Never pay for any notarisation, certificate or assessment as part of any recruitment process. When in doubt, contact us
AGRA is an alliance led by Africans with roots in farming communities across the continent. We understand that African farmers need uniquely African solutions designed to meet their specific environmental and agricultural needs so they can sustainably boost production and gain access to rapidly growing agriculture markets.
Read more about this company
Job Reference: PID/TD/04/2023
The Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President Program Innovation and Delivery, the ideal candidate will be in-charge of overseeing the day-to-day activities and all CESSA operations. This includes ensuring that the set vision and long-term goals of CESSA as well as the implementation and monitoring the strategy is on track. The Director will be in-charge of all the staff in the 3 CESSA Units, Analysis and Knowledge Resource, Capacity Building and Technical Support and Catalytic Grants and Advisory Services. One of the cardinal objectives of CESSA is to serve as a go to hub for all seed related work and it is the responsibility of the Director to ensure that this is achieved.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Oversee the process of delivering CESSA offerings across all the 8-thematic areas.
- Responsible for financial planning, partnerships with key seed sector players, both public and private and the face of CESSA in various local, regional, or international fora.
- Work across Divisions to support new business development, knowledge management and in some instances, project delivery.
- Support AGRA management to mobilize resources to implement CESSA initiatives and AGRA work in general.
- Lead on the donor stewardship (Customer Relationship Management databased), support the facilitation of negotiations and signing of new funding agreements, while assisting in the implementation of AGRA’s Public-Private Partnership resource mobilization strategy.
- Ensure CESSA digital platform is regularly updated, and stakeholders can get information and knowledge tools as expected.
- Ensure that the grant funds, when awarded, are appropriately used for the intended purpose.
- Work with finance to generate reporting required for compliance and financial statement audits.
- Integrate tools to monitor grants for legal, financial, and program compliance including but not limited to ensuring that grant requirements are correctly documented in the grant files and database.
- Maintain regular communication with other AGRA/CESSA professionals to enhance CESSA relevance.
- Lead periodic Program Team staff meetings, including provision of work-related updates to ensure smooth running of program activities.
- Delivers together with and Team the preparation of donor reports, board reports, AGRA annual and quarterly reports.
- Influence partners to value, work with and support CESSA develop and strengthen seed systems in Africa.
- Influence grantees in employing best practices in executing the activities under the grants awarded for meeting the CESSA objectives.
- Align grantee achievements against targets and collaborate with relevant TALs and grantee to identify any consistencies for the grants.
- Champion integration of CESSA with other AGRA bodies of work and various AGRA funded projects.
- Motivate the team for solving problems around complex grant scenarios through consultations/liaison with finance and legal entities.
- Direct seamless delivery of CESSA offering to the intended beneficiaries.
- Lead annual planning process and development of CESSA budgets, workplans to ensure they are aligned with AGRA’s strategy.
- Assess, monitor, and document the grantmaking workflow processes, templates, reports and data to assure full compliance with internal controls and legal requirements.
Relevant Experience & Professional Qualifications
- Minimum 3-5 years of experience of international development with demonstrable track record of working with donors.
- PhD or master’s degree in Agricultural sciences, Business Administration, Economics, or any other relevant field.
- Professional qualifications in relevant field(s), that enhances proficiency in analytical research, communication, leadership, and strategic planning or execution.
- Minimum of 15 years’ experience in international development leading strategic planning, corporate bottom-line performance management, and resource allocation and accountability decision-making.
- At least 7 years of experience in a senior leadership role.
- Excellent organizational and analytical skills and the ability to formulate recommendations and improve team dynamics.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills including tact, patience, and acumen and the ability to work with many, diverse individuals, and groups across various functions.
- Skill in management and leadership with the ability to direct programs, staff, and cross-functional teams in an efficient and effective manner.
- The ability to maintain effective and harmonious relations with the organization’s stakeholders.
- The ability to work effectively under pressure, handle multiple priorities, tasks, demands and time- sensitive pressurized situations.
go to method of application »
Job Reference: PID/TD/05/2023
The Position Summary
Reporting to the Director, Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), the Team Leader, Capacity Building and Technical Support will be responsible for CESSA’s delivery of capacity building technical support activities, provide technical support, including sourcing, contracting, scoping and oversight of the Unit and manage key stakeholder relationships and development of delivery programs and services, and capacity building activities across various initiatives in CESSA.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Develop a capacity building plan and curricula based on the analysis of the needs assessment and discussions with various partners with the support of the Training Coordinator and Digital Learning Management Specialist.
- Responsible for capacity building initiatives including convenings and exchange visits for partners and stakeholders including trainees.
- Ensure quality training is offered according to the identified needs. Training could be offered by teams within or outside CESSA.
- Responsible for ensuring that program activities are properly resourced for, and supplies are requested on time an according the systems and protocols.
- Direct and manage the implementation of high-quality program activities in line with grant agreements and with technical requirements.
- Integrate various Capacity Building frameworks covering all sections of the seed systems for targeted countries as per the training needs assessment from national SeedSAT assessments.
- Organize and provide an on-going support to the team by creating Capacity Building and Training Assessment opportunities.
- Monitor progress of activities against planned achievements, outcomes, and impact; evaluate the continued relevance and appropriateness of the intervention.
- Ensure that the progress reports and relevant donor reports are timely, of high quality and serve to inform management decisions.
- Influence through leadership by establishing certain moderators that integrate and shape the program into a solid team working towards a high performing organization.
- Identify mentoring models that could be used to build capacity, consult with putative mentee stakeholders to understand their capacity building needs.
- Build seed systems capacity building networks in the continent and beyond for refining and keeping up to date the capacity building programs in CESSA.
- Conceptualize viable ideas in developing new capacity building and training models to improve on the deliverables in the program.
- Design relevant capacity building programs in liaison with several experts within AGRA and form other relevant institutions to meet the capacity building objective of CESSA.
- Assess the existing training programs in AGRA and in other likeminded institutions to form a basis of the training programs in CESSA.
- Create an enabling environment for the teams under supervision to effectively deliver on objectives.
Relevant Experience & Professional Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Agricultural sciences, rural development, education, business or economics or relevant field.
- A PhD in a relevant field will be an added advantage.
- Minimum of 10 to 15 years of experience spanning operational strategic managerial and leadership.
- Excellent organizational and analytical skills and the ability to formulate recommendations and improve team dynamics
go to method of application »
Job Reference: PID/TD/06/2023
The Position Summary
Reporting to the Director, Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), the Team Leader, Catalytic Grants and AGRA Advisory Services will be responsible for CESSA’s responsible for the CESSA’s delivery of catalytic investments in the program. Advisory Services role will entail delivering supportive technical AGRA advisory services based on SeedSAT recommendations as prioritized across the seed systems eight thematic areas but also according to needs arising to strengthen and improve the seed system.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Deliver on CESSA offerings in the technical areas around catalytic grants, Business Development Services, digital tools, meetings and convenings, provision of knowledge products, thematic areas, and Business Development Services
- Oversee the process for writing grant proposals in collaboration with thematic area Leads that outlines how CESSA would utilize the funding.
- Maintain working knowledge of CESSA programs and priority funding areas and remain abreast of current research, activities, and trends in the philanthropic sector.
- Ensure that the grant funds, when awarded, are appropriately used for the intended purpose.
- Maintain regular communication with other AGRA/CESSA professionals to determine the development partners to lobby for funding.
- Work with finance to generate reporting required for compliance and financial statement audits.
- Integrate several tools to monitor grants for legal, financial, and program compliance including but not limited to ensuring that grant requirements are correctly documented in the grant files and database.
- Organize periodic Program Team staff meetings, including provision of work-related updates to ensure smooth running of program activities.
- Coordinates review and approvals for grantees proposals, no-cost extensions and modifications and submissions to Grants Unit for approval.
- Delivers together with the Director and Team the preparation of donor reports, board reports, AGRA annual and quarterly reports.
- Advise all partners in developing SOPs for better delivery of AGRA advisory services under CESSA.
- Align grantee achievements against targets and collaborate with relevant TALs and grantee to identify any consistencies.
- Influence the grantees in employing best practices in executing the activities under the grants awarded for meeting the CESSA objectives for the grants.
- Mentor youth in disseminating important information towards improving agricultural activities, Work with the capacity and Training team to determine how to conduct the trainings virtually or face to face with an well-developed train the-trainer model.
- Motivate your team for solving problems around complex grant scenarios through consultations/liaison with finance and legal entities.
- Manage implementation of a new grants management system and other technology improvements, including development plans and timelines, staff communication, testing and troubleshooting, documentation, training, and release cycles.
- Conceptualize ideas towards innovation towards Improvement of managing catalytic grants and offering a wide range of advisory services.
- • Design and maintain filing systems for the Foundation’s paper and electronic records.
- Design a research uptake plan for all advisory services rendered to stakeholders to influence on policy for practice improvement.
- Assess, monitor, and document the grantmaking workflow processes, forms, templates, reports and data to assure full compliance with internal controls and legal requirements.
Relevant Experience & Professional Qualifications
- At least PhD or Master’s degree in agriculture, agricultural economics or relevant field
- Specialty in seed systems or technology will be an added advantage.
- Minimum of 10 to 15 years of experience spanning operational strategic managerial and leadership.
- Excellent organizational and analytical skills and the ability to formulate recommendations and improve team dynamics.
Method of Application
If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV (including your e-mail address and telephone contacts to recruit@agra.org noting to quote the job reference number in the subject of your email) To be considered, applications must be received on or before 7th May 2023.
Build your CV for free. Download in different templates.
Gmail
Yahoomail