Business Development Officer HHK - Nairobi at Heifer International

Description

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

FUNCTION

The Business Development Officer under the overall guidance of the Project Manager, will provide overall leadership in designing and implementing appropriate interventions within the project with the objective of improving the business capacity of 6,000 Poultry producers in Nakuru, Nairobi and Uasin Gishu Counties. This will be achieved through capacity building of distributor and supporting their marketing, extension and promotion work to increase their reach and improve the quality of input services, advisory, marketing and financial services they provide to poultry producers.
The Business Development Officer will work in identifying and recruiting Cargill aligned feed distributors and other key feed retail actors in the target counties and establish string partnerships with poultry producer and Heifer Kenya’s dairy cooperatives.
The interventions to be led by the Business Development Officer seek to increase the overall level of competitiveness of the poultry production business at farm and producer organization level.

ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS:
Intellectual curious, professional judgement, effective communicator, accountable, values-committed pragmatic, inspirational and Team player.
RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES

Business Development (50%)

• Undertake the identification and capacity assessment of feed distributors in target counties.
• Support distributors to establish partnerships with dairy cooperatives and other retail actors to strengthen their outreach to 6,000 farmers.
• Capacity Building of distributors and their extension staff in extension approaches, social capital , marketing and promotions.
• Develop and implement ad annual calendar of joint promotions , field days and events to market and support uptake of feeds and other products in the target areas.
• Analysis and conducting of feasibility to assess and develop new business, investment and financing options.
• Distributors identified and their capacity assessed within the first year of the project implementation and capacity assessment reports developed.
• 30 key distributor partnerships developed with the project and 10 dairy producer cooperatives within the first year of project implementation.
• Business and strategic plans developed for 30 distributors integrating activities in extension , marketing, social capital and promotions.
• 30 distributors and their core staff trained and mentored on extension, social capital and promotions.
• An annual calendar of promotions , fields days and marketing events implemented reaching at least 20,000 farmers annually.
• Collect and Collate Catalytic Leverage Fund (CalF) and shared with the manager on Monthly basis

Capacity development (40%)

• Design, develop and deliver business management training packages/modules, in liaison with Cargill and other relevant project staff
• Identify and carry out a comprehensive capacity assessment of the distributors, dairy cooperatives and poultry farmers and thereafter develop and deliver a capacity building programme
• Develop capacity building and operationalization of the business and marketing plans for the distributors, dairy cooperatives and poultry farmers through joint planning, monitoring.
• Support distributors, dairy cooperatives and poultry producers to put in place and implement efficient financial management systems and build their capacity in all aspects of financial management. • An operational and module-based business, technical and social capital training package that integrates the experience of Cargill is developed and in use within the first 3 months of the project implementation.
• Capacity assessment is completed and continuously reviewed using the Scope Insight methodology and LINK methodologies in the project.
• Annual capacity development plans are developed overall for the project every year and their implementation reviewed and monitored on a quarterly basis.
• 30 distributors, 10 cooperatives and over 6,000 poultry farmers with efficient and effective financial management, poultry production and business and strategic plans by the end of the first year of project implementation.

Collaboration towards a common goal (10%)

• With the Enterprise Development manager, develop the business of the Poultry producers with backward and forward linkages into the total value chain
• Incorporate within the framework of the project, potential ‘win-win’ business opportunities which can attract different value chain actors to engage in transactional relationships with the farmer producer organizations and develop a platform for the achieving these partnerships.
• Work in close coordination with the relevant project staff on quality assurance and control for all livestock-based product for processing, packaging, marketing, and distribution
• The 30 distributors, 10 cooperatives and 6,000 farmers develop a strong platform for engaging with the value chain actors in transactional relationships.
• Close coordination and collaboration with Country Office Enterprise Development Manager, Training Manager and Animal Wellbeing Manager to deliver quality trainings through the annual capacity building plans.
• The 30 distributors, 10 cooperatives and 6,000 farmers achieve and maintain high quality standards for their produce and have effective systems for daily quality monitoring.

Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor

• This will be dependent on the specific duties assigned

Minimum Requirements

• Degree in Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Business management, Rural Development, Animal production with post graduate diploma or experience in Business management or a related field is required
• Experience implementing activities in large, complex projects in challenging environments.
• Minimum 5 years field and technical experience working on agribusiness development projects.
• Significant experience in building public/private partnerships, preferably in the Livestock sector.

Most Critical Proficiencies:

• Strong business skills, leadership, strategic and innovation skills.
• Strong communication skills in both English, Swahili, and other local languages of the cluster area.
• String business skills development, strategic planning and planning for farmer business organizations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the latest developments in advancing good/best practices in value chain development that reaches women, youth, the poor, and underprivileged.
• Demonstrated creativity, ability to think systematically, willingness and ability to incorporate innovative solutions and design catalytic activities within the value chain (e.g. the concept of quality-based pricing).
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement strategies aimed at providing institutional capacity building to key partner institutions with a view to build a more efficient, competitive and sustainable livestock industry. This requirement is in line with the need to have in-built ‘exit strategies’ within the project as a measure of ensuring that there are self-sustaining businesses by project end.
• Knowledge of and experience in setting up cottage industries for processing locally branded poultry products (eggs and meat) for onward supply to niche and markets as well as implementing supply promotion/stimulation strategies in the context of the sub-sectors.
• Experience in facilitating establishment of strategic alliances and joint ventures with local and foreign processors.
• Knowledge and experience in strategic business planning and business analysis.
• Demonstrate ability to undertake market assessments and use the information generated to support the producer organizations to leverage these opportunities to remain competitive.
• Knowledge of equity financing (e.g. venture capital and/or private equity investing).
• Strong computer literacy, preferably with Microsoft Office Suite.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands:

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to individuals diplomatically and tactfully.
• Ability to integrate financial services within the value chains with the view to foster trust and build strong relationship between chain actors and financial service providers.
• Must be courteous, honest and of high integrity, especially in high-pressure situations.
• Proven interpersonal and communication skills with ability to relate to individuals and groups diplomatically and tactfully.
• Self-starter and self-motivator with the ability to work in a multicultural and multisector setting.
• Must be a team player and have the ability to execute and manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision.
• Ability to follow directions and independently complete assigned tasks (written or verbal).
• Ability to work a varied schedule to include early mornings, weekends and some evenings.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 30 pounds (14 kilograms) floor to waist.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.