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. Our work is rooted in the idea that hardworking people can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With five decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

The role

As the Agronomy Advisor you oversee the trainers who work directly with the Regrow Yirga program’s 42,000 coffee farmers. You will coach and supervise trainers to effectively deliver lessons plans, conduct farmer visits, and report data on attendance and adoption. You will report directly to the Senior Agronomy Advisor while overseeing at least 7 trainers who provide monthly training on good agricultural practices to farmer groups. You will use and refine agronomy strategies that enable smallholder coffee farmers to increase their yields and quality.

Our ideal candidate –

• Has a Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, supply chain management, agricultural economics, rural development or a related field.
• Has at least three years of professional work experience, preferably including experience in or with the private sector. No prior coffee experience required.
• Demonstrates strong planning and leadership skills, with a history of high quality work within strict timelines.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Amharic (knowledge of Afan Oromo, Sidamigna, or Gedigna is an added advantage).
• Is an empathetic listening with good problem-solving skills.
• Is passionate about working with farmers and rural development; willing to be located in Dilla town with frequent time spent traveling to project training sites in rural areas.
• Embraces our values of collegiality (we stick our necks out for each other), integrity (doing the ‘right thing’ regardless), resourcefulness (solve problems) and results (bias for action).

The Project

The project will help farmers boost productivity and expand trade. Specifically, the Regrow Yirga program seeks to serve 42,000+ farmers, 45+ processing businesses, and coffee industry service providers. The project will launch an innovative Farmer Stumping Fund which will facilitate direct incentive (tools or cash) transfers to farmers to encourage tree rejuvination which has the potential to be scaled up to over 1 million coffee farmers nation-wide.

This USD 15 million project finds its roots in TechnoServe’s 10+ years of experience working with the coffee farmers in Ethiopia. Our work was recently honored as the “Origin Charity of the Year” by the National Coffee Association – the leading trade organization for the coffee industry in the United States.

What We Offer

We offer competitive salaries and career growth opportunities. We offer online learning resources from top universities. We provide regular training to all our staff to equip you with the coffee-specific technical know-how for you to excel. We provide autonomy in your job and you get to be part of a stellar team and shape the project from its inception. You will be challenged and grow as a professional. We offer a diverse team environment and highly encourage women and underrepresented groups to apply. And of course… we serve great coffee and host occasional fun team activities.