Director (Technical Directorate) at Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)

 Job Purpose

• The Director is responsible for providing leadership in regulatory, technical advisory services and market & product development and Research for the Specific Subsector of deployment.

Job Description

Duties and responsibilities at this level will entail:

• Representing Kenya as the competent authority on matters of development,
• regulation and promotion for the specific sub-sector in national, regional and international obligations;
• Promoting best practices in and regulating the production, processing, marketing, grading, storage, collection, transportation and warehousing of scheduled crops produce and products;
• Coordinating development of data collection tools, collation of data, analysis and maintenance of a database for scheduled crops and produce;
• Coordinating formulation, review and implementation of general and specific policies, procedures, guidelines, standards, codes of practice and regulations for scheduled crops and products;
• Facilitating marketing and distribution of scheduled crops and products through monitoring and dissemination of market information, including identification of the local supply-demand situation, domestic market matching and overseas market intelligence and promotion;
• Overseeing capacity building of County Governments and scheduled crops value chain players on production technologies;
• Promoting fairness, efficiency and competitiveness in the trading of scheduled crops and products;
• Promoting domestic consumption and advising on strategies for value addition for scheduled crops and products for optimization of returns;
• Recommending general industry agreements between farmers and processors of scheduled crops and products;
• Participating in trade negotiations and guiding on preparation of scheduled crops value chain agreements;
• Overseeing assessment on compliance processes and propose business process reengineering and digitalization options in scheduled crops value chain;
• Developing and enforcing traceability rules and regulations for scheduled crops value chains;
• Determining and advising generally on research priorities and innovations in the specific scheduled crop sub sector;
• Overseeing registration and licensing of scheduled crops growers and dealers as provided for in the Crops Act and its subsidiary legislation;
• Coordinating issuance of scheduled crops value chain export and import licenses;
• Coordinating product conformity testing through sampling and analysis for issuance of scheduled crops value chain export and import permits; and
• Prescribing the period within which farmers are to be paid for scheduled crops and products delivered and sold, and penalties for delayed payments.

Person Specifications

For appointment to this grade, an officer must have: -

• Minimum of fifteen (15) years cumulative relevant work experience, five (5) years of which should have been at the grade of Deputy Director or in a comparable position;
• Bachelor’s degree in any of the following disciplines: Agricultural Economics,
• Agricultural sciences, Environmental Sciences, Law, Commerce, Business
• Administration, Marketing, Agricultural/ Biosystems Engineering, Horticulture,
• Agronomy, Agribusiness Management, Food Science and Technology or equivalent qualification from a recognized institution;
• Masters Degree in any of the following disciplines, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, Agriculture Engineering, Horticulture, Agronomy, Agribusiness Management, Food Science and Technology, Social Sciences, Arts, Law, Business Administration, Communication or an equivalent qualification from a recognized institution;
• Membership to a relevant professional body, where applicable and in good standing;
• Certificate in Leadership Course lasting not less than four (4) weeks from a recognized institution;
• Proficiency in computer applications;
• Demonstrated managerial, administrative and professional competence in work performance and results; and
• Exhibited a thorough understanding of national goals, policies, objectives and ability to relate them to proper management of agriculture and food function.