Organisation: Self Help Africa (SHA)
Location: Oda Bultum, Bedessa, West Hararghe Zone, Oromia
Department: Programmes
Reports to: Project Manager
Required Quantity: 1
Contract type: One year fixed term contract, renewable based on performance review and availability of fund
Job Description
About Self Help Africa:
Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international NGO dedicated to the vision of an economically thriving and resilient rural Africa. We have 50 years of experience working with smallholder farmers, farmer associations, cooperatives and agribusinesses across Africa to help farmers grow and sell more food, improve diets, diversify incomes and make their livelihoods more sustainable and resilient to external shocks. SHA also builds awareness of issues affecting smallholders and represent their interests at policy and institutional level.
SHA is a core member of The Gorta Group which is composed of a group of innovative organizations driving sustainable economic and social change across Africa. Comprising Self Help Africa, Partner Africa and TruTrade, the Gorta Group combines expertise in market-based solutions to poverty and rural development; climate change mitigation and resilience; trade facilitation and farmer and worker rights; underpinned by an inclusive ethos that specifically targets women and youth. In August 2021, United Purpose joined the Gorta Group, which operates as Self Help Africa (SHA), bringing together two organizations with proud histories of assisting those in greatest need.
United Purpose, formerly Concern Universal, has worked for more than 40 years as a leader in community-led development and grassroots innovation. SHA now has over 700 staff worldwide, as a result of the merger, and a global turnover of over €40m. We are currently implementing a portfolio of 80 projects in Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia funded by a variety of institutional and private donors including the European Union, Irish Aid and World Food Programme. In 2020, we supported close to eight million people in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil and Bangladesh.
Job Purpose:
The Project Officer has overall responsibility for the day-to-day delivery and coordination of the Oda Bultum Integrated Community Development project. S/he will be responsible for achievement of overall physical and qualitative targets mentioned in the project document. S/he will provide technical support to community development facilitators and field agents; mobilize and sensitize communities; and liaise with all relevant stakeholders. The incumbent will facilitate training and events planned for the target farmers within the project area. Moreover, he/she will assist the union/ primary cooperatives and individual project beneficiaries in delivering planned project activities within the specified project period and with expected quality standard. The Project Officer will have responsibility for monitoring progress and producing regular reports and updates.
Key Responsibilities:
- Specific duties include, but are not limited to:
- Coordinate and lead project field level activities under his/her assigned areas;
- Identify market opportunities and impediments for selected agricultural commodities value chain development and develop strategies to solve bottleneck and to capture opportunities together with other project team members and stakeholders;
- Ensuring capacity development training, business plan preparation and handholding of farmers’ enterprises d, awareness, business management start-up training, marketing, financial and digital literacy, value chain development, etc.
- Program management related to distribution of input provision, backward linkages and forward market linkages activities
- Conduct district/block level meetings regularly for project update.
- Support in preparation of documents for review and steering committee meetings.
- Lead and coordinate for meetings, workshops, conferences, training, study tours and related activities relevant to the implementation of the project.
- Compile and submit detailed monthly updates, quarterly and annual project reports to the project Manager within the set deadlines;
- In collaboration with the project manager, coordinate the operations of the community development facilitators, filed agents, and RuSACCO officer;
- Identify and liaise with all stakeholders and organise/facilitate stakeholders’ workshops;
- Undertake organisational capacity assessment of farmer/RuSACCOs cooperative/unions and gap analysis of selected value chains commodity production and marketing;
- Facilitate and follow up project target beneficiaries’ agreement between coops/unions and the private sector as required;
- Coordinate training on seed production for maize and haricot bean/mung bean, conservation agriculture, pest and disease control, post-harvest handling and quality control, dairy and other livestock ;
- Support the establishment of revolving funds for identified VCs in the project area;
- Coordinate Training of Trainers training for lead farmers and government extension staff;
- Coordinate training to coops/unions in leadership and governance;
- Visit target communities on a regular basis to discuss with farmers their problems and experiences ;
- Participate in the development and the implementation of annual project work plans in target areas;
- Accomplish activities planned in the project proposal for the target areas;
- Ensure all required data are collected timely and recorded both in tables and paper forms;
- Verify accuracy of data collected for tracking of indicators in the project;
- Monitor groups and individual project target beneficiaries application of knowledge and skills transfer from trainings for attitude and behaviour transformation, changes in production and marketing levels;
- Ensure gender, nutrition and environmental aspects are mainstreamed in all project activities;
- Establish and maintain good working relations with government partners at zone and district level as well as other collaborators in this project;
- Perform any other duties assigned by the Project Manager within the area of technical competence
Key Relationships
Internal
- Project manager (Line Manager)
- Oda Bultum ICDP Programme Team,
- SHA Ethiopia Country Office
External
- Project Donor
- Local Government Authorities,
- Financial Institutions,
- Other International and Local NGOs,
- Private Sector Organisations,
- Business Advisors and Mentors.
Knowledge, Experience, Qualifications:
Essential:
- BSc/BA degree in Agriculture, Agricultural extension, Agri-business, Agricultural economics, cooperative development or related fields
- At least five years relevant working experience in community-oriented development work or cooperative development etc.
- Sound technical knowledge of haricot bean and maize production.
- Good inter-personal and communication skills
- Capacity and maturity to establish and maintain links with government officials, smallholder farmers and private sector
- Ability to organise and manage events like farmers’ field days, trainings, and workshops
- Computer literacy, particularly in MS Word and MS Excel
- Demonstrable good command of English and Afan Oromo languages (both written and spoken)
Desirables:
- Demonstrate capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time to meet goals in a high-pressure environment;
- Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder working environments;
- Experience working in an NGO setting on agriculture and rural development related disciplines;
- Ability to work and act under pressure;
- Remain open to change and ability to manage complexity;
- Familiar with SHA procedures, possess strong supervisory, communication, team building and computing skills (word processing, spreadsheets and data-bases).
Download the Job Description
This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available and SHA reserves the right to make necessary changes.
How to apply:
Please download the Application Form and fill it in. Then upload this along with your CV and a motivational letter HERE. (Clicking the link will bring you to the recruitment page)
Please note incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting.
If you are experiencing any problem with submitting your online application please visit this link for assistance: https://bit.ly/SHA_TechSupport1
Closing date is Tuesday 21st March 2023 at 5pm
Please note that Self Help Africa Ethiopia advocates for equal opportunity and does not require applicants to pay any fee at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.
Self Help Africa is committed to the highest possible standards of openness, transparency, and accountability in all its affairs and is completely against fraud, bribery, and corruption. All employees are bound by code of conduct, child protection and conflict of interest policies.
Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
Police vetting is required.
All applicants are encouraged to read through the following safeguarding policies as you make your applications:
Women applicants are highly encouraged; Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer