Dairy Value Chain Advisor – BRIDGE+ Project

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner working in more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Building on 60 years of experience and grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we work on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance. Together with our team of over 1,600 people, our mission is to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems, which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all.

For more information on SNV’s operations, visit our website: www.snv.org.

Project background

BRIDGE+ is a five-year programme from November 2023 to December 2028, implemented by a consortium led by SNV Netherlands Development Organization in partnership with Agriterra and Wageningen University, with funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN).

The primary goal of the BRIDGE+ program is to contribute to a robust dairy value chain that generates inclusive and sustainable benefits for all participants, particularly smallholder farmers within mixed farming systems, and positively impacts the broader community. To achieve this, the project will operate on three levels: (1) Smallholder farmers: enhancing benefits from dairy farming; (2) Dairy value chain: improving functionality and food safety; and (3) Sector level: strengthening institutional frameworks.

BRIDGE+ will address the dairy value chain through ten key components: 1) Extension, 2) Inputs, 3) Market Linkage, 4) Food Safety, 5) Nutrition, 6) Professionalization, 7) Research & Development, 8) Policy, 9) Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL), and 10) Cross-cutting themes including localization, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), and climate resilience.

Purpose of the job

BRIDGE+ builds on the achievements of the original BRIDGE project, which ran from 2018 to 2023. Under BRIDGE, farmer productivity increased significantly, and cooperatives assumed a leading role in milk bulking, reaching up to 50% of formal milk collection. Formal milk processing also rose to 340,000 liters per day. The goal of BRIDGE+ is to further strengthen cooperatives’ market position and increase milk bulking. However, processed milk volumes have recently declined from 340,000 liters to around 200,000 liters per day, posing a considerable challenge for farmers and cooperatives. Without a stable market, improvements in productivity, quality, and other initiatives risk being undermined.

The role of the Value Chain (VC) Advisor is crucial in identifying the primary reasons behind this decline and developing intervention strategies to support demand creation. These interventions will be implemented in partnership with cooperatives, processors, authorities, and both local and international development organizations.

Additionally, a key responsibility will be to establish and sustain strong, reliable linkages between cooperatives and processors.

BRIDGE+ operates through ten core components. The VC Advisor will work most closely with the following components: 1) Market Linkage (led by Agriterra through cooperatives), 2) Policy, and 3) Professionalization.

The Dairy Value Chain Advisor will be based in Addis Ababa as part of the BRIDGE+ national team, working closely with regional teams to ensure cohesive project implementation.

Key Responsibilities:

Structure the market linkage between cooperatives and processors:

• Collaboration with Agriterra: Partner with Agriterra to facilitate connections between cooperatives and processors, strengthening cooperative engagement in the dairy value chain.
• Initial Monitoring and Support: Establish a framework to monitor and support new market linkages, ensuring a smooth start and early troubleshooting for new partnerships.
• Address Structural Issues: Identify and address any ongoing structural challenges among stakeholders to enhance collaboration and operational efficiency.
• Information Sharing Improvement: Work with stakeholders to improve information flow among producers, cooperatives, and processors, facilitating a more transparent and efficient value chain.

Professionalisation of the processors, distribution channels, and retail outlets for processed milk:

• Identify Processing Challenges: Analyse active, idle, and new processors to understand obstacles in the processing sector.
• Identify Bottlenecks in Sales and Marketing: Analyse key challenges in dairy product sales and marketing within distribution channels and retail outlets.
• Develop Targeted Interventions: Create and implement project interventions to address significant production, sales and marketing barriers, improving the distribution and accessibility of processed dairy products.
• Efficiency Improvements in the Value Chain: Identify opportunities for enhancing efficiency and develop targeted interventions.

Policy influencing:

• Identify Dairy Market Policy Issues: Determine policy limitations that restrict dairy market growth and affect value chain sustainability.
• Data Collection for Policy Advocacy: Collect and present data that supports the need for policy adjustments, building a compelling case for change.

Interface role:

• Coordinate Across Teams and Components: Serve as a key interface within BRIDGE+, coordinating activities at the national, regional, and milkshed levels across diverse components (e.g., cooperatives, food safety, R&D).

Networking, planning, and reporting:

• Stakeholder Liaison: Maintain ongoing relationships with processors, cooperatives, the Ethiopian Dairy Association, consumer associations, and other key stakeholders to support project goals.
• Data Collection and Knowledge Sharing: Gather project-related data and share best practices, case studies, and lessons learned with supervisors to support continuous improvement.

Any other duties assign by the project manager.

Qualification and work Experience:

• Master’s degree in specialised/ relevant technical field and six or more years of experience in development work and project implementation or technical field.

Additional Skill:

• Experience in farmer extension, and agribusiness case development.
• extensive experience in value chain development in dairy value chains.
• Energetic and motivating attitude; proactive and solution oriented.
• Excellent analytical skills as well as communication & advisory skills.

Competencies:

• Conceptual thinking
• Coaching
• Focus on quality
• Result orientation
• Persuasiveness

Additional Information

Contract Type: National

Expected start date: January 25, 2025.

Duty Station: Addis Ababa.

Contract Duration: For one years with the possibility of extension based on performance and budget availability.

How to Apply

If you believe that your credentials meet the outlined profile, we invite you to apply by uploading your CV and a letter of motivation before/on the 25th of November 2024. Please submit your application only via: Smart Recruiters. All information will be kept in the strictest confidentiality.

If we see that your experience and skills match the requirements of the position, we will contact you to advise on the next steps in the recruitment process.

Working at SNV  

SNV offers a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit form and contribute to, an internal and global network of experts.

At SNV, inclusivity is at the heart of our ethos. We celebrate the diversity of our workforce and uphold a policy of non-discrimination based on factors such as disability status, religion, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, and more.

Vetting

SNV carries out rigorous background and reference checks concerning possible safeguarding incidents for all candidates applying for both national and International determined positions. As SNV participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a request to past employers to fill in a questionnaire regarding Misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment), the “Statement of Conduct“. This Statement of Conduct adopts the definitions used in the Scheme.

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.