Agronomy Program Manager -Sidama

1. About TechnoServe:

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.

1. About the project:

The five-year CREW program aims to increase climate resilient economic empowerment of women coffee farmers in Southern Ethiopia. CREW will advance this vision through targeted approaches at the farm/household, wet mill, and industry level. CREW’s design embraces the mutually reinforcing relationship of women’s economic empowerment (WEE) with our aim to increase thriving and resilient coffee production. CREW’s ultimate beneficiaries will be 76,000 women and men and 80 coffee processing businesses in coffee-growing communities in targeted zones of the Ethiopian regions of Sidama and Oromia.

III. About the role:

Reporting to the Senior Programs Manager, the Agronomy Program Manager’s principal objective is to manage a team of approximately 4 senior advisors, 20 advisors, and 100+ trainers who train farmer groups in good agricultural practices. Part of the job will be contribution to the expansion of an innovative Farmer Stumping Fund which provides incentives to farmers who renew their trees to compensate for their short-term loss. Another huge part will be training all the farmers on gender aspects and the benefits of collaborating at household level as well as encouraging women to not only attend the trainings but also adopt best practices on their farms.  Responsibilities under this role include:

Lead the Agronomy Team

• Hire and lead a team of highly talented senior advisors, advisors, and trainers to provide world-class agronomy training to farmers using TechnoServe’s celebrated ‘Farm College’ curricula.
• Develop work plans and schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with the senior advisors.
• Provide timely feedback to advisors, encourage learning, and provide daily coaching and support.
• Conduct annual performance reviews for senior advisors and support the evaluation of advisors.
• Ensure that all data collected via tablets, attendance forms, and farm visit books monthly attendance forms is filled accurately, following specified protocols.
• Provide modelling training to advisors to prepare them for training clients and providing feedback during client training sessions.
• Ensure advisors support the trainers to complete the required number of visits using the tools provided. Provide feedback and coaching to the trainers to encourage improvement.
• Hold regular team meetings to track implementation progress and share relevant project and administrative data

Provide overall technical leadership to the agronomy activity  

• Lead the implementation of all agronomy activities (e.g., community mobilization and sensitization, hiring and onboarding staff, forming focal farmer groups, farmer trainings, farm visits, best practice and stumping verifications).
• Ensure the consistent delivery of high quality trainings that are appropriate to local context and effective in driving adoption.
• In collaboration with TechnoServe Ethiopia’s technical agronomy advisor, provide revisions to lesson plans, training tools, and data collection based on team’s and farmers’ feedback
• Ensure the senior advisors and advisors observe trainings in the field and provide feedback and coaching for improvements to the trainers. Ensure that all the supervisors meet the set targets for quality training observations using the PIMA MIS tablet system.
• Proactively identify successful strategies and tactics to overcome bottlenecks to effective execution of project objectives.
• Collect and share timely project performance information through impact and progress stories and photos.

Manage project resources

• Develop and manage the bottom-up budget and resources for the agronomy team.
• Request timely allocation of all program resources, including vehicles and motorcycles.
• Submit weekly reports to SPM on program activities, plans, challenges, and required support.

Cultivate stakeholder relationships

• Ensure effective team interaction and positive employee relations within and across departments
• Represent TechnoServe at regional and zonal level and manage government relationships
• Actively engage in industry initiatives and partnerships with key industry stakeholders within the project area.

• Bachelor’s degree with 7-10 years; Master’s Degree with 5-7 years (Master’s degree preferred) in agronomy, plant science, business and administration, sociology, rural development, engineering, or other related discipline

• Excellent people manager with at least five years of professional management experience – preferably including experience in the private sector
• Knowledge in one of the following areas: agronomy, business development, project management.
• Strong planning skills and ability to work independently within agreed work plans and timelines
• High attention to detail

• Excellent communication skills, written and oral, in both English and Amharic (knowledge of Afan Oromo or Sidamigna is an added advantage).
• Good report writing, presentation and numerical analysis skills
• Passion for farmers and rural development
• Willingness to be located in Aleta Wondo town and spend time travelling to project training sites.

1. Success factors:

• Emotional Intelligence: Empathetic, understands attitudes, interests, needs of others; predict others behavior. Self-aware and keeps own emotions from interfering with work. Understanding both the strengths and limitations of others.
• Coaching/Feedback: Recognizes and acknowledges strengths in others. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others develop knowledge and skill areas to accomplish tasks or solve problems.

• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables:  Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.

• Planning & Resource Planning: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals aimed at improving overall organizational performance

• Diversity/Inclusiveness:  Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.