Country Representative- Nigeria

CNFA is currently seeking applications from qualified candidates for a Country Representative in Nigeria  to support a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr) project in West Africa region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria) called USDA West Africa PRO-Cashew project. The project aims to improve agricultural production and expand trade of agricultural products.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the Nigeria semi-annual work plans, and overall management of the project in line with USDA guidelines and within set timelines to achieve objectives;
• Provide in-depth knowledge of the country represented to the project senior management team and aid in the development of country plans and activities;
• Oversee program administration, operations and implementation to ensure technical and financial activities align with scope, budget allocations and internal policies;
• Promote the grant program and support grantees in their proposal stage and compliance once awarded;
• Lead team to provide effective coordination and guidance among academic institutions, local Government, smallholder farmers, service providers, cashew processing firms and other key stakeholders;
• Support M&E mechanisms, program monitoring tools and efficient systems to ensure high quality implementation;
• Ensure quality control and provide overall technical and management leadership; adjust activities and operations in response to technical direction;
• Write semi-annual reports, and develop success stories (at least 2 per year);
• Represent CNFA with partners and key stakeholders, at conferences, workshops, meetings, and other industry gatherings, maintain positive relationships with USDA and the US Embassy, local authorities, and the country office team;
• Identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner;
• Review and approve financial and administrative documents to ensure compliance with internal and external contract and policy requirements;
• Oversee financial and administrative activities, including monthly cash request, approval of project procurement, approval of project expenditures, and monitoring of expenditure levels against the budget; and other duties as assigned.

Key Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in a field related to agriculture, economics, or business administration from an accredited college or university;
• Minimum of eight (8) years of international experience and expertise in agricultural development, successfully achieving meaningful and sustainable results;
• At least seven (2) years of experience in working with counterparts at various levels of government, as well as with non-government organizations (including private sector associations/organizations) in managing international development assistance activities;
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders, such as the private sector, local NGOs, government officials, donor representatives, and local and international staff;
• In-depth knowledge of USAID/USDA policies, and regulations;
• In-depth knowledge of the Cashew sector in West Africa;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead large teams and work effectively and collaboratively in team environments;
• Strong technical expertise, management skills, and a strong command of English technical writing and communication skills. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Program Description

The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to strengthen the enabling environment for agribusiness finance and investment. To achieve this goal, the Activity focuses on four interrelated components: (i) improving the enabling environment for agricultural sector growth; (ii) broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; (iii) promoting and facilitating investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations; and (iv) sustainably enhancing the performance of agribusiness micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs). In line with the U.S. and Nigerian governments’ commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy, these efforts will increase the depth, breadth, dynamism, and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.

Position Description

The Agribusiness Investment Activity (the Activity) is seeking a Gender and Youth Specialist to provide periodic and ongoing support to gender and youth mainstreaming and monitoring interventions over the course of the Activity’s implementation. Reporting to the COP, the Consultant will support the Activity’s programmatic efforts by implementing, refining, monitoring and generating lessons learned from an existing gender and youth integration methodology and action plan that aims to effectively engage women, youth and other vulnerable groups. The purpose of this call for experts is to develop a roster of qualified gender and youth specialists to support the Activity as and when needed. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Refining, updating and supporting implementation of the approved “Integration Plan for Gender and Youth.”
• Developing programmatic materials and conducting trainings as outlined in the Plan.
• Identifying policy, legal or regulatory constraints that present challenges to or opportunities for gender, youth, and other vulnerable groups. 
• Identifying opportunities for the Activity’s Policy Reform Unit to address these areas in collaboration with the public and/or private sector.
• Related to the above, soliciting ideas for gender- and youth-related Public Private Dialogues (PPDs), called for by the public sector, focused on achieving tangible policy recommendations.
• Developing recommendations on how constraints affecting gender, youth, and other vulnerable groups can be addressed within the Activity’s three components; improving the ease of doing agribusiness; broadening access to financing; and facilitating investment promotion.
• Supporting monitoring, evaluation and learning activities as related to the Integration Plan for Gender and Youth.
• Performing other duties related to this assignment as requested by the COP or his designate as needed.

Qualifications:

• University graduate with a degree in in gender studies, agribusiness, economics, sociology or a related field (Masters preferred);
• 5+ years of relevant agribusiness and gender experience in Nigeria;
• Experience conducting research for USAID- and/or other donor-funded programs is strongly preferred;
• Experience working collaboratively with institutional and private‐sector partners and stakeholders in Nigeria;
• Ability to work well in diverse teams but also productive working individually with minimum supervision;
• Well organized, strong analytical skills, creative thinker, innovative, demonstrated personal initiative, stress tolerance, integrity and ethics;
• Sound knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English; and
• The ability to produce various informational products under tight deadlines.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status.

CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Please be advised that employment is contingent on permanent and legal entitlement to work in the U.S.  Position is not eligible for U.S. work sponsorship.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.