Market Linkages Specialist

Title:    Market Linkage Specialist

Reports to:  Business Partnership Manager 

Project: Horticulture 4 Growth (H4G): An Initiative of the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACCs) 

Location:  Based in Addis Ababa - with frequent travel to project sites (mainly in Oromia)

About TechnoServe

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Founded in 1968, we are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital, and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

About Horticulture4Growth (H4G)

Horticulture 4 Growth (H4G) an Initiative of the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACCs) is a 5-year project being jointly implemented by TechnoServe and the Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. H4G will accelerate the transformation of Ethiopia’s horticulture sub-sector by leveraging the power of the private sector to strengthen the link between production and demand and improve the road-to-market for horticultural products through modernized domestic and export market channels. The project will primarily focus on five priority horticulture crops (banana, avocado, tomato, onion, and avocado) sourced from horticulture ACC woredas to transform the relationships of key market actors to be more inclusive and equitable. By the end of five years, a strengthened horticulture market system underpinned by a strong private sector will enable Ethiopian small-scale producers to earn higher, more stable incomes and increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in rural and urban areas.

The H4G Market Linkage Specialists key responsibilities

The Market Linkage Specialist role at TechnoServe in Oromia, Ethiopia, is responsible for facilitating linkages between start-up entrepreneurs and existing horticulture value chain actors in the program's ACC woredas. The specialist will identify and build market linkages between buyers, aggregators, and agro-input suppliers to increase horticulture crops demand side and supply chain efficiency. They will also provide support for market scans and analyses, identify strategic partners, and organize market linkage forums and workshops.

Key responsibilities include:

• Facilitating relationships among supply chain actors to create a more transparent and inclusive sector
• Providing technical assistance to agro-dealers, buyers, and aggregators on sourcing strategies, bookkeeping, and business plans
• Organizing business-to-business meetings and group platforms for market linkages and contract agreements
• Coordinating trainings for aggregators on quality standards
• Working with stakeholders to implement contract farming legislation in Oromia
• Developing and maintaining a profile of supply and demand among buyers and aggregators
• Analyzing demand and supply gaps between aggregators and buyers
• Encouraging private sector investment in smallholder farm production and logistics
• Ensuring aggregators understand buyer product requirements
• Implementing gender action plans to ensure women's participation in market linkages
• Closely work with ATI Oromia team to oversee the project activities in the region
• You will closely coordinate and work together with the ATI cluster coordinators, MoA focal persons in the assigned ACCs woredas, Local trade offices, with the guidance of your supervisor to formalize the supply chain.
• Ensure the delivery of the project sales volume & income targets via market system improvement & facilitation
• Facilitates relationships of each supply chain actors toward creating a more transparent and inclusive sector to ensure sustainable supply chains.
• Provide technical assistance to agro dealers, buyers and aggregators to put together realistic sourcing strategy, bookkeeping, basic business plans and build business relations among the supply chain actors
• Ensure aggregators understand each buyer product requirements.
• Implement gender action plans and strategies to ensure participation of women owned and/or led businesses as well as women SHF benefit from the market linkages work
• Supervise & manage the Oromia business advisor to set and ensure the KPI of the role meet as per the project mission
• Execute all other assignments given by supervisor

Job requirement:

The ideal candidate should have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Agribusiness, Economics, Business Administration, Horticulture, or a related field, with at least 3 years of experience in developing and facilitating market linkages. They should also have experience in market systems development and facilitation, be able to use MS Office applications, and possess strong analytical and risk assessment skills. Fluency in English, Amharic, and Afan Oromo is required.

The role is part of the Horticulture for Growth (H4G) project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which aims to transform Ethiopia's horticulture sub-sector by leveraging the power of the private sector. The project focuses on five priority horticulture crops and aims to increase the incomes of small-scale producers and the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in rural and urban areas.

Education

Bachelor/Master’s degree in one of the following: Agriculture/Agribusiness, Economics; Business Administration; Horticulture, and/or related field;

Experience

Minimum of 3 years working experience in developing and facilitating market linkages and business advisor ship; Proven work experience in market systems development and facilitation.

Technical & Social Skills

• Able to use and utilize MS office applications.
• Strong analytical and risk assessment skills.
• Serious and hard-working, eager to learn, good feedback mentality, result oriented, taking responsibility and accountability, good in building and maintaining relations key partners and negation skills.
• Flexible and autonomous working, enthusiastic and willing to travel
• Written and Spoken fluency of English, Amharic and Afan Oromo. Knowing the local language Afan Oromo is a strict requirement

How to apply

Qualified and interested applicants should Click here and submit a cover letter resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by May 24, 2024. Applications will be reviewed and considered as received/on a rolling basis. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be contacted. Please note that we are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated link.  

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.