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Africas 33 million smallholder farmers feed families, power local economies, and hold the key to national food security. Yet too many remain underserved, achieving only a fraction of their potential as climate shocks intensify and food import bills rise. Hunger, poverty, and youth underemployment persist alongside fertile land and untapped opportunity. FI...
Purpose of the role
The Senior Program Coordinator is responsible for leading the day-to-day field implementation of FIPS Africa’s Village-Based Advisor (VBA) model under the AgEMERGE programme. The role translates the Program Manager’s strategic plans into actionable seasonal field work plans, provides leadership and support to the farmer-facing team, strengthens the capacity of VBAs and agrodealers, and facilitates linkages with agricultural input suppliers, service providers, and output market actors. The role also ensures effective programme monitoring, data quality, budget management, and coordination with county stakeholders to achieve programme objectives and deliver sustainable outcomes for farmers.
Duties & responsibilities
Objective 1: Support Effective Implementation of FIPS' AgEMERGE Activities in the Six Counties
Key activities & responsibilities to achieve this objective:
- Translate the approved annual work plan into seasonal and monthly plans for the Network Coordinators, Agribusiness Facilitators and Field Youth Officers, aligned with agricultural seasons, the MEL plan and the sub-contract deliverables
- Link work plans to approved budget lines and planned expenditure, and give the Program Manager regular implementation updates
- Lead seasonal, quarterly and annual planning and review meetings with field staff, and support realistic targets and performance indicators for the team
- Monitor progress against targets and milestones, and support timely reporting on achievements, challenges and lessons learned
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date VBA databases, records and program information in line with donor requirements and audit and review standards
- Support the development of project tools, implementation plans and staff appraisal processes
Objective 2: Lead the VBA and Agrodealer Network: Increase Farmer Resilience & Income
Key activities & responsibilities to achieve this objective:
To strengthen and scale the VBA and agrodealer networks so farmers gain access to quality inputs, technologies, extension services and markets, improving their resilience, productivity and income.
- Strengthen VBA technical and business capacity, using practical demonstrations, farmer-led testing and small packs (“test before you invest”)
- Support Farmer Learning Networks and Farmer Research Networks that let farmers test and generate evidence on climate-adaptive technologies and practices
- Connect VBAs and agrodealers with input, service and output companies, and link them to the buyer demand the corridor teams generate
- Work with the Field Youth Officers and the Youth & Social Inclusion Officer to recruit and retain women and youth VBAs and first-mile entrepreneurs
- Explore digital tools that improve visibility of farmer demand, service delivery and supply
- Contribute to strategies that improve VBA profitability and farmer incomes
Objective 3: Strengthen County Government and Stakeholder Relationships
Key activities & responsibilities to achieve this objective:
- Take part in meetings, workshops and calls with partners, county governments and consortium members to understand their priorities and areas of collaboration
- Maintain strong working relationships with the county governments in the six counties, with regular updates on progress, achievements and lessons learned
- Coordinate FIPS and partner activities so they are complementary, aligned and mutually reinforcing
- Contribute to FIPS' visibility and recognition among county governments and development partners
- Share project experiences, good practice and lessons learned with county and national stakeholders
Objective 4: Budget Management and People Leadership
Key activities & responsibilities to achieve this objective:
- Help prepare and manage the field budget in line with project goals, work plans and implementation priorities
- Ensure activities are aligned with the approved budget, with timely approvals, expenditure monitoring and adherence to financial procedures
- Prepare timely, accurate budget utilization, reallocation and liquidation reports
- Lead, coach and appraise direct reports; set clear targets and give regular, quality feedback
- Build team capacity and plan for succession and development, working with HR
Qualifications & Experience
- Degree in agriculture or a related field
- 5+ years in field program coordination or agricultural extension
Technical Skills
- Good understanding of VBA, last-mile or market-linked extension approaches
- Able to convert project documents and proposals into implementable work plans, and to follow them up
- Able to understand the farmer's situation and use it to inform narrative reporting and data interpretation
- Ability to engage with county governments and partners
- Familiar with budget tracking and field reporting systems
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