REPORTS TO: Program Manager

REPORTING TO POSTHOLDER: CDOs, Cashier Accountant and Admin Assistant, Driver

LOCATION: Halaba/ Durame town

DURATION & HOURS: up to 31 December 2022 with 60 working days of probation period

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The overall responsibility of this position holder is to coordinate planning and execution of CSA, weather and market information activities of the project. He/she will be specifically responsible in planning, execution of capacity building trainings, organize farmer’s SMS and digital platforms, ensure dissemination of timely weather and market info to target farmers and provide technical support to government counterparts. He/she ensures that communities are engaged in making use of market info in adoption of CSA practices and improved agricultural production and marketing. This project is expecting to complement the current CSA project funded by Sida which requires close collaboration and consultation with the CSA project staff at field level and ensure partnership with government stakeholders, NGOs and other relevant agencies in the project operational woredas/areas.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Key areas of responsibilities are:

• In consultation with the Programme Manager, concerned field staff and local partners, review and prepare the project’s work plan and budget as per Farm Africa review plan.
• Ensure that project activities are implemented and outputs achieved as planned and within the agreed budget, including the development of robust CSA practices.
• Plan and execute capacity building trainings, and organize farmer’s SMS and digital platforms.
• Ensure dissemination of timely market info to target farmers and provide technical support to government counterparts.
• Ensures that communities are engaged in making use of weather and market info in adoption of CSA practices and improved agricultural production and marketing.
• Provide support to SMS and digital smart phone service providers to create a direct link between the needs of vulnerable populations and any agent that can produce (and improve) climate and market information products available to them;
• Design and implement a communications menses, focused on training and mentoring of government staff, lead farmers and agro-dealers on communicating weather and market info to target farmers through SMS, digital smartphone and FM radio.
• Work with SMS, digital smartphone and FM radio service providers toward the implementation of all activities outlined in MoUs; handles all communication with said partners and follows up on the compliance of the partner stations to the terms and conditions of the agreement;
• Provide technical support to government staff, lead farmers and targeted farmers in the uptake and adoption of bundle CSA practices that can contribute to improvement of agricultural productivity.
• Access and promote innovative CSA practices including farmers indigenous knowledge in the development and upscaling of climate-smart agriculture.
• Train farmers and agro-dealers on CSA and ICTs for agriculture
• Facilitate access of smallholder farmers to climate information & advisory services and improved climate-smart farming practices/agricultural input.
• Facilitate documentation of farmer innovations and feedback on CSA to improve further development of CSA practices
• Facilitate linkages between service providers and farmers groups for effective dissemination of market information.
• Responsible for facilitation of capacity building trainings for farmers, woreda experts and cooperatives.
• Review progress regularly, submitting quarterly internal progress review reports outlining progress, issues and actions being taken in the standard format.
• Participate in quarterly internal project progress review sessions including: in-depth review of financial spend/burn rate; achievement against activity and output plan, and a forward look on whether the project is achieving against its objectives, indicators and beneficiaries.
• Proactively identify and monitor any risks to non-delivery and, where required, develop and implement action plans to address issues identified;
• Manage the project within the agreed budget
• Undertake re-forecasts, where required, to reflect changing financial context (e.g., inflation, exchange rates) and the project’s activity
• Identify and analyse the causes of spend variances to the budget and take action as needed
• Implement internal project financial controls, ensuring that financial management in the project field office is in compliance with and exceeds the basic standards contained in the Farm Africa finance procedures manual.
• Review budget monitoring reports, and provide timely explanations and corrective actions for any significant variances
• Ensure that all procurement of goods and services follow the donor and Farm Africa financial requirements.
• Ensure compliance of the project to the Charities and Societies Agency’s 30:70 directives.
• Working closely with the programme’s MEL expert to develop and implement a project monitoring and evaluation process that meets the basic internal and donor monitoring and outcome reporting requirements.
• Work closely with partner organisations to contribute to lessons learned, ensure dissemination and maintain dialogue on key project findings.
• Work closely with Farm Africa both at field and country office.
• Establish and maintain good working relationship with GO, Research institutions and community members.
• These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job-related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.

Job Requirements

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Education, qualifications & other knowledge
• Msc/Bsc in Agriculture, Plant Science, Natural Resource, CSA, General Agriculture and other related disciplines.
• Knowledge of CSA practices, small scale irrigation
• Good practical knowledge in organizing farmer’s SMS and digital platforms as well as dissemination climate and market info
• Good understanding and firm belief in gender equality and issues in rural communities

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in rural development and/or economic strengthening in similar organisation
• Previous NGO work experience in rural development,
• Practical experience of working on community empowerment, agricultural extension, participatory CSA promotion.
• Experience of project planning ,implementation and monitoring and evaluation
• Experience working in the area of disseminating climate and market info to rural community through SMS, digital smartphone and FM radio

Skills & abilities

• Very good English language skills (written and spoken)
• Motor cycle driving skill
• Computer literacy, excellent record keeping and report writing
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Good team building skills and the ability to work in a multi partner approach
• Budget and financial management, training need assessment and training facilitation
• Willingness to reside in rural/marginal areas, ability to work with minimum supervision
• Strong sense of integrity and personal commitment to the goals and values of Farm Africa
• Good community level facilitation and coordination skills

Our Values

Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting the environment and developing businesses in rural Africa.

EXPERT: Expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything Farm Africa does.

GROUNDED: Our teams and partners work closely with local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.

IMPACTFUL: We deliver long lasting change for farmers, their families, and the environments they live in.

BOLD: We model innovative approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are failing.