Careers at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

The Position

Senior Finance Officer, Program Finance, Job Reference: SFO/FIN/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

The  Senior Finance Officer, Program Finance is responsible for the overall financial management of AGRA’s program/awards. S/he will lead collaboration with the Financial Management team, Financial Accounting team, Grants team, Internal Audit team, HR, Legal and Program teams to oversee financial policies and procedures supporting AGRA’s administration and management of the Award agreements and sub-agreements; and the implementation of financial oversight mechanisms to ensure financial integrity and compliance with donor requirements across the programs. S/he will serve as the financial liaison to donors and will represent AGRA at any donor and project partner meetings. S/he will lead on resource mobilization and donor contract management; through development of proposal budgets in conjunction with program teams and Development Cooperation team, donor awards budget monitoring and financial reporting and leading in  program specific audits. S/he ensures accuracy and alignment of the institutional annual budget to available award budgets. S/he will ensure creation of award budgets, financial reports, strong tracking of awards budgets and expenditures, continuous analysis of project cash flow, ensuring compliance with AGRA’s policies and donor requirements. S/he will support the institution in achieving operational efficiency and in optimizing cost allocation and recovery.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Prepare comprehensive financial models for various programs to deliver cash flow forecast, scenario analysis, risk assessment and return analysis.
• Work closely with the project development team to identify, analyze and execute the most optimum financing solution for AGRA programs (including debt and equity).
• Coordinate with finance providers on due diligence, term sheet negotiations and documentation
• Work with legal, compliance and program teams to ensure timely compliance with all conditions precedent and other obligations.
• Support senior management of AGRA on various program financing related matters on an ongoing basis.
• Ensure high quality finance information is provided and analyzed to enable effective decision making.
• Identify risks associated to partner capacity and compliance to AGRA rules and regulations and make recommendations to address these risks.
• Assure soundness of analysis, good business judgment, compliance with policies and procedures, adequacy of results and that all costs and reasonable fees have been provided for.
• Strong grasp and application of generally accepted accounting principles and an in-depth working knowledge of US GAAP. 
• Support Proposal Preparations including Bid – No Bid requirements; Cost Estimating; Pricing; RFP Review; Risk Mitigation; and Negotiation.
• Talent management and development of existing staff while managing team dynamics to ensure high-performance and positive employee experience.
• Communicates results through presentations, written and verbal communication.
• Program & Finance functions, including Basis of Estimate (BOE) preparation; Budget preparation, reporting and management; Cost & Variance Analysis; Cash Management/Working Capital; Forecasting; Contractual Reporting, Cost & Pricing, Risk Management; Audit preparation and management; and Program Review preparation.
• Provide leadership, and manage the performance, growth, and development of staff under the Program Finance function, ensuring they meet their objectives and support the organization strategy.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• 10 years’ experience in finance field and 5 years in similar program finance role
• Professional experience in accounting, finance, or financial monitoring.
• Knowledge of global, country/government accounting standards.
• A bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance, or equivalent work experience.
• A master’s degree in any relevant field would be a strong added advantage.
• Particularly strong financial modelling skills, capable of building from scratch sophisticated “program finance” financial models.
• In-depth understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Knowledge or familiarity with donor contract types and donor regulations such USAID and FCDO among others will be an added advantage.
• Experience with general ledger functions and the month-end/year-end close process.
• Proficiency in ERP systems, with a strong track record of successful implementation and utilization.
• Computer proficiency in spreadsheets, presentations and reporting software.

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The Position

Senior ICT Officer – Business Analytics (Oracle Functional Expert), Job Reference: ICT/OPS/11/2023

The Senior ICT Officer – Business Analytics (Oracle Functional Expert) performs systems configurations, development, and maintenance work in all phases of applications life cycle for the Oracle Cloud ERP system from business process analysis, process design through testing, implementation, and support primarily in Fusion Procurement, Finance, Human Capital Management (HCM) and associated Integrations. 

The Functional Expert performs functional requirement analysis, develops technical specifications, functional configurations, performs application and unit testing on procurement, finance and HCM modules. This includes custom solutions identified along with associated forms, reports, and data views. In addition, this role enables user acceptance testing, develops technical and user documentation, and provides technical support in coordination with internal and external partners.

The role holder is the internal Oracle Fusion Finance, Procurement and Human Capital Management expert providing support in formulating and implementing AGRA’s ERP Strategy and ensures business processes enhancements and innovations implementations in AGRA.

The role will work closely with partners across the organization, and travel is expected to be approximately 10% per year. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform functional requirements analysis and functional configurations, in accordance with business requirements on Oracle Cloud Fusion systems.
• Translate the requirements obtained from business requirements gathering sessions to create relevant and effective systems and software solutions that meet the requirements of the organization.
• Development and maintenance of webservices, REST & SOAP APIs in Oracle Cloud ERP systems and related interfaces primarily in the areas of relationships management, vendor/grantee payments, budgets, finance, human resources, payroll, and travel modules.
• Produce technical specifications and documentation that includes impact analysis, test cases, object dependencies, performance testing and risk analysis. 
• Creates solutions for business and technical problems identified, in accordance with industry standards and AGRA’s policies, practices, and regulations.
• Perform system maintenance and production support to Oracle Cloud Fusion Finance, Procurement, Human Capital Management and Budgeting systems alongside related Integrations, etc. 
• Creates prototypes and proof of concepts as identified to enable decision making.
• In coordination and collaboration with support and application development teams, align, and contribute to design, development, and documentation standards.
• Identify errors or flaws in business/system methods and suggests action plans for improvement.
• Identify design configuration specifications and business technological requirements improvement areas and document works to address gaps.
• Collaborate with users and customers to determine organizational priorities and share guidelines to drive the business.
• Engage with users/customers to resolve issues and obtain feedback to determine completeness of solutions in accordance with best practices, policies, and guidelines for systems functionality.
• Lead in systems management and acts as focal reference point for systems issues resolutions and functional enhancements in Oracle Cloud and related/integrated systems.
• Research on and suggest new and innovative ways to improve and deliver value to business clientele.
• Organize and maintain accurate records and documentation for compliance and/or reference purposes.
• Plan and run systems tests to monitor performance, ensure optimum quality and integrity of AGRA systems.
• Organize formal sessions and seminars and prepare training documentation for users. 
• Acquire and maintain relevant skills required to enable effective support to team members on Oracle Cloud Fusion solutions.
• Provide support for application development in business areas outside of areas highlighted above as required based on priorities. 
• Perform any other relevant duties assigned by the supervisor.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or information technology.
• At least 5 years’ active, continuous professional level experience implementing and maintaining Oracle Cloud Fusion enterprise-wide applications, databases, and servers.
• Professional qualifications and certifications with solid experience in Oracle Cloud Fusion ERP implementations and support.
• Excellent knowledge of Oracle Cloud Fusion configurations and development methods and disciplines.
• Full end to end understanding of Oracle Cloud Fusion functionality, implementations, development, quality, and production environments covering Oracle Cloud Fusion Finance, SCM, HCM, OIC, PaaS, SaaS and Reporting.
• Understanding of relational databases, data storage, and SQL concepts.  Understanding of data structures and data objects
• Development experience in Oracle Cloud Fusion modules.
• Experience in Oracle JET, Oracle APEX.
• Expertise in BI / OTBI reports development.
• Experience of working in a large and complex organization.
• Functional expertise in at least one area among Finance, Procurement or Human Capital Management.
• Oracle University Certifications or equivalent is a must. 
• Working experience and knowledge in SOAP & REST API development is a plus.
• Good understanding of and functional experience in integrations between Oracle and non-Oracle applications/modules will be an added advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English

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The Position

Senior Specialist, Institutional Strengthening & Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA), Job Reference: SS/CALA/01/2024 Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 20% .

The Senior Specialist Institutional Strengthening & CALA will act as a day-to-day technical lead responsible for implementation of the Leadership Initiative. He/ She will be responsible for sharing AGRA’s knowledge, experience, and networks, and will work directly with the partners on the design and implementation of the leadership journey including the coaching and mentorship components, curriculum development, the leadership forums, learning trips and digital learning.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop progress and results tracking matrix for the Leadership Initiative related interventions.
• Coordinate collaborative activities between AGRA, the African Management Institute (AMI), the Policy LINK and other partners in organizing leadership capacity building activities.
• Work directly with the partners on the design and implementation of the leadership journey including the coaching and mentorship components, curriculum development, the leadership forums, learning trips and digital learning.
• Track and monitor implementation of the Action Learnings Projects (ALPs) by participating leaders.
• Collaborate with other AGRA relevant units in designing new leadership programs, such as Youth Leadership Initiative, Executive Leadership Program and Leadership Initiative for Francophone Countries.
• Contribute to state capability related proposals, particularly the ones related to enhancement of leadership capacity within the agriculture sector.
• Enhance, through CALA’s interventions, state capability contribution to the delivery of other AGRA business lines.
• Produce knowledge products and thought pieces related to leadership capacity building and its implication to agriculture transformation in Africa in focus countries.
• Track and report outcomes of leadership support to countries.
• Develop and coordinate implementation of the annual work plan and budget for the Leadership Initiative.
• Taking lead in developing Leadership Initiative related proposals with support from respective thematic leads and Country Directors.
• Providing support in developing training materials and guidelines related to the Leadership Initiative.
• Organizing Leadership Initiative related workshops and training.
• Providing capacity building to country teams and relevant AGRA staff on AGRA’s State Capability approach and support to the enhancement of leadership capacity.
• Documenting good practices on Leadership Capacity Building for the agriculture sector deriving from AGRA’s investment.
• Analyzing AGRA’s contribution in building State Capability/country and enhancing leadership capacity in the target countries.
• Contribute to the provision and management of State Capability grants to national governments, regional and international technical assistance providers to deliver on State Capability initiative.
• Contribute to partnership development with national, regional, and continental partners [i.e., governments, private sector, multilateral and bilateral partners, civil society] operating in the state capability space.
• Produce program implementation progress reports (Financial and activities report by the program funders).
• Design coordination reports and briefings.
• Review and quality assure partners’ deliverables.
• Continuously refining CALA’s Strategy and its Theory of Change using learnings from initial cohorts.
• Following up and monitoring the implementation of the Leadership Initiative and producing quality progress reports as required by AGRA, BMZ, as well as to the stakeholders.
• Design, develop, and deliver capacity building programs, training workshops, and technical assistance initiatives to enhance the capabilities of staff and partner organizations.
• Provide guidance and support in strengthening governance structures and processes under CALA.
• Support and facilitate the work of CALA Independent Advisory Committee, in collaboration for dedicated service providers.
• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with regional institutions, government agencies, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders to leverage resources, share best practices, and collaborate on institutional strengthening initiatives.
• Develop and implement knowledge management systems to capture, document, and disseminate best practices, lessons learned, and success stories.
• Learning from implementation of initial cohort, explore opportunities of turning CALA into a Fellowship for greater credibility and recognition. 
• Lead operationalization of CALA Alumni program.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in degree in organizational development, public administration, international development, Agronomy, Sociology, Agriculture and Livestock Sciences, Agricultural Economics, Public Administration, Economics, Rural Development, or any other relevant field.
• A PhD degree in Agricultural Economics, Organizational Development, Public Administration, or any other related areas will be an added advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and experience in working with a wide range of individuals in government, private sector, and civil society.
• Deep understanding of the African agricultural development frameworks and stakeholders.
• Proficient in program management, program design and M&E.
• Demonstrated experience in resource mobilization.
• Excellent communication, analytical and writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines. 
• Proficiency in both written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French will be an advantage.
• Experience linked to the provision of high-level institutional development services/ technical support in agriculture and rural development.
• Experience in working with multi-stakeholder platforms and processes, or other complex collaboration and partner management platforms across sectors, including agriculture.
• Experience in strengthening coordination and mutual accountability systems, as well as management of institutional partnerships.
• Experience in building capacity and capability of government and private sector in Africa, mainly in the agriculture sector. 

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The Position

Senior Specialist – Policy , Job Reference: SSP/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

The Senior Specialist – Policy supports the Policy & Advocacy unit in the development of strategic partnerships with donors and African governments, and spearheading policy development and advocacy for advancing the work of AGRA at the national, regional, and global levels. This role also develops strategic linkages with partners and collaborators such as at national governments level, private sector, and other development partners that AGRA works with to leverage its investments in agriculture transformation.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Extends technically sound policy research and conceptualization, wide peer professional review, and advocacy techniques for general stakeholder ownership and legislative or industry adoption.
• Guide country governments and continental/regional organizations on the policy of agro-industrial policy making and implementation, working closely with other key AGRA technical teams (e.g. markets, youth and state capability).
• Leads a team of Policy Officers from a high-level intellectual viewpoint to strengthen the innovative policy support systems (seeds, fertilizers, markets) for effective evidence-based policy support systems for national governments to help catalyze a green revolution in Africa.
• Spearheads the strengthening of national capacities for policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national and regional policy support for an African green revolution.
• Lead provision of technical assistance and backstopping to governments through Ministries of Agriculture, Industry and Trade, Investments, Finance, Youth and similar on the development of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies.
• Lead provision of technical assistance and backstopping to continental and regional bodies such as the RECs to strengthen their ability to support countries in the roll out of continental and regional strategies of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies. 
• Lead provision of support to continental and regional bodies on strengthening dialogue and feedback loops between them and countries on the implementation of continental and regional frameworks on agriculture, agro processing, food systems and job-creation and youth policies and strategies.
• Engage with other AGRA business lines and country teams on their engagement in specific policy areas (e.g. trade, industrial/market, climate, digitalization, seed, fertilizer) with governments, sub-national governments, regional and continental bodies, to guide them in how to follow a robust process for policy and strategy making.
• In particular collaborate closely with the State Capability team on their efforts to strengthen delivery, program management of flagship projects, and institutional capacity strengthening, and with the Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance team on their efforts to develop agro-industrialization strategies that structure markets and boost net exports and access to finance. Collaborate also with the digitalization department for data for policy making; and with the investment team on the feedback loop between investment facilitation efforts and the policy making process.
• Support AGRA’s State Capability team to coordinate engagement with national government departments and private sector firms to create options for reforms, appraise reforms, select optimal solutions, articulate public expenditures needed to implement  policy and regulatory reforms and develop the sequence reforms need to go through and reform management work plans.
• Support AGRA’s policy advocacy efforts with global, continental and regional bodies on agricultural policy, agro-industrialization, climate, food systems and job creation and youth.
• Lead management of provision of sub-grants to local and international technical assistance providers to deliver the reform work plans.
• Support development of policy briefs and other communication and advocacy products. 
• Lead conceptualization and analysis of the initiation, development, validation, approval and implementation of reformed policies and regulations at continental and regional levels.
• Manage documentation, monitoring and evaluation of policy processes, outputs, outcomes, impact and lessons learned and dissemination.
• Coordinate technical assistance to the Regional Economic Communities to align with the Malabo Declaration Implementation Strategy and Roadmap and Program of Work 2015-2016 for development, validation, approval, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of policies, regulations and standards to harmonize seeds, fertilizers and agricultural commodities to expand intraregional agricultural trade.
• Contribute resource mobilization, proposal writing and progress reporting to donors.
• Facilitate and coordinate internal and external reviews to evaluate outputs, outcomes and impact of AGRA investments on agricultural policy and regulatory reforms.
• Contribute to partnership development and liaison with national, regional and continental partners on technical policy and regulatory reform issues.
• Produce knowledge products for public consumption on African agriculture, agro-industrialization, food systems, job creation and youth, e.g. articles, blogs, AASR and blogs.
• Facilitate a dedicated website within the AGRA website for agricultural policy resources.
• In partnership with the Results Management team, ensures that the plans for the program are well executed.
• Lead provision of technical assistance and backstopping to governments through Ministries of Agriculture, Industry and Trade, Investments, Finance, Youth and similar on the development of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies, 
• Leads and oversees a team of AGRA Policy Officers for the implementation of the AGRA Policy strategy at the national, regional, and global levels.
• Leads AGRA’s engagements with national governments and donors and designs appropriate policies and institutions to create a conducive policy environment to improve incentives for smallholder farmers to invest in agriculture.
• Galvanizes the program team to understand their perspectives on the policy support needs for advancing the uptake and impacts of their interventions in AGRA’s high priority countries and regions. 
• Identifies, builds, and maintains strong relationships with other partners working to improve agricultural policies in Africa to strengthen the innovative policy support systems designed to improve policy processes on the continent.
• Directs and provides coaching to relevant technical and administrative staff.
• Directs and manages a grant-making budget to develop and implement a holistic and impact-driven strategy to link African smallholder farmers to markets and create opportunities for economic transactions that generate income.
• In partnership with the Resource Mobilization team, raises enough resources to scale out and consolidate the Policy program’s strategic activities.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• At least a Masters’ degree in agricultural economics, private sector development economics, or a related field with a strong policy process background, potentially including research and publications.
• At least 7 years of experience working in agricultural or private sector development economic policy and strategy.
• Experience working within a multicultural environment, as well as the ability to work closely with diverse groups of donors.
• Experience working with governments on the development of modern industrial policies to coordinate the agriculture and agro-processing sectors would be an advantage (in agriculture or other sectors)
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation and coordinating design and maintenance of databases and websites. 
• Good command of English; working knowledge of French is an added advantage.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to effectively convey policy recommendations, present findings to diverse audiences, and articulate complex ideas in a clear and concise manner.
• Proven leadership ability to influence, develop, and empower partners and employees to achieve their best with a team approach.
• Deep understanding of the policy environment within which AGRA is operating.
• Results and detail orientated with a very hands-on approach.
• Excellent leadership, organizational, and problem solving/decision making skills.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing policies, including understanding the policy lifecycle, conducting policy research, analyzing data, and formulating evidence-based recommendations.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate complex policy issues, assess the potential impacts and outcomes, and make sound decisions based on available data and research. The ability to think critically and strategically is crucial.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with various stakeholders, such as government officials, industry representatives, community organizations, and internal teams. The senior specialist should be able to build relationships, negotiate, and influence others to achieve policy objectives.
• Proficiency in conducting policy evaluations and impact assessments to assess the effectiveness of existing policies, identify gaps or areas for improvement, and develop recommendations for policy revisions or new initiatives.
• Strong project management skills to oversee and coordinate policy initiatives, including setting goals, developing work plans, managing resources, and ensuring timely delivery of outcomes.

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The Position

Specialist, Investment Design & Delivery  

Job Reference: SIDD/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

Reporting to the Head of State Capability, the Specialist Investment Design and Delivery under the State Capability Unit will be responsible for overseeing technical interventions that supports governments and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the design and implementation of flagships, Regional Agriculture Investment Plans (RAIPs) and National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) and drive its implementation, business cases for resource mobilization and public private partnerships to help Government deliver on their visions and strategies. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support countries, RECs and the continent to design and develop successful flagships, RAIPs, NAIPs and business cases. 
• Support governments in AGRA focused countries to mobilize public and private sector resources to support implementation of flagships and business cases for PPP. 
• Leads engagement support with investment and implementing partners on all programming aspects and supporting documentation, as needed.
• Leads and contributes to the development and delivery of capacity of Governments and AGRA grantees.
• Leads analysis of potential flagships in terms of development impact, financial soundness, and guides AGRA’s leadership accordingly. 
• Assist country and REC teams in preparing the detailed sector assessment with compelling evidence and in designing proposed projects to implement agriculture flagship programs.
• Lead the identification and preparation of investment projects in collaboration with Governments in AGRA focused countries.
• Support the delivery capacity of Government in the design of flagships and agribusiness financing. 
• Provides analysis on constraints and opportunities for investment at all levels of selected value chain at national level.
• Produce knowledge products including analytical work and practical tools related to investment design, agribusiness, and value chain development.
• Support private sector investment in delivery of flagships and NAIPs, by facilitating public private dialogues aimed at promoting an enabling environment for investment along the value chain.
• Plans and monitors the implementation of grants and prepares progress reports.
• Updates country and RECs operation plans regarding design of NAIPs, RAIPs, flagships and investment opportunities Builds capacity for AGRA Country Program Leads to ensure close coordination and monitoring and reporting of flagship programs at national level.
• Compiles monthly and quarterly reports on state capability interventions.
• Document best practices on investment designs, program and project delivery deriving from AGRA’s resources or other technical and financial partners.
• Follows up and coordinates grantees (under State Capacity Unit) activities.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Masters in Agriculture Economics, Finance, Investment, finance, business management, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation or any relevant qualification with a focus on economic policy, public administration, project management.
• Experience of end-to-end project management, , Public Private Partnership, including scoping and design, resourcing, risk management and quality assurance.
• Specialized training in project management, financial modelling, economic cost benefit analysis and investment analysis, policy analysis and/or related modern statistical techniques and approaches will be an added advantage.
• Experience in implementation of project/investment programs with government, development partners or other such institutions.
• Experience in investment design and analysis.
• Experience in project management.
• Experience in project proposal writing.
• Experience in preparing economic, financial analyses or conducting feasibility studies for development projects.
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrable ability to engage government, development partners and private sector.
• Strong relationships with key national, regional and international partners working on state capability and policy development.
• Demonstrable ability to work in complex work dynamics and challenges. Able to adapt rapidly to new technical areas.
• Sound knowledge of most commonly used project assessment technique.
• Excellent oral, facilitation and written communication skills; works well in diverse teams, with efficiency and diplomacy. 
• Strong local/regional private and financial sector investments experience; 
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrable ability to engage government, development partners and private sector.
• Good command of English and working knowledge of French will be an advantage.

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The Position

Specialist – Policy , Job Reference: SP/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

The Specialist – Policy supports the Policy & Advocacy unit in the development of strategic partnerships with donors and African governments, and spearheading policy development and advocacy for advancing the work of AGRA at the national, regional, and global levels. The Specialist- Policy will support in policy identification, reform and implementation, as well as support nurturing of  strategic linkages with partners and collaborators such as at national governments level, private sector, and other development partners that AGRA works with to leverage its investments in agriculture transformation.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Extends technically sound policy research and conceptualization, wide peer professional review, and advocacy techniques for general stakeholder ownership and legislative or industry adoption.
• Work closely with a team of Policy Officers from a high-level intellectual viewpoint to strengthen the innovative policy support systems (seeds, fertilizers, markets) for effective evidence-based policy support systems for national governments to help catalyze a green revolution in Africa.
• Support  the guidance of country governments and continental/regional organizations on the policy of agro-industrial policy making and implementation.
• Supports the strengthening of national capacities for policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national and regional policy support for an African green revolution.
• Support the provision of technical assistance and backstopping to governments through Ministries of Agriculture, Industry and Trade, Investments, Finance, Youth and similar on the development of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies.
• Support the provision of technical assistance and backstopping to continental and regional bodies such as the RECs to strengthen their ability to support countries in the roll out of continental and regional strategies of agricultural, agro-industrial, food systems and agri-based job creation and youth policies and strategies. 
• Support the provision of support to continental and regional bodies on strengthening dialogue and feedback loops between them and countries on the implementation of continental and regional frameworks on agriculture, agro processing, food systems and job-creation and youth policies and strategies.
• Actively engage with other AGRA business lines and country teams on their engagement in specific policy areas (e.g. trade, industrial/market, climate, digitalization, seed, fertilizer) with governments, sub-national governments, regional and continental bodies, to guide them in how to follow a robust process for policy and strategy making.
• In particular collaborate, closely with the State Capability team on their efforts to strengthen delivery, program management of flagship projects, and institutional capacity strengthening, and with the Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance team on their efforts to develop agro-industrialization strategies that structure markets and boost net exports and access to finance. Collaborate also with the digitalization department for data for policy making; and with the investment team on the feedback loop between investment facilitation efforts and the policy making process.
• Support AGRA’s State Capability team to coordinate engagement with national government departments and private sector firms to create options for reforms, appraise reforms, select optimal solutions, articulate public expenditures needed to implement  policy and regulatory reforms and develop the sequence reforms need to go through and reform management work plans.
• Lead management of provision of sub-grants to local and international technical assistance providers to deliver the reform work plans.
• Support development of policy briefs and other communication and advocacy products.
• Support conceptualization and analysis of the initiation, development, validation, approval and implementation of reformed policies and regulations at continental and regional levels.
• Manage documentation, monitoring and evaluation of policy processes, outputs, outcomes, impact and lessons learned and dissemination.
• Contribute resource mobilization, proposal writing and progress reporting to donors.
• Contribute to partnership development and liaison with national, regional and continental partners on technical policy and regulatory reform issues.
• Produce knowledge products for public consumption on African agriculture, agro-industrialization, food systems, job creation and youth, e.g. articles, blogs, AASR and blogs.
• Facilitate a dedicated website within the AGRA website for agricultural policy resources.
• In partnership with the Results Management team, ensures that the plans for the program are well executed.
• Achieves the proper functioning of policy advocacy platforms within the context of the policy support systems and makes needed adjustments for enhanced efficiency.
• Directs and manages a grant-making budget to develop and implement a holistic and impact-driven strategy to link African smallholder farmers to markets and create opportunities for economic transactions that generate income.
• In partnership with the Resource Mobilization team, raises enough resources to scale out and consolidate the Policy program’s strategic activities.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Experience working in agricultural or private sector development economic policy and strategy.
• Experience working within a multicultural environment, as well as the ability to work closely with diverse groups of donors.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation and coordinating design and maintenance of databases and websites. 
• Good command of English; working knowledge of French is an advantage.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to effectively convey policy recommendations, present findings to diverse audiences, and articulate complex ideas in a clear and concise manner.
• Analytical, excellent data mining ability.
• Strong ability to influence positively both upwards and downwards.
• Proven leadership ability to influence, develop, and empower partners and employees to achieve their best with a team approach.
• Deep understanding of the policy environment within which AGRA is operating.
• Results and detail orientated with a very hands-on approach.
• Excellent leadership, organizational, and problem solving/decision making skills.
• Intelligent, motivated self-starter with strong interpersonal skills and work ethic.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing policies, including understanding the policy lifecycle, conducting policy research, analyzing data, and formulating evidence-based recommendations.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate complex policy issues, assess the potential impacts and outcomes, and make sound decisions based on available data and research. The ability to think critically and strategically is crucial.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with various stakeholders, such as government officials, industry representatives, community organizations, and internal teams. 
• Proficiency in conducting policy evaluations and impact assessments to assess the effectiveness of existing policies, identify gaps or areas for improvement, and develop recommendations for policy revisions or new initiatives.
• Strong project management skills to oversee and coordinate policy initiatives, including setting goals, developing work plans, managing resources, and ensuring timely delivery of outcomes.

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The Position

Specialist, Continental Frameworks, Implementation and Compliance  

Job Reference: SCFIC/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

Reporting to the Head of State Capability Unit, the Specialist Continental Frameworks, Implementation and Compliance will be responsible for designing, overseeing implementation and progress reporting of State Capability interventions aiming at sstrengthening continental frameworks, institutions, and coordination mechanisms, especially targeting youth employment in agri-food sector, including strengthened accountability to gender & youth indicators. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the continental (AUDA/NEPAD, AUC), RECs and other relevant regional institutions in the design and implementation of RAIPS, flagships, business cases for resource mobilization and public private partnerships to  facilitate their effective implementation, hence enabling opportunities for youth and women employment.
• In collaboration with other team members across relevant Units, support RECs to drive domestication and harmonization of key continental frameworks, policies and strategies at country level.  
• Support RECs to mobilize public and private sector resources to support implementation of regional flagships and business cases for PPP. 
• Support coordination mechanisms at regional and continental levels that reduce fragmentation of efforts and increased alignment for youth and women employment, including strengthened accountability to gender and youth indicators.
• Support tracking and monitoring the progress of regional and continental projects, programs and adjusting as necessary, to ensure the successful completion of each intervention.
• Develop a capacity building program for relevant staff of continental and regional mandated institution to enhance their capacity to implement, coordinate and monitor continental agri-food systems commitments, especially those affecting youth and women participation.
• Enhance State Capability contribution to the delivery of the work of other business lines, especially at regional and continental level.
• Contribute to engagement support with investment and implementing partners on all programming aspects and supporting documentation, as needed.
• Analyze the contribution of State Capability supported flagships in delivering national, regional, and continental development goals, especially those linked to youth and women employment.
• Support private sector interventions in delivery of flagships, RAIPs and NAIPs, by facilitating public private dialogues aimed at promoting an enabling environment for youth and women participation.
• Contribute to the coordination of implementation of State Capability Unit activities in a timely manner. 
• Contribute to preparation of proposals for donors and development finance institutions to leverage additional resources for national, regional, and continental agricultural transformation strategies and plans.
• Serve as point of contact for State Capability work on supporting regional and continental mandated institutions, specifically on aspects related to institutional capacity strengthening, harmonization and domestications relevant frameworks, policies, and strategies.
• Collaborate with other units such as risk management, procurement and Internal Audit to direct compliance incidents associated with AGRA’s State Capability Work with continental and regional institutions.
• Identify areas of potential vulnerability and compliance risk; develop and implement action plans to prevent, detect and / or mitigate compliance issues and provide general advice to avoid similar situations in the future.
• Contribute to the design and monitoring of state capacity strengthening interventions (grants, technical assistance and consultancies).
• Build capacity for AGRA Country Program Leads to ensure close coordination and monitoring and reporting of flagship programs at national level.
• Document best practices on investment designs, program and project delivery deriving from AGRA’s resources or other technical and financial partners.
• Produce knowledge products (reports, power point presentations, outcome stories, blogs, news articles and briefs) on AGRA state capability work with continental and regional bodies.  
• Offer technical assistance for implementation of AGRA State Capability activities (grants, consultancies, and technical assistance projects) at regional and continental levels.
• Produce regular reports for progress tracking by AGRA’s management, PIATA partners and other funders, and stakeholders.  The reports will be based on funders’ and AGRA’s reporting requirements.
• Identify, key elements for the State Capability dashboard to track implementation of unit’s work under AGRA strategy 3.0. This should be done while having in mind integration of other AGRA bodies of work.
• At the beginning of every year work plan, support State Capability Unit prepare the dashboard for the year and support tracking of the performance during implementation period.
• Track the number of farmers, youth and women reached directly and/or indirectly though State Capability investments with regional and continental organizations.
• Track number of work opportunities created for youth and women through State Capability investments at regional and continental levels.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Master’s in agriculture economics, general agriculture, social sciences, development economics, project planning, business administration or any relevant fields, with a focus on economic policy, social development, public administration, and project management.
• Experience of end-to-end project management, including scoping and design, resourcing, risk management and quality assurance.
• Experience in the agriculture and development sector – preferably in sub-Saharan Africa. 
• Experience in working with development partners and government agencies.
• Experience in project proposal writing. 
• Experience engaging and managing consultants and managing budgets.
• Experience in working with multi-stakeholders.
• Understanding agriculture and agri-food system issues in Africa.
• Experience planning workshops and events, organizing logistics.
• Good command of English and working knowledge of French will be an advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to make a major contribution to the direction of AGRA’s State Capability unit and to deliver its goals and objectives. 
• Strong relationships with key national, regional and international partners working on state capability and policy aspects.
• Demonstrable ability to work in complex work dynamics and challenges. Able to adapt rapidity to new technical areas.
• Experience in working with key funders/donors in agri-food sector and development, the African Union  and at least one REC is desirable.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking and planning skills as well as ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Qualitative and Quantitative data analysis skills are an added advantage.
• Experience in developing and managing strong partnerships and relationships inside and outside the organization, managing conflicts, and building consensus. Comfortably engages with senior decision makers within organization and constructively challenges colleagues, clients and stakeholders.
• Excellent oral, facilitation and written communication skills; works well in diverse teams, with efficiency and diplomacy.
• Proficiency in both English and French languages will be an added advantage.

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The Position

Specialist – Youth in Markets & Trade , Job Reference: SYM&T/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 20% .

This role will promote the development of and implementation support for models of inclusive market and trade to support youth employment opportunities. The role will also have responsibility for the overall coordination, planning, provision of technical and oversight of the youth job creation program in the implementation of Inclusive Markets and Trade related interventions and the successful delivery of this programmatic focus.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contributes to the development of tools and methodologies that relate to market-led development with emphasis on the creation of new decent and productive work opportunities for youth, in coordination with other technical units and AGRA country teams.
• Innovates to create value chain approaches that increase the participation of smallholder farmers, with special attention to women and youth, in local, regional and global trade.
• Leads efforts to facilitate market and trade linkage between off-takers and smallholder farmers with a focus on the youth.
• Leads key initiatives and provides leadership in SME development as per the strategy direction of Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance.
• Identify and reports key trade and market trends and barriers which inform issues of national trade and market policies and initiatives in the country.
• Lead in development of innovative project concepts and proposals for resource mobilization for future Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance (IMTF) work in the country. 
• Supports the Head – Markets & Trade and country teams in messaging and engaging with relevant government ministries, departments, and agencies on topics of youth job creation in Inclusive Markets and Trade.
• Conducts in-depth market research and analysis to identify opportunities for expanding youth employment opportunities Inclusive Markets and Trade.
• Support markets and trade policy and regulatory influencing agenda for youth job creation through gathering of evidence, lead engagements and produce knowledge products.
• Contributes to Inclusive Markets, Trade and Finance Strategy development and further execution.
• Participate in advisory missions to countries in multidisciplinary strategy activities of AGRA Country Teams in the areas of youth employment promotion in market and trade.
• Collaborate with State Capability and Policy team to design, backstop, monitor and evaluate development projects for strengthening national capacity in the areas of youth employment policies and programs, particularly policy formulation and implementation, and delivery. 
• Optimizes annual program budgets and program performance management in a way that ensures value for money and demonstrates programmatic impact.
• Managing the project grants in compliance with AGRA Audit requirements. 
• Assist country teams in development of grant proposals in the areas of markets shaping, policy, and resilience with respect to trade.
• Provide technical assistance to grantees and assist in monitoring progress of implementation of youth focused Inclusive Markets & Trade program in the country.
• Provide regular verbal and written updates and briefings on program operations, achievements, and problems to the Country Program Lead and other program staff.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, or in a relevant discipline. A PhD’s degree will be an added advantage.
• Fluency in English required; ability to communicate in French will be considered an advantage.
• Experience in agricultural development, Inclusive markets and trade, economic agriculture and policy.  
• Strong experience in value chain and private sector development and supporting agro-processing industry.
• Experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to develop agricultural training and dissemination materials.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, problem solving, programming and decision-making skills.
• Understanding of the relevant national and continental policies, frameworks and pathways for job creation 
• Ability to process multiple tasks at once, and with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to move from program concept to on-the-ground reality in line with AGRA’s mission.
• Ability to develop sound project reports that can be understood by a wider stakeholder audience.
• Sound skills in proposal development and projects management, including consultancy services.

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The Position

Data Analytics Specialist – Youth in Agriculture, Job Reference: SDA/CTE/01/2024, Based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel, approximately 30% .

This position will leverage data to generate insights, drive informed decision-making, and support organizational goals and objectives. The specialist plays a critical role in managing and analyzing data to extract valuable information, identify patterns and trends, and provide actionable recommendations to improve business performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. Additionally, by applying statistical techniques, data modelling, and advanced analytics, this position will uncover meaningful insights that can inform strategic planning, resource allocation, process optimization, and performance measurement.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the Head of Data and Analytics (D&A) in mapping out formal and informal financial services and service providers for specific value chains and specific actors.
• Work closely and collaboration with the Data and Analytics, Gender and Generation Africa teams, analyze linkages and bottlenecks in the supply chains and opportunities to make VCs more productive for the youth.
• Support data analysts for WA, Centre, ESA and GIS and Remote Sense in the validation and prioritization of incoming government demands.
• Support the Head of Data and Analytics (D&A) to undertake analysis such as on country economic conditions, inclusion approaches, possible potential risks the youth, especially women may face in local and regional markets.
• Work closely with the Head of D&A in developing predictive financial models to support youth and women business cases for priority value chains.
• Support the Head of Data and Analytics (D&A) in developing data and analytics models to AGRA Country Directors and the Country Technical Leads and the Directors of the Business Lines under the Centre of Technical Expertise.
• Map existing value chains in AGRA target countries and outline opportunities and how business cases can be developed from each potential value chain for the youth, and especially women to sustainably gain employment. 
• Assess the enabling environment and improved ecosystems including mapping of relevant local stakeholders and their roles in activating and enhancing investments for the prioritized VCs in the AGRA target countries. 
• Analyze local market structures and key risks/barriers in the enabling environment and factors affecting market access for the youth and ways for their improvement.
• Provide analytics on financial costs, including gross margins in the chain and compare costs of credit with profit margins in the prioritized value chains.
• Provide analytics of the structure and nature of demand in terms of existing and potential domestic, regional and international markets, regulatory frameworks, value addition and marketing including quality and trade standards for priority value chains.
• Analyze current market trends in terms of market demand and supply, price-scheduling mechanisms, market determinant factors, supply chains and government market regulatory and control mechanisms for specific value chains.
• Assess existing and potential markets for priority value chains to ensure direct linkages of the youth with the major markets and increased incomes from their business cases.
• Analyze historical and current financial data to understand value chain analysis for local and regional markets in terms of type, size and volume of market, goods sold and bought, supply chain, type of producers, suppliers and vendors, women led businesses/trades, and market associations/trade organizations, especially for women and competitiveness.
• Track current financial data for priority value chains and develop forecasting tools to automate financial data analysis. Analyze processes to identify gaps that can improve profit margins and stablish benchmarks for financial processes.
• Work with other Data and Analytics team members to develop financial models and conduct for financial analysis for value chains financing.
• Analyze the viability of value chains and perform financial forecasting including in terms of financial and economic sustainability of the business cases; profitability improvement; ROI, and Cost-benefit analysis.
• Provide analytics of the implication of fiscal reforms of trade and tax regimes and other specific policy gaps for specific value chains to promoting investment in agro-processing industries.
• Support data and analytical evidence to inform investment opportunities and financing decisions along value chains (VCs) facilitate agribusiness growth.
• Support financial analytics and evidence on investment models and financing opportunities for agribusinesses to facilitate affordable interests rate from banks and the private sector for smallholder agriculture growth.
• Support data and analytical evidence to inform business cases and opportunities along value chains (VCs) and provide information and plans for the development of agricultural marketing policy for value chain specific plans and potential financing.
• Support value chain analytics to inform decision making by assessing the efficiency and profitability of various value chains. The analytics will identify profitable and viable value chains for investment, estimate the investment requirements for various projects across the value chain, assess market gaps and deficits and build business cases from the value chains.
• Provide ex-ante and ex-post policy analysis to determine the impact of policy and regulatory economic interventions to improve government decision making on youth related interventions such as tax incentives, trade facilitation, and market development, among others.
• Support development of investment plans and investment policies through analytics to estimate investment needs (financial and otherwise) and outcomes, and outline investment criteria for selection of projects and beneficiaries, financial instruments, parameters and guidelines for investment, and funding models for the youth and women (through Value4her) projects.
• Develops a robust tracking framework for collection and analysis of project data for measuring performance of the investments in economic growth and food security, contribute to mitigate or adapt to climate change for improving the efficiency and profitability of the investments and youth and women (through Value4her) related projects. 
• Analyze the impact of agriculture investment on parameters such as employment, income and livelihoods of young people to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of such investments and inform program design and any necessary adjustments to improve program outcomes.
• Develop analytics to guide investment policies clearly outlining investment criteria for selection of projects and beneficiaries, financial instruments, parameters and guidelines for investment, and funding models for the youth projects.
• Develop profiles on the competitiveness, size of markets, volumes of sale, market integration /segmentation of priority value chains and determine the cost, profit, marketing, and supply and demand dynamics of the prioritized value chain in the AGRA target countries.
• Develop Business Plan and Financial Forecasts, including Return on investment (ROI)/ Economic Rates of Return (ERRs)/Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Cashflows for the prioritized investments by countries.
• Develop Financial Investor Pitches Deck for prioritized investment by AGRA target country governments.
• Develop Business Plan and Financial Forecasts, including Return on investment (ROI)/ Economic Rates of Return (ERRs)/Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Cashflows for the prioritized investments.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Relevant professional job experience (market assessments, local economic development, value chain development, strategic planning, etc.).
• A PhD or Master’s degree, preferably with a major in finance, business, marketing, economics or statistics or other related fields.
• Proficiency and experience with data analysis and modelling techniques using software programs such as Excel, STATA, R, SPSS, and SAS.
• Financial analyst with over 5 years management experience and with broad knowledge of the agriculture sector related financial management and planning in Africa.
• Should possess analytics capability with skills of financial modeling.
• Good command of English is required, and fluency in French and Portuguese will be an advantage.
• Strategic thinking and organizational skills.
• Hands-on experience working with statistical analysis and statistical packages.
• Knowledge of corporate finance, information analysis and financial diagnosis.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and effectively with colleagues from diverse cultures.
• Demonstrated experience in effective interaction and coordination with governments, collaborators, thinktanks, and project partners.