2 Agronomy Advisors Needed at TechnoServe

Vacancy title: 2 Agronomy Advisors

Type: FULL TIME

Category: Admin & Office

Jobs at: TechnoServe

Deadline of this Job: 10 March 2020

Duty Station: Within Uganda , several , East Africa

JOB DETAILS:
Duty Station: Mbarara, Bushenyi, Ntungamo, Sheema, Uganda
Reports to: Senior Agronomy Advisor
Duration: 1 year 9 months
TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.
About Program:
TechnoServe is implementing a four-year coffee agronomy training program that seeks to improve incomes for 30,000 coffee farming households in Central and Western Uganda by increasing their coffee farm productivity. This will be achieved by promoting improved coffee agronomic practices at the farm level through a two-year structured and farm-based training program based on the coffee growing cycle. The training will be conducted by locally recruited and trained Farmer Trainers (FTs) and delivered in three different cohorts. It is expected that up to 60% of the target households will adopt at least half of the coffee best practices, which will translate to at least 50% increase in coffee yields. To validate the impact of the program on yield increase and attribute the results to actions of the program, a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) is conducted by external agencies.
Job Summary: The Agronomy Advisor shall support the implementation of strategies that will enable clients to achieve sustainable increases in coffee quality and yields. .

Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Planning and management of Farmer Trainers (FTs)
• Supervise 8 to 12 Farmer Trainers (FTs)
• Prepare and submit weekly work plan and monthly training schedules
• Collect and review weekly training plans and attendance data from FT’s. Ensure completeness, accuracy and clarify of data prior to submission for processing
• Clearly communicate goals and roles and responsibilities to Farmer Trainers
• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities related to performance management
• Develop a team spirit among all reports
• Conduct monthly Agronomy trainings to FTs
• Model monthly agronomy training to FTs at local training demonstration plots
• Supervise teach-backs and give feedback to Farmer Trainers
• Prepare and ensure all training materials reach FT’s in a timely manner.
• Observe FT’s delivering training to farmers
• Observe full training delivered to farmers by assigned Farmer Trainers (FTs)
• Check attendance form, cross check with number of farmers seen as present. Ensure reported data is accurate, clear and complete.
• Complete training observation assessment on tablet and give feedback and coaching to the FT.
• Each FT must be observed at least once a month, with a minimum of 9 observations in total per month.
Visit farmer fields and demonstration plots
• Visit randomly selected farmers, discuss training, farmer adoption and challenges and complete best practice check list on tablet
• Meet with Focal Farmer (FF), check demo plot status and discuss any challenges and innovations
• Complete demonstration plot assessment on tablet. Give feedback to FT on improvements required. A minimum of 10 demonstration plot visits and assessments to be made each month.
Attendance Monitoring
• Support the FT to develop strategies to encourage the attendance of women at training.
• Collect, check for completion and submit complete set of FT’s attendance sheets to the M&E team within 1 week of training completion.
• Compile weekly attendance update and discuss any attendance issues with FT’s and develop actions to solve problems.
Stakeholder Management
• Create a good working relationship with stakeholders and manage quarterly update meetings with local stakeholders including district, sub-county, parish and village leaders
• Program representation and expansion
• Lead and manage the expansion of the agronomy program into a new operational area including needs assessment, stakeholder sensitization, farmer mobilization, group formation and recruitment of FTs.
• Be a program ambassador at the operational area
• Provide translation and contextualization services to high-level visitors
• Spearhead efforts in making the agronomy program more gender inclusive and conflict sensitive using local customs etc.
• Provide support to the Uganda country operations as required.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
• The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agribusiness, Crop science, Horticulture or related agricultural sciences. May accept diploma and more than five years’ experience in lieu of Degree.
• A minimum of three years of professional experience – ideally in the private sector – in one or more of the following areas: agriculture, small and medium enterprise development, farmer associations or cooperatives, project management, financing, engineering, community development
• Strong planning abilities; prior experience working to tight and strict deadlines
• Ability to lead a team and work collaboratively within a team; prior experience managing direct reports
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, Willingness to spend significant time in rural areas.
• Experience working with farmers is essential
• Experience riding motorcycles and a valid riding permit
• Experience working in the project location and knowledge of Runyakitara are essential

Job Education: Bachelor’s degree

Job Experience: Three years

Work Hours: 8

 

Job application procedure
All qualified and interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter in one single Microsoft Word document to pkabagambe@tns.org
NB: Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Due to a high volume of applicants, please understand that we are able to contact only those who meet the minimum qualifications. No phone calls, please. TechnoServe encourages diversity in all levels and across all facets of our organization. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.