Strategic Communications Manager

Position Description

The Strategic Communications Manager will oversee project communications, including all of the Activity’s client reporting and presentation requirements as well as all external communications in country.  S/he will report directly to the Chief of Party and liaise as needed with USAID Nigeria mission representatives, other USG organizations, and bilateral national partners and stakeholders. Working closely with CNFA’s Corporate Communications team based in Washington, DC, the Strategic Communications Manager is responsible for planning, initiating and managing the full breadth of the marketing and outreach interventions, with a strong focus on capturing and promoting the reach and impact of the Activity. S/he will provide day‐to‐day management of the Activity’s communications, reporting, and outreach to various stakeholders. S/he will additionally support Activity sponsored events, such as national and international conferences and events, by organizing, branding, and producing informational materials and facilitating business participation. This position works with all project components, including the Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Management team, and external stakeholders in helping optimize marketing strategies, including but not limited to collateral development, client outreach, web and mobile applications, and social media. The Strategic Communications Manager will manage one (1) staff member, the Marketing and Communications Officer.

Program Description

The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on four interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations, and building the capacity and improving the performance of agribusiness micro, small, and medium size enterprises (MSMEs). In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.

Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas. As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $200 million in new lending and $100 million in new investment across the 5 crops in the following 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.  The USAID/Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity is a 5-year year, $15 million effort implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative.  The project’s goal is to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. Activities will encompass three broad but interrelated components: (i) improving the enabling environment (aka legal and regulatory framework) for agribusiness; (ii) expanding access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and (iii), promoting and facilitating investment opportunities for agribusinesses to strengthen their readiness to expand and scale up their operations. Taken together, these efforts will increase the capacity, added value, performance, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• In coordination with USAID, develop targeted messaging for the Activity to convey its impact and success in keeping with USAID guidelines and priorities to internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a communications strategy for the Activity to highlight achievements and effectively communicate progress ensuring that the strategy is aligned with CNFA’s global approach.
• Execute the overall communications strategy (internally and externally).
• Manage the process of developing and delivering contractual deliverables including quarterly and annual reports.
• Maximize, to as great a degree as practically possible, the use of mobile and internet technologies in Activity communications as well as marketing and outreach strategies.
• Support the technical teams where applicable in developing SOWs for STTA to support the
• the identified needs of Activity partner/beneficiaries.
• Work alongside all Activity components and cross cutting team members in helping Activity beneficiaries better understand and market their services to their target audiences.
• Provide advice, and implement international best practice models, on how entrepreneurs and
• MSME service providers market and communicate with each other, their stakeholders and clients.
• Provide quality assurance related to informational content and product development including PPTs, fact sheets, case studies, success stories, brochures, profiles, and the preparation of talking points.
• Coordinate high-profile events, delegations, and field visits by U.S. government agencies, international organizations and donors, regional economic communities (RECs), embassies, and local partners and stakeholders.
• Take the lead in developing and maintaining the Activity website, as applicable.
• Develop social media content for platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that are managed by the USAID/Nigeria Communications Office and the CNFA Home Office Communications Department.
• Develop outreach materials including banners, brochures, reports and other forms of internal and external communications, and manage clearance processes.
• Follow communications protocols as agreed upon with USAID, the Chief of Party, and CNFA’s Corporate Communications team, including receiving approvals for outreach and deliverables.
• Represent the Activity (as needed) at events and meetings as required and liaise with relevant stakeholders, including institutional and private sector partners, to increase visibility and maximize coordination.
• Conduct interviews and capture quotes or stories as needed for reporting.
• Support programmatic events, trade shows, exhibitions and initiatives (e.g., conferences and other vents).
• Support communications with the USAID Mission and other USG agencies regarding Activity implementation, knowledge management, and information dissemination.
• Ensure program materials are branded correctly and consistently in keeping with USAID standards and branding guidelines.
• Maintain an up to date and comprehensive Activity ‘Master Contact Database’ that can be searched by component, institution, geography, or name.
• Manage the Marketing and Knowledge Management Officer.
• Collaborate with technical staff on integrated Activity plans and reporting requirements.
• Assist with the building of the capacity of Activity staff to develop reporting and promotional content from project activities; support staff with templates and reporting guidelines as needed.
• Perform other duties as requested by the COP or DCOP as needed.

Qualifications:

• Must be legally allowed to work in Nigeria;
• University graduate with a degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field (Masters preferred);
• 5 years of experience in similar work;
• Previous experience in marketing in the field of development;
• Prior USAID experience strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated ability to unpack and communicate complex concepts simply with a range of
• stakeholders and sectors;
• Demonstrated experience in program and event management;
• Demonstrated experience in designing communications plans, developing and implementing knowledge management tools or systems, and developing content for social media platforms;
• Sound knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
• Proficiency with Prezi, Visio or other graphic arts and desktop publishing software a plus;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong team player;
• Ability to travel to support project work;
• Ability to facilitate e-marketing and web-based technologies for professional purposes;
• 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;
• 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.

Position Description

The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will work closely with and report to the Chief of Party (COP) to provide technical oversight for the Activity. The DCOP will directly oversee the four technical components of the Activity. Direct reports include the directors for each component as follows: Component 1 (Improving the Enabling Environment), Component 2 (Access to Finance), Component 3 (Facilitating Agribusiness Investment), and Component 4 (Agribusiness Performance Improvement).  The DCOP will also lead the development of the Activity’s annual work plans, annual and quarterly reports, and other requests that may come from either USAID or CNFA.  The DCOP is responsible for managing short- and long-term technical assistance (STTA), including the development of their scopes of work (SOWs) and ensuring the final reports are accurate, well-written, and meet expectations.  The DCOP, as requested by the COP, will also represent the Activity before a range of audiences and in a variety of platforms, at the national and state levels.  The DCOP will ensure all actions and interventions adhere to USAID and CNFA technical guidance and align with global best practices, including the training of staff as required.  Finally, the DCOP will also keep the COP regularly informed on all Activity matters, and assist the COP in meeting various technical, governmental, company, and USAID deliverables as requested.

Program Description

The FTF Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to strengthen the enabling environment for agribusiness finance and investment focusing on the following five key value chains: rice, cowpea, soy, maize and aquaculture. The Activity seeks to viably and sustainably link thousands of MSMEs and producer organizations with high-performing commercial actors in the targeted value chain in 7 Nigerian states; namely, Benue, Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River. The overall objective of the Activity is to measurably improve the agribusiness investment climate, which plays a pivotal role in attracting foreign direct and domestic investment, leading to food security and improved nutrition for all Nigerians.

To achieve this goal, the Activity focuses on four interrelated components: (i) improving the enabling environment for agricultural sector growth through legal and regulatory reform; (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.

Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to upgrade and facilitate thousands of linkages between small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including producer organizations, and high-performing commercial actors in the target value chains.  As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the Activity will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new lending and $100 million in new investment.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Working closely with the Chief of Party to provide technical and managerial oversight for the Activity, including the development and implementation of the Activity’s annual work plans, quarterly and annual reports, and other requests that may come in from USAID and CNFA.
• Working closely with other senior managers to ensure that the Activity consistently employs the values of CNFA, ensures the highest ethical standards, emphasizes the importance of communication and team work, promotes collaboration with other donor-funded projects and activities, adheres to USAID and CNFA technical guidance, and directly contributes to the attainment of the Activity’s contractual deliverables;
• Managing the development, design, and implementation of all Component-led interventions, taking place in and outside of Abuja, including the seven focal states. This includes taking responsibility for STTA SoWs, supporting the recruitment and selection of STTA consultants, scheduling and mobilization, field implementation, and final acceptance of the work completed;
• Drafting, editing, and making material contributions to Activity documents, including but not limited to weekly snapshot reports, quarterly and PowerPoint presentations, annual reports, studies, papers, survey instruments, and other operational and MEL-related documentation;
• Maintaining rigorous focus on the achievement of the Activity’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);   
• Managing the implementation and coordination of all events, technical forums, conferences, and roundtables;
• Effectively backstopping and supporting long- and short-term consultants;
• Representing the Activity and CNFA in meetings with the private and public sector stakeholders as requested by the COP;
• Other duties as assigned on an ad hoc basis by the COP.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree, or higher, in economics, business administration, public administration, agriculture, or a related field
• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant, progressively responsible management experience;
• Demonstrated experience and a proven track record of implementing and/or managing activities focused on agricultural development
• A combination of technical familiarity and management skills that span the subject areas covered by the Activity; and in-depth experience in at least one of the major areas of project involvement (agricultural finance regulations, agricultural finance services, capacity building for agribusinesses)
• An in depth understanding of the public sector organizational and functional structure at the Federal and State levels
• A current professional network in the most relevant ministries and offices of Government at the Federal and State levels is an advantage 
• Demonstrated experience in the following areas:
• effectively backstopping and supporting long- and short-term consultants;
• ensuring efficiency across a wide variety of project activities involving economic growth, private sector development, women and youth empowerment, upskilling, business linkages, and job creation; and
• maintaining rigorous focus on project indicators, results, and more generally supporting the M&E and communications functions.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is required, knowledge of local languages is an advantage.

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.

Position Summary:

The Nutrition Director will provide technical direction for all nutrition-related design work, implementation and reporting across CNFA’s program portfolio and will contribute to new business development initiatives as necessary. This position will be responsible for developing in-house tools and nutrition-sensitive program concepts across the organization. Additionally, the Nutrition Director will provide technical support and contribute to staff training and mentoring in areas including local market food systems, nutrition-sensitive food system analysis, food and nutrition transformation, etc. The person in this position will represent CNFA to external audiences to showcase nutrition systems and programming. The Director will work in close collaboration with CNFA’s program and new business divisions and will require regular travel to the field in support of CNFA’s global project portfolio. This is a position based out of our DC head office. 

Key Activities for this Role Include:

• Designing country, regional and global nutrition programming that integrates innovative approaches and applied best practice;
• Maximizing impact in-country projects by supporting innovative programming and developing core tools and guidance for best practice, and providing demand-driven support to field-based program implementation to help country teams deliver maximum impact;
• Drawing out the experience, knowledge, and evidence generated by field programming and identifying ways to disseminate across programs and externally as a contribution to the global evidence base.

Responsibilities: Technical Implementation

• Provide technical oversight on nutrition-sensitive agriculture program implementation;
• Lead global strategic thinking on nutrition for the organization
• Support field teams to design and develop country level nutrition activities;
• Provide technical input into nutrition specific target and strategies for CNFA projects;
• Collaborate with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Team to include nutrition in project evaluation;
• Provide technical direction to nutrition-focused implementing partners on projects;
• Provide training and consultations to home office and field office employees as needed;
• Participate in conferences and workshops on international and local scales;
• Facilitate the dissemination of global best practices to field staff and in field programs;
• Provide leadership in nutrition-sensitive topics to donors and partner organization.

Responsibilities: New Business Development:

• Design nutrition sensitive interventions for agriculture development programs for competitive donor bids;
• Undertake leadership role in proposal development in concert with New Business Team, analyzing and recommending bid decisions, and conceptualizing teaming, technical approaches, and cost strategies to maximize competitive advantage.
• Serve as proposal technical writer, providing vision and leadership to proposal team, and mentoring and supervising the application of best practices for nutrition;
• Support resource mobilization for nutrition by identifying opportunities and cultivating partnerships in support of technical vision.

Required Education and Experience:

• MA/MS or PhD in a Nutrition, Public Health or related field;
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in nutrition related program implementation or design;
• Experience assisting food security/agriculture related programming and Title II programming preferred;
• Experience designing and managing nutrition surveys;
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative nutrition research required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience leading successful international health proposal design and development
• Strong working knowledge of donor (USAID, FFP, USDA, DFID, GIZ, WB, et al.) priorities and regulations;
• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines;
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems in a timely and successful manner;
• Accuracy, attention to detail and client focused with the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team using a solution-oriented approach;
• Ability to relate to and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to work in French or other second language preferred;
• At least 3 years of field experience, preferably in Africa or Asia;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a fast-moving team
• Willingness to contribute at different levels required to achieve success
• Self-motivated and ability to work independently;
• Advanced computer skills with Microsoft Office;
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally (up to 25% of time) as needed.

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.

Background and Purpose: 

The Food Security and Agribusiness Support (FAS) program is a five year, $23 million USAID and Feed the Future funded program implemented by CNFA in Egypt. The goal of FAS is to increase agriculture-related incomes of smallholder horticulture farmers in Upper Egypt. The program will achieve this goal by implementing a market driven approach that facilitates sustainable, pro-poor value chain development and helps smallholders increase access to domestic and export markets. The market-driven approach will be supported by four interrelated components: 1) improved on-farm production, 2) more efficient post-harvest processes, 3) improved marketing of agriculture crops and products, and 4) improved nutritional status, especially for women and children.

The M&E Manager will ensure the completion of all M&E activities across project components and will supervise coordination of USAID personnel, CNFA personnel, sub-contractors, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations in regards to M&E activity.

Position Description:

CNFA considers monitoring and evaluation to be an essential management support function that facilitates evidence-based program management through rigorous identification, testing, and scaling-up of interventions that maximize impact and cost-effectiveness. The Monitoring and Evaluation Manager will provide technical expertise and strategic leadership for all monitoring, evaluation and learning activities, with the objective of providing project managers and stakeholders with timely and relevant data and analysis to understand and adapt project performance. The M&E Manager will supervise staff to collect and analyze data and generate quality evidence for assessment and evaluations.  Responsibilities will include: strategic leadership of monitoring and evaluation efforts; management of the data quality strategy, including ensuring that quality and reliable data are collected, managed and shared in a timely manner; and coordination with key external stakeholders.

This position will be full-time, based in Egypt with frequent travel to Upper Egypt governorates.

Tasks:

• Development and implementation of processes and methodologies to ensure consistent data collection and management in keeping with MEL Plan, M&E Field Guide, and other M&E related documents;
• Oversee data collection and analysis to assess the impact of project activities on household nutrition, incomes and food security;
• Lead the management of the project participant database, including overseeing data entry, data management, and ensuring data quality
• Lead the evaluation of the cost and benefits of project interventions;
• Track and analyze project indicators and capture best practices and lessons learned to incorporate into project activities
• Present analysis findings to project staff to ensure there on-going learning;
• Train project staff on their responsibilities for monitoring and evaluation;
• Oversee all daily work related to monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities of the project;
• Produce, edit, and distribute regular project reports and updates to project management, regional management, and HQ;
• Perform other duties as needed

Qualifications:

• At least eight plus (8+) years of experience in the integration of M&E into field programming is required,
• Master’s Degree in economics, statistics, nutrition, applied sociology, or a related field is required, a PhD is preferred;
• International donor experience, USAID program experience, and Feed the Future experience are required;
• Experience managing M&E on agricultural, livelihood, and/or food security projects is required;
• Demonstrated expertise in leading M&E of a large award is required;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and operationalizing a comprehensive M&E plan and routine monitoring systems is required within Feed the Future framework
• Demonstrated experience in developing data quality assurance strategies, data management, innovative data sharing, and data visualization is required;
• Expertise in survey design, including development of a probabilistic sampling strategy, estimation of sample size, development of appropriate weights, and analysis of quantitative data, is required;
• Outstanding ability to generate accurate qualitative information and analysis is required;
• Fluency in English is required; fluency in Arabic strongly preferred

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 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its strategic partnership with the Federal Republic of Nigeria has awarded a five-year contract to CNFA to implement the Nigeria Agribusiness Activity, from 17th December, 2018 to 17th December, 2023. The 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 quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector. The Activity focuses on five value chains (Maize, Soya, Rice, Cowpea, and Aquaculture) in seven states (Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger). 

The Component 1 of the Activity is saddled with the responsibility of addressing regulatory burdens faced by agribusinesses – whether producers, aggregators, processors, or other actors in the value chains is constraining their productivity, profitability, and growth. The Activity seeks to implement reforms to improve Nigeria’s agricultural and agribusiness enabling environment at the state and federal levels. The goals include but not limited to making relevant regulations less cumbersome, lowering the cost of compliance; reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote more exports and import substitution; addressing infrastructure; improving the process and security of land ownership; minimizing the time it takes to perform statutory business functions; and limiting the scope for bureaucratic discretion. The Activity also works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy reform process, including building capacity in monitoring policy impact, conducting policy analyses, and institutionalizing public-private sector dialogue (PPD) forums. One such intervention is helping states and other federal ministries and agencies to review their agricultural policies (gender and youth as the case may be) to be more effective in realizing the huge potential agribusiness has in contributing to state level job creation, trade, taxes, inclusion, health, nutrition, competitiveness, and import substitution

Position Description

Agribusiness Investment Activity is calling on experts and specialists in the field of policy development, reform, and advocacy to submit their CVs (along with a cover letter) for inclusion in its data base. Consulting with stakeholders and organizing formal, mixed public-private review bodies has helped to identify the barriers and inefficiencies in the business environment process and any remaining regulatory bottlenecks. From the PPDs conducted in Cross River, Ebonyi and Kebbi States, there were some ‘’low hanging fruits’’ in the areas of policies and policy advocacy that needed to be quickly addressed and included the following:

·         Absence of a well-documented Agricultural Policy;

·         The high cost of inputs (specifically on fish feeds);

·         Multiple taxation;

·         Land availability and accessibility;

·         Contract Enforcement;

·         Gender and Youth development.

Some of the bottlenecks identified are as a result of implementation problems which included corruption, lack of continuity in government policies, inadequate human and material resources, all of which often led to implementation gaps. Most services are regulated, in some way, by official or unofficial policies. Sometimes, it is necessary to change those policies with the support of critical stakeholders to make sure that programs and services are accomplishing what they are supposed to. Thus the Activity is looking for qualified, committed and passionate candidates to support its policy reform and advocacy efforts, engage with private sector stakeholders, and make concrete recommendations to improve the enabling environment for agribusinesses in our targeted states and value chains. The Activity expects to award several short-term contracts to such experts in the field of agribusiness policy, legal, and regulatory development, assessments, advocacy, and ultimately reform over the next four years. The experts shall have demonstrated experience in policy review and development, policy advocacy and regulatory reform. Selected candidates will be short listed and contacted as opportunities arise. The overall objective is to place qualified individual consultants in a roster, in order to expedite the contracting process for various consultancy assignments under the Activity’s Policy Component. At the end of each assignment, the consultant will submit a well-structured and persuasive report on the recommended policy changes. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Identify constraints in the policy (including legal and regulatory) framework and actions to address constraints that are realistic and actionable, including quick qins, by meeting with private and public sector stakeholders, and prioritizing policy reforms at both the national and sub-national levels that are both aligned with our Activity and are realistically addressable given the Activity’s time and financial resource constraints;
• Analyze existing policies (national and sub-national), in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders, and draft concrete and implementable reform recommendations, and possible solutions on how these constraints can be resolved or at least lessened;
• Interview public and private sector stakeholders regarding the impact of agribusiness policies and their subsequent implementation
• Support the activities of voluntary change champions and members of policy reform coalitions on consultative processes amongst themselves and with government (PPDs) to foster needed policy reviews and reforms;
• Participate in other policy reform related plans or interventions as may be directed by the COP or his designee.
• Illustrative deliverables include: implementation plans on how to approach, attract, organize, and motivate relevant stakeholders to engage in advocacy efforts related to improving the agribusiness enabling environment; concept notes for new policies for consideration by the relevant government agency; implementation plans regarding current policies that identify prioritized actions regarding policy reform

Qualifications:

• University graduate in social sciences, agricultural economics, economics, law or a related field (Masters preferred)
• 7+ years of relevant policy reform and/or agribusiness work experience in Nigeria
• Work experience with USAID and/or other donor-funded projects is strongly preferred
• Experience working collaboratively with institutional and private‐sector partners and stakeholders in Nigeria, preferably on government policy matters
• Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural value chains and an understanding of the agribusiness enabling environment
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communications skills in English is a top priority
• Ability to work well in diverse teams but also able to work productively as an individual with minimum supervision
• Well organized, strong analytical skills, creative thinker, innovative, demonstrated personal initiative, with unquestionable integrity and ethics
• Ability to communicate in other Nigerian languages is a plus
• Proven ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines
• A relevant network of policy related influencers and decision makers in Nigeria is a plus
• Evidence of past performance in all of the above will also be an added advantage

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.

BACKGROUND:

The USAID Agriculture Program is a five-year activity that aims to accelerate growth of agricultural sub-sectors that demonstrate strong potential to create jobs and increase micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) revenues. The USAID Agriculture Program provides competitive matching grants and technical assistance (TA)  to address identified gaps in horticultural value chains (VCs), namely berries, stone fruits, pome fruits (apples), culinary herbs, perishable vegetables, table grapes and mandarins, that will result in the improved productivity and productive capacity of MSMEs, strengthened value chain linkages, increased access to markets, and improved capacity of MSMEs, cooperatives, associations and service/information/extension providers.

One of the challenges faced by targeted VCs in the horticulture sector is a lack knowledge of modern technologies and practices to be used in postharvest handling and cold storage operations, in order to minimize losses, preserve quality, extend product shelf life, and access new markets.  Pre-cooling, a critical postharvest operation, takes place prior to storage, reduces crop respiration rate, crop waste, and extends its storage life. It is a new practice for Georgia, requiring significant technical guidance that is critically missing from Georgian postharvest operations.

In line with above-mentioned, the USAID Agriculture Program plans to utilize international expertise to upgrade technical knowledge and skills of the relevant grant recipients and beneficiaries to improve their current operations and gradually adopt best practices.

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical support to primary producers and postharvest handling operators, to increase efficiency of their operations, thereby strengthening targeted horticultural VCs.  The USAID Agriculture Program plans to engage an international consultant to render assistance over two visits.

The first will take place in April 2020, once pre-cooling equipment is purchased and installed by agribusinesses targeted for this consultancy. A second visit in July will facilitate observations and evaluation of pre-cooling operations in action. Ten grant recipients engaged in berry and vegetable VCs are targeted for this consultancy. 

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide targeted beneficiaries with tailored onsite consultancies on how to operate and maintain pre-coolers as well as best prepare for the season ( 1st visit);
• Provide targeted beneficiaries with tailored onsite consultancies once pre-coolers are operational (2nd visit);
• Hold a follow-up working session for targeted grant recipients and beneficiaries on pre-cooling operations;
• Develop trip report highlighting visit findings, consultancy briefs and improvement recommendations.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS degree in engineering, agricultural technologies or another relevant field;
• Minimum 10 years of practical working experience in cold storage facilities with a focus on berries and vegetables;
• Proven experience in the design/improvement of postharvest handling and storage schemes;
• Strong communication skills.

DELIVERABLES:

• Final Report integrating visit findings, consultancy briefs and improvement recommendations;

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

This assignment is planned to take place during April 20- 30, 2020 and July 5- 15, 2020. This consultancy will be provided through two visits visit and follow-up offsite work and will not exceed 20 days.

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.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Party, the Communications Specialist will be responsible for developing and supervising the project’s communication strategy and activities, including the development of branding and marking marketing materials approved by USDA and the organization of PRO-Cashew events and public communication. He/she will also be responsible for the semi-annual quarterly reporting process including quality control of all these reports, branding and marking of the project and development of success stories and press releases.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Develop and oversee the dissemination of communication materials including, but not limited to, success stories, press releases, brochures, presentations, speeches, discussion points and additional marketing material.
• Regularly communicate project activities and impacts to Headquarters and stakeholders in CNFA. This includes the submission of quarterly deliverables to the headquarters of CNFA.
• Responsible for weekly, monthly and quarterly reports/updates for the USDA and CNFA headquarters. Coordinating the written contributions of the program team in a consolidated report document.
• Ensure project compliance with the USDA and CNFA branding and marking plan.
• In close collaboration with the operations and procurement officer, respond to CNFA and USDA ad hoc communication requests.
• Assist in the completion of the Office Photo Library and documentation of ProCashew’s brochure, workshops and publications and the dissemination of printed materials.
• Lead logistical support and ensure good coordination in the preparation of high-level meetings, workshops and public events.
• Continue to develop and manage an extensive library of videos, photographs and project documents. Subsequent steps will include short videos of the project.
• Responsible for producing high quality reports within the timeframe, including monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and yearly reports to be submitted to the USDA.
• Organize public events for the project included prepare invitations, agendas, and press kits, organize the logistics and venue of public events, ensure the marketing and branding of CNFA and USDA.
• Organize quarterly internal learning events and document the results of these events. 
• Support development and contribute to success
• Undertake other tasks or tasks at the request of the project leader.
• Develop 6 success stories per year.
• Prepare a draft of the executive summary of the biannual and annual reports.
• Participate in the organization of donor and CNFA visits to the ProCashew project.

Qualifications

• Five years of experience in communications and media, including the management and launch of promotional events and materials for donor-funded projects;
• BAC + 4 or higher level in media, communication and international development;
• Proficiency in written English and advanced level of French. Fluent in French and advanced English speaker;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work in an environment where activities take place at a rapid pace;
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously;
• Work experience on the USDA or USAID branding and tagging strategy, including the development of one-pagers, sectoral information sheets and success stories, one more;
• Excellent communication and writing 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.

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.

Position Description:

CNFA is currently seeking applications from qualified candidates for a Procurement Coordinator position for USAID funded Food-Security and Agribusiness Support (FAS) project. The Procurement Coordinator will support the Procurement Manager in executing day-to-day procurement and contract activities of the Project as per the set procedures, manual, templates and guidelines. The Procurement Coordinator will assist in the procurement of large value goods, works, and services. This position reports directly to the Procurement Manager. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support coordination of tasks related to the procurement of goods, services, and supplies;
• Prepare standard bidding documentation as per CNFA and USAID guidelines and policies in the procurement operations manual
• Support management of the procurement process and execute day-to-day procurement functions, such as: analyzing market conditions, verifying technical specifications or terms of reference, prepare and launch tender documents, arrange and facilitate site visits or bidders’ conferences, facilitate evaluation panels, carry out price reasonableness analysis, prepare selection memos, negotiation memos and purchase orders, etc.
• Provide contract management support services including arranging for proper inspection, ensuring compliance with terms and conditions of contracts, addressing delays, troubleshooting problems, assisting in contract amendments, and ensuring completion of works and delivery of goods.
• Ensure that all approvals and procurement records are kept safely and filed appropriately
• Protect the procurement activity from fraud, waste, and abuse;
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Qualification:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree required with education and training in procurement, public administration, or a related field;
• Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience working as a procurement professional, knowledge and understanding of best practices in procurement procedures, USAID rules and regulations, project administration and follow-up, and contract management;
• Candidate must have good writing skills in English. Clear written as well as oral communication is a key requirement for this position.
• Prior USAID or other international donor experience required; – Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe applications;
• Arabic AND English language fluency is required.

To apply:

Please send the following:

1. CV, education verification – diploma,

2. Citizenship verification – ID,

3. Filled USAID 1420 form (https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/AID-1420-17-2.doc),

4. Salary verification – fully signed contract or a paystub, and

5. Three references

Job Contact Person:

Mohsen Gamal

mgamal@egyptfas.org