National Technical Expert at Sustainet Group

Project Duration: 44 Expert months 

Application deadline:  21st July 2020

 Specific Tasks

• Identification of demands from MSME, Start-ups and smallholders for improved access to inputs, services and markets 
• Identification of direct and indirect local income and employment potentials especially for women and young people in relevant input and service sectors in selected value chains. 
• Selection of (innovative, employment and demand oriented) inputs and services to be promoted. 
• Identification and development of business models for demand-oriented inputs and services as well as the access models to ensure the target groups will benefit from improved access  
• Piloting of the selected inputs and services as sustainable business models 
• Support access to financing for the promoted business models and their clients  
• Up-scaling of the tested business models and setting up of access models with the clients/target group, including networking of the established services with value chain actors (and supported MSME, smallholders/cooperatives and start-ups in action field 2), support to establishment on the market, establishment of business relationships in the funded value chains and sectors etc.  
• Setting up of inclusive contract farming or out grower schemes as access models to increase access to inputs, services and markets especially for small holders/cooperatives  
• Access to land and public financial services will be mainly supported by RYE, however, the contractor will be called to actively contribute in the frame of activities under the responsibility of the contractor. 
• Qualification of smallholders/cooperatives and ToT (training providers, extension service etc.) within the framework of cooperation with the private sector, e.g. on GAPs, certification / organic farming, quality standards, hygiene, innovation/diversification, entrepreneurship, marketing skills, etc.  
• Supporting  professionalization of (youth) cooperatives and producer groups (e.g. joint buying/selling and saving/lending, transparent administration, and registration procedures, thereby improving access to training, markets, financing, advice, inputs, etc. 
• Development and application (including ToT) of demand-oriented training material (for supported input and service providers as well as the training of farmers and producer groups.  

Requirements

• University qualification in agriculture, agribusiness, economy or related fields
• Very good business language skills in English (CEFRL: C1)
• General professional experience: Agricultural Value Chain Development, Private sector development
• Specific professional experience: services around agriculture (e.g. mechanisation, input sector), business promotion, agricultural markets
• 5 years’ experience working in Kenya
• 3 years’ experience working in Development Cooperation (DC) and 2 years in the private sector