Short-Term Agribusiness Consultant at Creative Associates International

Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic institutions and stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 25 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Short-Term Agribusiness Consultant (West Africa Trade & Investment Hub)

Location: Abuja

Project Summary

The USAID-funded West Africa Trade and Investment Hub Project (hereinafter referred to as the Trade Hub) is a five-year, $140 million trade and investment facilitation activity that seeks to improve private sector competitiveness in West Africa through a market-based approach. By working in partnership with the private sector and fostering co-investments, the project will generate new private-sector capital investment into key sectors to create jobs and increase trade between the U.S. and West Africa, including through increased utilization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The project comprises of three main components:
- Design and administration of a Co-Investment fund for private sector partnerships, including a portion for partnerships in Research and Development (R&D) towards innovating and modernizing practices in Nigeria across five targeted value chains;
- Technical assistance (TA) that directly supports, coordinates, and engages with qualifying recipients (i.e., partners and grantees) to achieve USAID’s trade and food security objectives;
- Urgently respond to the secondary economic impacts of COVID-19, notably to 1) increase access of working capital with financial actors, 2) prevent and mitigate job losses, and 3) help respond to local and regional supply chain disruptions and shortages of critical medical supplies and services as well as for agricultural inputs and food staples.
Through this Co-Investment Fund and technical assistance, the Trade Hub will improve companies’ abilities to expand business operations, increase productivity, and create jobs that build on the talents and aspirations of West Africa’s growing population. The Trade Hub will collaborate on specific commercial opportunities with firms, service providers, research organizations, as well as other business network actors to access private capital that will contribute to large-scale jobs, exports and investment, particularly with strong demonstrated or potential links to the U.S. companies and investors.

Position Summary

Creative Associates is seeking an Agribusiness Consultant for the Trade Hub for an initial assignment of six months. The consultant will work with the PPP Catalytic and R&D teams in Nigeria to support the development of partnerships with companies, research institutions, and other organizations.

Reporting and Supervision:

The Agribusiness Consultant will report to the R&D Director and the Catalytic PPP Manager, both based in Abuja, Nigeria. He/she will also work closely with the Technical Director (based in the United States) and PPP Director (based in Dakar, Senegal).

Primary Responsibilities

Carefully vet submitted concept notes and full applications to ensure that they address Trade Hub’s technical and development objectives in Nigeria, as well as Trade Hub requirements.
Provide critical agricultural review of submitted concept notes and full applications, including assessing applicant’s business model, investment thesis, and the applicability of the business model and the proposed investment project in meeting Trade Hub’s agricultural development and impact objectives in Nigeria.
Assist and guide applicants in developing high quality concept notes and full applications, including the overall structure and flow of their applications using Trade Hub’s templates, providing detailed instructions for addressing Trade Hub’s technical requirements, and developing and aligning budget and the budget narratives with the technical proposal.
Identify strategic partnership opportunities in close coordination with the PPP team to develop and expand partnerships pipeline for the Trade Hub co-investment grants.
Collect and review information from potential co-investment grantees to ensure strategic fit, market potential, and cost sharing ability.
Complete preliminary analysis and investment memos for projects and partners, and then provide recommendations for shortlisting.
Manage and participate in internal risk reviews and presentations, conduct proposal meetings, assign tasks and set deadlines, track progress, communicate information from partners and internal project departments, and maintain the pipeline management tool
Facilitate registration and application process with potential applicants on the SMART grants’ platform
Provide inputs for quarterly, annual, and other technical reports.

Required Skills and Qualifications

Master’s degree in Agronomy or related field,
Minimum of eight years of work experience, preferably in the agriculture sector. Experience in grants management desired.
Prior farming, agricultural input or logistics experience is highly preferred.
Excellent written and spoken communication skills required, including ability to manage clients and prepare presentations for clients and partners.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional and private sector partners and stakeholders, including research institutions.
Experience working on USAID programs preferred
Experience managing a project with a high volume of grants desired.
Problem solving, stress management and time management skills are required
Proficient at using Microsoft office software: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. Prior experience using web-based applications preferred.
Fluency in one or more of the local languages used in Nigeria is preferred.