State Coordinator (Jigawa) at HarvestPlus – International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting on behalf of HarvestPlus to fill the position below:

Job Title: State Coordinator

Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2022-013
Location: Jigawa
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)

Duties

• Technically coordinate, implement, and monitor biofortified crops value chains and support HarvestPlus partners and stakeholders in the implementation of projects.
• Develop appropriate business models and plans for the implementation and delivery of biofortified crops value chains.
• Work with seed companies and aggregators to ensure production, distribution, and marketing of biofortified seeds and produce and also work with seed companies and agro dealers to ensure access to seeds at state and LGA levels.
• Support seed value chains with demand creation exercises and demos to stimulate demand for biofortified crops.
• Facilitate contractual relationship between producers and aggregators.
• Integrate commodity brokers into the various value chains to support marketing of biofortified produce at the various commodity markets/hubs.
• Coordinate and network with relevant stakeholders/actors operating in the various biofortified value chains.
• Provide technical competence for the implementation of activities using a market systems development approach.
• Build capacity of technical partners and stakeholders to foster market system upgrading.
• Implement diagnostics and assessments to evaluate market opportunities, identify partners, and design project partnerships and activities.
• Provide thought advice for the project implementing area private sector businesses, and other stakeholders in improving the market system.
• Work closely with the field team to strategize and implement activities aligned with the annual HarvestPlus FCDO project targets.
• Develop and implement technical, organizational and business advisory services, and support to the creation of enabling environment
• Work closely with the state ministries of agriculture to integrate biofortification into their yearly programs.
• Develop and implement advisory service models that will deliver appropriate value chain-wide technical support
• Contribute to monitoring, reporting to monthly, biannual and annual progress reports and evaluation of program activities.
• Prepare, moderate, document meetings and workshops and organize field trips as requested.
• Organize and implement field trainings and workshops.
• Coordinate the work of consultants’/resource persons
• Perform any other job-related task as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, or any other Service Management courses with a minimum of six (6) years’ experience performing similar or related role in a well-structured organization.
• Training in the areas of value chain approach, cooperatives/social entrepreneurship, banking and finance, non-governmental organization (NGO) administration, business development services, policy formulation and advocacy is an added advantage.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must:

• Have good report writing skill and high competency on Microsoft excel and PowerPoint, basic presentation skills and good at making networks.
• Have ability to communicate fluently in Hausa language.
• Have experience in implementing climate and nutrition sensitive value chains in crisis areas.
• Have experience working with/for agro-industries or development organization facilitating and promoting private sector agricultural development initiatives.
• Have knowledge of agricultural extension skills and smallholder capacity building
• Person with a focus of inclusive business models
• Have experience in integration of stakeholders into value chains
• Have knowledge in identifying constraints and strengthening of weak linkages in value chains
• Have experience in implementing climate and nutrition sensitive value chain projects in Northern Nigeria.

Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Closing Date
8th August, 2022.