Agriculture Value Chain Manager - MEDA Ghana

MEDA is an association of compassionate men and women who invest in people living in poverty around the world so they can unleash their potential to earn a livelihood to provide for their families and enrich their communities. To find out more about MEDA, please visit our website at www.meda.org.

MEDA is seeking qualified candidates for an experienced Agriculture Value Chain Manager to support an anticipated project that will increase economic and social empowerment of smallholder women farmers, entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses in Northern Ghana. The successful candidate will be based in Tamale, Ghana. Recruitment is contingent upon approval of the project by the donor.

• Job Status:  Full-time Contract
• Start Date: May 2021
• Location: Tamale, Ghana

POSITION SUMMARY

The Agriculture Value Chain Manager will provide technical and leadership support in developing the targeted value chains (soybean, groundnut, and vegetables) in the Upper West, Northern and Savanna regions of Ghana. The Manager will lead the design and oversee the implementation of value chain interventions that facilitate the functioning of markets, and inherently develop strategy to strengthen capacity of local implementing partners, and market actors. The individual will research and design interventions using best practices and market systems approaches.

The position is collaborative in nature, working closely with the project’s other advisors and specialists to address ongoing constraints, surveying and identifying stakeholders able to take advantage of innovations, and thus effect value chain improvements. Innovations include structural relationships between value chain actors, enhancing small scale infrastructure and technologies (including indigenous technologies), and introducing or strengthening new services. The Manager will work closely with project implementing partners to ensure that they bring a market systems lens to project activities and will work closely with MEDA’s headquarters-based technical advisors.

The Agriculture Value Chain Manager will provide managerial oversight over agriculture, business & financial services, and environment & climate change technical specialists. As part of the in-country senior management team, the Manager will collaborate closely with other functional managers of the project and contribute to its overall success.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the development of the market systems strategy to effectively support the overall project goals.
• Provide expert advice, leadership, oversight, and strengthen core capacities of local implementing partners in developing innovative business services, new business partnerships, market-oriented business responses and effective market information systems.
• Lead ongoing value chain constraints analysis, assessing threats, strengths, opportunities and threats to the value chain, and participating value chain actors.
• Conduct in-depth market analyses, identify and facilitate end market opportunities for soybean, groundnut, vegetables and related value-added products.
• Participate in the development of annual and monthly work plans for the targeted value chains in close collaboration and consultation with the project team and implementing partners.
• Coordinate and contribute written inputs to project monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports.
• Collaborate with technical team and implementing partners to include, mainstream and monitor implementation of the project’s market systems, gender equality & social inclusion, and environmental sustainability strategies.
• Develop new contacts and maintain partnerships with stakeholders, businesses, and institutions willing to partner and establish opportunities to leverage their activities to enhance the targeted value chains.
• Identify innovative uses for matching grants and innovation funds to strengthen targeted value chains.
• Work with public institutions, research institutions, financial service providers, farmer associations, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, business community to build sector-wide, to stimulate mutual benefits on / ownership of the targeted value chains, including reduction of transaction costs, reduced waste, reduction in risk, and to increase market opportunities for smallholder women farmers, entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses in northern Ghana.
• Promote an inclusive learning environment within the project and among project stakeholders through knowledge sharing, learning events, and thought-provoking pieces.

Any other duties and/or requirements as assigned

REQUIREMENTS

Education: Graduate qualification in business administration, marketing, economics, agronomy, agribusiness or other relevant discipline.

Experience: A minimum of 10 years’ experience working in market systems/value chain programming; as an entrepreneur in the private sector; or in business development services, preferably in Ghana.

Additional Qualifications:

• Appreciation and support of MEDA’s mission, vision, and values.
• Understanding and appreciation of business principles, international development and MEDA’s approach of creating business solutions to poverty.
• Knowledge of market systems, environmental sustainability, gender equality & social inclusion, inclusive financial services related issues as they relate to value chain development.
• Ability to work collaboratively to achieve results.
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize stakeholders into partnerships and alliances.
• Experience in providing capacity building and training to colleagues and project partners.
• Knowledge of agri-food value chains, including quality control, market standards, and/or product development.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience with senior technical teams in a cross-cultural working environment.
• Experience with international donor funded project.
• Fluency in English and any major local language in Northern, Savanna or Upper West regions is an added advantage.