partners and negation skills.
• Flexible and autonomous working, enthusiastic and willing to travel
• Written and Spoken fluency of English, Amharic and Afan Oromo.
• Knowledge of the local language "Afan Oromo" is mandatory.