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.

Program Description

The Alliance for Incisive and Nutritious Food Processing (AINFP) is a public partnership regional project funded by USAID and Partners in Food Solution (PFS). The program is implemented in five Countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. The program aims to enhance competitiveness of local food processing sector and enterprises to ultimately increase availably of nutritious food particularly for the bottom of the pyramid market segment. In Ethiopia, it provides technical assistance to food processing enterprises, in areas of food technology, business development and market linkages.

Position Description:

The Senior Food Processing Specialist will provide on-the -ground technical advisory services to selected food processors at country level. In coordination with the Program Manager the Senior Food Processing Specialist will develop and deliver standardized trainings to address technical fundamentals of food processing. S/he will collaborate with other team members in-country and across the project, to ensure coordinated and impactful implementation.

Responsibilities:

• Food Processor Selection
• Collect objective and verifiable information for selection of processors who will contribute to intended program impacts.
• Participate in client selection processors based on applications, interviews and site visits, and verification of information supplied in the initial application.
• Assist documentation of the program client selection process.
• Food Processor Assessment
• Support assessment of selected processors to identify priority technical challenges.
• Together with the Program Manager share and discuss the assessment with the client to verify findings, seek clarifications and ensure a common understanding of the priorities.
• Contribute to categorization of selected processors into predefined segments to pair them with the appropriate level and sophistication of technical advice.
• Processor Relationship Management
• Keep good relationship with assigned clients (food processors and others).
• Ensure regular communication to maintain clients’ satisfaction with program support and early identification of any problems.
• Plan activities and discuss with Program Manager on action items, to ensure that the shared objectives are met within the set times.
• Technical Assistance
• Develop and deliver standardized trainings and quick win solutions to less sophisticated clients with simpler technical and business needs.
• Follow up (through site visits and regular phone communication with clients) on-the-ground implementation of volunteer experts’ technical advice, on issues identified through the business diagnostic.
• In collaboration with Program Manager, develop project charters for food processing challenges that requires complex technical advisory
• Backup project files and client information on google drive
• Sector Wide Trainings
• Support the program Capacity Development Lead, and local training institutes with technical input and reviewing curricula for sector wide training in support of broader industry development.
• Facilitate and follow up training event organization process, which includes communication with training participants, supporting local training institute/consultant and working with TechnoServe admin team to arrange training venues.
• Lead the high end market linkages
• Actively lead the initiative of the Ethiopian Airlines raw material sourcing.
• Provide customized technical assistance for selected clients that supply their product with Ethiopian Airlines.
• Assist the capacity gap assessment work of the AINFP on raw material sourcing for Ethiopian airlines initiatives,
• Liaise with the Ethiopian airlines and facilitate different agreement with the processors.
• Liaise with the Market Linkages Specialist to facilitate market linkage with potential suppliers for Ethiopian Airlines local sourcing strategy.
• Document the learnings, case studies and reports that relate to this initiative
• Market Linkages
• Liaise with the Market Linkages Specialist to identify processors with an interest to improve supply chain linkages to smallholder farmers and high end markets like Ethiopian Airlines local sourcing strategy.
• Liaise with the Market Linkages Specialist to identify processors with an interest to market nutritious products to low income markets.
• Support the Market Linkages Specialist and Program Manager to collect information from food processors and consumer groups to better understand demand for nutritious products.
• Gender Integration
• Understand all gender integration requirements (donor as well as internal to TechnoServe)
• Ensure that 40% of the clients selected for technical assistance and/or trainings are women led or women owned businesses.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree + 5 years experience, Master’s Degree + 3 years experience years in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering or related area, Master’s degree preferred
• At least 3 years’ work experience in food processing; 2-year experience working in a food manufacturing sector/plant preferred
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) as well as worker safety.
• Deep understanding of at least one of the following:
• Dairy processing technology process flow for diary product manufacturing and packaging
• Cereal processing technology and process flow for wheat flour production, biscuit products manufacturing and baby food products manufacturing
• Fruit and vegetable processing technology
• Nutrition and nutrition products development
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Good computer skills in business software (Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint).
• Strong English language skills.

Success Factors:

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.

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:

• Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
• Donor/Partnership Management: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
• 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.