Description

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

The Organization

Heifer International is a global development organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. We work with farmers and their communities to identify and invest in business opportunities that deliver living incomes. Since launching in 1944, Heifer International has assisted more than 40 million families to build sustainable food and farming businesses that strengthen rural economies and put people on a pathway to Sustainable Living Income. We work with local farmers, and food producers because we believe ending poverty begins with agriculture.

Heifer International started work in Uganda in 1982 and has since reached and helped over 5 million families across the country. Heifer has worked in 52 districts of Uganda and currently, we are present in 15 districts of Central, Eastern and Northern Uganda. In the last 12 years, Heifer Uganda has reached over one million families through agriculture and environmentally sound economic development programs.

FUNCTION

The value chain specialist will be based at the regional office and will primarily be responsible for all the value chain activities in the Busoga sub-region. He/ She will report to the Project Director for technical and programmatic guidance. The value Chain Specialist will be responsible for value chain analytics and studies for selected commodities and products to identify primary inefficiencies and other underlying constraints for youth engagement and value addition. The role will also build capacity of agri-hubs and MSMEs on sustainable farming systems and production models to increase production and productivity, processing, and marketing related interventions to enhance job creation. This will entail working with the partnership specialist to build benefiting business cases for youth and MSMEs and building sustainable business partnerships.

The value chain specialist will have a thorough understanding of all the value chain actors including government institutions, implementing partners, Agro-processors, farmer organizations and farmers.

ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS

The ideal candidate should have the ability to ask why things are the way they are (Intellectual curiosity), strategic problem solver, energetic, positive, flexible, values-oriented, and enthusiastic.

RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES

A. Program Effectiveness (50%)

• Accountable for the effective implementation of the value chains approach in the SAYE project.
• Create and strengthen linkages between SAYE’s beneficiaries and the private sector.
• Support the development and empowerment of youth including young women participating in hub-based value chains through employment or as direct participants working in collaboration with the cluster coordinators.
• Support capacity enhance of public and private sector institutions to deliver of agribusiness technical skills training with partners.
• Conduct value chain studies and analytics for both agribusiness and non-agribusiness value chains to select and establish profitable and sustainable value chains and to identify primary inefficiencies and other underlying constraints for youth engagement and value addition.
• Identify agribusiness and value chain enterprises that increase youth incomes within the domestic, regional and/or international markets.
• Support the development of appropriate financial services and products that suit youth and agricultural value chains actors in line with the SAYE identified needs.
• Assess value chain profitability and competitiveness can be enhanced in an environmentally sustainable way to promote youth employment.
• Generate data and information recommended to invest agribusiness enterprises innovations that can be effectively financed to generate youth employment and incomes and livelihoods.
• Support the design and delivery of agribusiness technical skills trainings through Training of Trainers review and development of training modules.
• Assess investment cases across value chains, conduct a case-by-case investment feasibility assessment and build a pipeline of bankable agri-enterprises.
• In collaboration with project team develop plans and in them incorporate interventions and activities to strengthen each value chain specifically for inclusion of youth and women.
• Identify value chains and business opportunities with the greatest potential to generate impact for establishing new hubs.
• Provide monthly accurate market information and linkages to service providers and to the hub management.

B. Management and Compliance (20%)

• Accountable for the consistent value chain analysis, developing business cases that generate the most impact, and documentation.
• Annually prepare operating plans and budgets and provide technical assistance to local cooperatives and partners to properly implement value chain activities.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual value chain activity project progress reports and submit them to the Project Director.
• Prepare and submit timely weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi- annual and annual project progress reports to the project director.
• Stay updated on industry trends, best practices, and policy developments related to youth employment, agribusiness, and value chain development.

C. Partnership and Engagement (25%)

• Accountable for partnering and engaging with the local cooperatives, NGOs, partners, and other development stakeholders on selected value chains for SAYE.
• Develop the capacity of local cooperatives, NGOs, and partners to identify and strengthen selected SAYE value chains to be more inclusive.
• Create and execute plans to build an MSME ecosystem that supports the growth and sustainability of youth-led businesses in the agribusiness sector.
• Identify new market opportunities, taking the lead on constructing a robust and successful business model that secure new deals for young people with the private sector for long term relationships.
• Work closely with stakeholders to identify and establish self-sustaining youth agri-hubs, including coordinating activities related to infrastructure development, capacity building, and resource mobilization.
• Establish and maintain proactive links with hubs and develop access to markets and linkages to service providers.
• Support formation and registration of youth associations.

D. May perform any other duties assigned (5%)

Minimum Requirements

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Agribusiness, Agriculture Economics, Business Administration, Rural Development, Enterprise Development, or any other related field plus 7-5 years of successful experience in development work in Uganda.

Most Critical Proficiencies

1. Leadership, strategic and innovation skills.
2. Business planning skills, including SME development, market studies, and value chain analysis.
3. Strong networking and relationship building skills with an ability to work with producer organizations to link small holders to markets.
4. Fluency in English (knowledge of other languages spoken in the East and central parts of Uganda).
5. Demonstrated knowledge of the latest developments in best practices in building pro-poor value chains that reach women, youth the poor and underprivileged.
6. Intellectually curious and business-driven to deliver innovative and high impact results to clients.
7. Demonstrated creativity, ability to think systematically, willingness and ability to incorporate innovative solutions and design catalytic activities within value chains (e.g., the concept of quality-based pricing).
8. Knowledge of and experience in setting up cottage industries for processing locally branded dairy products (e.g., cheese, butter, fortified milk, and yoghurt among others) for onward supply to niche markets as well as implementing consumption promotion/stimulation strategies in the context of dairy sub-sector.
9. Experience establishing strategic alliances and joint ventures with local and foreign processors.
10. Knowledge of equity financing (e.g., venture capital and/or private equity investing).
11. Strong computer literacy, preferably with Microsoft office suite.
12. Ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative, and decentralized environment, and operate under tight deadlines.

NOTE: The Mastercard Foundation adheres to the highest standards of care related to its programs, those involved in carrying out its mission, and the millions of young people it supports in accessing dignified and fulfilling work. The Foundation has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of misconduct and takes seriously its responsibility to improve the safety and well-being of the young people who participate in its programs. This duty of care is shared by the Foundation’s partners. As such, during recruitment of staff for Foundation supported programs, all necessary mechanisms are put in place to ascertain that candidates under consideration share our commitment to safeguarding.

Application Deadline: 17th November 2023.