Job Title: Business Advisor

Organisation: TechnoServe (TNS)

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

Job Category: Operations

Requisition Number: BUSIN002766

About US:

TechnoServe (TNS) is an international non-profit international development organization founded in 1968. Its mission is to help entrepreneurial men and women break the cycle of poverty by building businesses that create jobs, income, and economic opportunities for their families, their communities, and their countries.

Program Description:

Through the four-year HortiMAP program funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Technoserve and partners BID Capital, Wageningen University and Research and PUM Netherland will transform the horticulture industry in Uganda. The program combines catalytic funding through a Market Development Facility and Technical Assistance fund to leverage private sector and local resources and expertise to strengthen SMEs and local supply chains, while delivering world-class entrepreneurship training to farmers and retailers to realize their potential. These interventions are expected to increase incomes for more than 31,000 horticulture farmers, create 12,000 jobs, and improve access to healthy, safe food for 270,000 Ugandan consumers.

Job Summary: This position is part of the Horticultural Value Chain Development Team which works to oversee and deliver high quality technical assistance to MDF clients, enterprises within their supply chain, and farmers.

The Business Advisor will work closely with partnership managers, Business Counsellors, participants, local stakeholders, and partners, as well as respective country and regional management.  S/he will be responsible for delivering training to higher-capacity MSME clients and overseeing quality delivery of training delivered by HortiMAP Agronomy Advisors and Business Counsellors. Additionally, the business advisor will coordinate activities and operations in the region and act as key contact point for partners and stakeholders within the region including providing support to different SMEs implementing business models under catalytic financing in the region

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Use TechnoServe’s tested assessment tools to benchmark producer organizations capacity and help identify areas for improvement, deliver coaching and mentorship to the producer organizations on identified gaps.
• Link producer organizations to business development service providers to build capacity in core areas such governance, marketing, member services, and inclusive leadership of women and youth.
• Deliver TechnoServe’s proven entrepreneurship training to micro-enterprises.
• Support Business Counsellors in delivering entrepreneurship training and business mentorship to micro-entrepreneurs (fresh fruits and vegetable vendors)
• Facilitate linkages between and among clients (farmers, vendors, micro-ratailers), and to services and products
• Ensure the delivery of technical training packages by associate agronomy advisors is of high quality, is appropriate to the local context, and is effectively reaching participants;
• Collect baseline figures and measure impact in order to monitor progress (M&E)
• Planning and coordinating of activities in the region to ensure that the objectives of the program are met within the set times and resources and that impact is maximized
• Periodic reporting of the situation on the ground to provide both data and anecdotal evidence of impact
• Oversee quality delivery of training delivered by HortiMAP Associate Agronomy Advisors and Business Counsellors.
• Coordinating the activities and operations in the region and act as a key contact person to partners, collaborators and stakeholders in the region
• Provide support to SMEs implementing business models under catalytic financing, including indirect monitoring and oversight on the activities of the SMEs.
• Any other duties assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• A degree in any of the following field; Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, Agriculture Economics or any other related disciplines. OR a Master’s degree and 1-year experience.
• Minimum of 3 years’ field and technical experience with agribusiness development, youth development, or entrepreneurship in Uganda.
• Knowledge of the agri-business sector in the country
• Strong private sector experience and entrepreneurial skills
• Knowledge of business management, marketing plan development, business plan development, supply chain studies and market surveys
• Experience in the financial markets and products
• Proven understanding of Monitoring and Evaluation tools and practices
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
• Good computer skills in business software (Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint)
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills a must;
• Ability to develop well-written, cohesive analyses and reports;
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships;
• Ability to ride Motorcycle with valid riding permit, or willingness to learn and acquire permit in one-month period.

Career Pathways:

The positions that may be a next career opportunity for employees in this job title include Senior Business Advisor.

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, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes. We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

Qualifications

Skills

Required

• CommunicationsAdvanced
• InterpersonalAdvanced
• AgricultureAdvanced

Behaviors

Required

• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Leader: Inspires teammates to follow them
• Innovative: Consistently introduces new ideas and demonstrates original thinking
• Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
• Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Motivations

Required

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Inspired to perform well by an ability to drive new ventures within the business
• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help
• Goal Completion: Inspired to perform well by the completion of tasks
• Flexibility: Inspired to perform well when granted the ability to set your own schedule and goals
• Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization

Experience

Required

• Experience in the financial markets and products
• Proven understanding of Monitoring and Evaluation tools and practices
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
• Knowledge of the agri-business sector in the country
• Strong private sector experience and entrepreneurial skills
• Knowledge of business management, marketing plan development, business plan development, supply chain studies and market surveys 3 years:
• A degree in any of the following field; Enterpreneurship, Agribusiness, Agriculture Economics or any other related disciplines. OR a Master’s degree and 1-year experience.
• Minimum of 3 years’ field and technical experience with agribusiness development, youth development, or entrepreneurship in Uganda.

How to Apply:

All applicants who wish to join Technoserve in this capacity should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

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