Regional Monitoring Manager at Technoserve

Supervisor: Global Coffee Sustainability Director

Travel: International approximately 30%

Grade: 10b

Position Description: The Regional Monitoring Manager, Coffee Africa provides strategic and technical oversight of monitoring systems for our coffee practice in Africa. The regional monitoring manager will oversee the development and management of digital systems that collect, analyze and present data on farmer attendance and program performance monitoring (PIMA). PIMA is the monitoring platform for Coffee Africa programs at TechnoServe, tracking program performance and staff activities.

Tailored PIMA reports are used by all levels of management to make informed management decisions. The system currently provides monitoring of training attendance and training observation assessments. The vision for PIMA is that it will provide real-time monitoring of all program activities leading to increased program quality and cost efficiency.

Primary activities include, but are not limited to:

PIMA Monitoring System

• Oversee the development and management of the PIMA monitoring system to track field management of programs
• Working with program management teams to design, test and roll-out new features in the PIMA system to track performance of field teams and the efficiency of program interventions
• Ensure tailored weekly PIMA dashboards are delivered to all relevant management and field staff
• Ensure Standard Operating Procedures are in place as a guide to users

Coffee Farm College Farmer Attendance

• Oversee the development and management of farmer attendance collection systems to ensure data is collected and analyzed in a timely manner
• Develop and oversee back-checking systems that ensure farmer attendance is recorded accurately
• Oversee farmer attendance databases to ensure accuracy and integration with donor databases, where applicable
• Oversee generation of monthly and quarterly attendance scorecards for all Coffee Farm College programs ensuring accuracy
• Ensure Standard Operating Procedures are in place as a guide to users

Required Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in management, business administration, agricultural economics, international development or relevant field, or equivalent work experience
• At least 7 years of relevant IT System development and delivery experience, including systems development, implementation, operations, maintenance, and support activities, within a relevant
  field (e.g., Access to Finance, Micro-Finance, Farmer Outreach, Mobile-Payments)
• Strong leadership, supervisory, communication and coordination skills required
• Strategic and analytical thinking skills
• Exceptional interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
• Fluent user of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Previous experience with Salesforce or similar data management platforms advantageous

Physical Requirements:

The person in this position must be able to:

• Travel in work environments that may present physical challenges in regard to traversing rough terrain, tolerating extreme climate/weather conditions, and at times safety, security and/or health concerns.
• When not in the field, may remain in a stationary position for an extended number of hours throughout the day using a computer, frequently communicating by telephone or Skype, and in meeting with others
• Occasionally move items weighing up to 20 lbs. and able to transport and position their luggage when traveling;
• Occasionally ascend/descend stairs; and
• Frequently move about inside the office to access files, cabinets, office machinery, and meeting rooms.

Success Factor

Core Competencies include:

• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

Job Specific / Technical Competencies include:

• Computer Literacy: Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace.
• Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.
• Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.
• Internal Client Focus: Client Focus is based on the ability to understand the organization’s needs and concerns in the short to long-term and to provide sound recommendations and/or solutions.

Managerial Competencies Include:

• Emotional Intelligence: The act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others. Emotional intelligence consists of 4 attributes: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
• Strategic Thinking: Managers should recognize key actions, underlying problems, make connection and patterns, see consequences and implications. Anticipates obstacles realistically and plans ways to deal with them.
• Staff Development: managers are required to work with employees to plan on the development of skills and abilities so that they can fulfil current or future job/role responsibilities more effectively.
• Trust to Delegate: managers should have trust and willingness to assign responsibilities to direct reports and give them discretion and authority to carry them out.
• Feedback/Coaching (mentoring): managers should give instructions, suggestions, explanations, and feedback to subordinates. (SPI+R)