Vacancies at TechnoServe Kenya

Job Summary:

The Inclusive Business Specialist is responsible for shaping and delivering technical assistance to SME food processor clients in Kenya. S/he will work closely with clients and value chain experts (short-term consultants) who are brought on-board to develop the IBPs and IMPs, as well as liaise with staff from TechnoServe’s Alliance for Inclusive and Nutritious Food Processing (AINFP) program, to:

• Develop and support implementation of Inclusive Business Plans (IBPs): oversee technical assistance and cost-share (co-investment) towards implementation of IBP recommendations
• Support optimization and implementation of Inclusive Marketing Plans (IMPs) to help clients effectively reach BoP markets.

The Inclusive Business Specialist will report to the Program Manager.

Program/Practice/Department Overview:

With an overarching mission to reduce poverty and increase resilience in the countries where we work,

TechnoServe aims to achieve two long-term goals through this program: 1) Catalyze inclusive growth, both upstream and downstream, of gender-diverse SME food processors in Sub-Saharan Africa; and 2) Increase women-led business’ access to resources (finance and technical knowledge/skills) and profitability, in order to fuel women’s economic empowerment across Sub-Saharan Africa. Profitable, growing agribusinesses with farmer-based supply chains, gender-responsive policies and practices, and reach into base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) markets can be the linchpin of resilient African food systems, holding particular promise for creating commercial value while also stimulating employment, livelihoods, food security, access to nutritious foods, and women’s economic empowerment. Investing in women-owned and led businesses contributes significantly to economic growth, including job creation.

Through this 3-year program, TechnoServe will provide customized technical assistance and co-investment funding to more than 20 gender-diverse small- and medium-sized (SME) food processors in Kenya and Tanzania to catalyze inclusive growth. Specifically, TechnoServe will support clients to: 1) strengthen their smallholder farmer sourcing models to benefit both clients and their farmer suppliers by developing and implementing customized Inclusive Business Plans; and 2) reach BoP markets by developing and implementing Inclusive Marketing Plans, to benefit clients and consumers.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Technical
• Help develop selection criteria for participating food processors
• Meet with and select food processors to participate in the program; recommend clients for continuation or cessation of program activities
• Oversee/lead the development of inclusive business plans and inclusive marketing plans, which will include: working closely with short-term value chain specialists; conducting interviews with food processors and other key stakeholders; reviewing data; and organizing/participating in field visits
• Oversee co-investment grants with a subset of selected processors

Program Coordination

• Serve as contact for clients for this initiative; coordinate with the AINFP team, who are the relationship “owners”
• Coordinate with the AINFP team and other TechnoServe programs and specialists to identify potential clients / select clients, and to execute program activities
• Help interview, select, and manage short-term value chain experts brought on to develop IBPs and optimize IMPs.

Program Quality and Impact

• Collaborate with Program Manager and AINFP team members to achieve program targets and objectives
• Assume ownership and accountability for high-quality programming
• Ensure quality controls for any grantee partners, in line with Technoserve policies and procedures

Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Regularly collect program data, in collaboration with the Program Manager and AINFP team
• Monitor program performance against targets, and work with Program Manager to develop action plans to overcome challenges
• Record learnings from program implementation, and collaborate with Program Manager to develop knowledge products to share these learnings

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Program Execution

• Strong understanding of market systems, agribusiness operations, and inclusive business models or inclusive marketing strategies (base-of-pyramid marketing strategies)
• Client focus. Understands client concerns/priorities, in order to guide technical assistance
• Effectively plans and prioritizes activities
• Committed to strong program performance
• Committed to compliance with organizational policies

Collaboration & Relationship Building

• Works cooperatively with team members to achieve common goals
• Builds trusted, productive relationships with staff, clients, and key stakeholders
• Uses sound judgment to escalate issues when necessary

Strategic and Innovative Thinking

• Builds strategic relationships to achieve program goals
• Seeks out opportunities to learn and actively applies new knowledge and skills
• Analytical; able to assess and diagnose challenges, and evaluate alternative courses of action to produce practical and effective solutions
• “How might we…?” mindset, striving for continuous improvement in program quality and impact

Effective Communication

• Able to tailor communication to different audiences and work at multiple levels
• Strong business writing skills; able to express self clearly and effectively through writing
• Clear speaker; able to convey ideas and information effectively through speaking

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, business, agriculture, or other relevant discipline
• 3+ years of professional experience in agribusiness, business, agriculture, or a related field
• Significant knowledge and understanding of the business and technical challenges of agro-processing in Kenya

go to method of application »

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Chief of Party for TechnoServe’s AINFP program, the Program Manager (PM) will be responsible for implementation, quality, and impact of the “Implementing Inclusive Growth Strategies for Gender-Diverse Food Processing SMEs in Kenya & Tanzania” program, funded by Visa Foundation. S/he will oversee client pipeline development and selection for program support. The PM will coordinate with members of TechnoServe’s Alliance for Inclusive and Nutritious Food Processing (AINFP) program, and other TechnoServe programs, to implement program activities. S/he will also be responsible for aggregating program data, supporting monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), compiling lessons learned and producing knowledge products that will be used to inform future programming.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Technical

• Develop selection criteria for participating food processors, together with Inclusive Business Specialists
• Select food processors for the program, together with Inclusive Business Specialists
• Provide support/oversight to Inclusive Business Specialists as they drive development of inclusive business plans and inclusive marketing plans with short-term value chain specialists. Support includes: guiding the strategies and technical interventions for the inclusive business plans and inclusive marketing plans for each food processor; ensuring high-quality data collection and analysis; and joining interviews with food processors and other key stakeholders
• Develop a structure for the co-investment element of the program, and manage all elements of disbursement and tracking. Collaborate with AINFP Chief of Party to establish the process/criteria for determining grantees and the amounts of the awards, as well as disbursing and tracking grant use.

Program Coordination and Management

• Directly manage and provide guidance to 2 full-time Inclusive Business Specialists
• Coordinate with the AINFP team and other TechnoServe programs and specialists to identify/select clients, and carry out other program activities (*note* a majority of clients for this program will be selected from among AINFP’s current active clients)
• Ensure compliance with TechnoServe and funder regulations

Program Quality and Impact

• Optimize and implement the program strategy to achieve program targets and objectives
• Assume ownership and accountability for high-quality programming and the resulting outputs and outcomes in Kenya and Tanzania

Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Coordinate with Inclusive Business Specialists and AINFP team members to regularly and accurately collect program data
• Analyze program data to track program performance against targets, and develop/execute strategies to overcome challenges and constraints
• Record and compile learnings from program implementation. Develop knowledge products to share program learnings, and coordinate with Communications team to disseminate these knowledge products internally and externally.

Funder Communication & Reporting

• Coordinate/provide program updates to the funder at an agreed-upon frequency, ensuring that the appropriate TechnoServe staff are included and serve as the main program contact for the funder.
• Lead program reporting efforts, and ensure timely delivery of reports to the funder.
• Ensure clear and effective communication of the program to all relevant parties.
• Build reputation of the program through sharing of evidence-based impact and participation in key stakeholder events.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business, agribusiness, economics, agriculture or other relevant discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in a relevant field: agribusiness, business, entrepreneurship, or related.
• Significant knowledge and understanding of the business and/or technical challenges of agro-processing in Kenya and/or Tanzania.
• Strong quantitative skills; comfortable aggregating and analyzing data, and using data insights to guide programmatic decisions.
• Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Preferred Experience:

• Management consulting or business advisory service
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation and learning for agricultural programs & co-investment grants.
• Managing multiple, complex stakeholder relationships & Strategic planning
• Private sector agribusiness experience or management of a donor-funded private sector development program

Required Languages

• Fluency in English (speaking, reading, writing)
• Kiswahili is preferred

Travel

• Willingness and ability to travel within Kenya and Tanzania

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Leadership

• Works cooperatively and flexibly with team members to achieve common goals
• Provides leadership and mentorship to staff and clients to build capacity
• Takes ownership of decisions, and uses sound judgment to escalate issues when necessary