Program Officer – Value Chains and Market Development

Organizational Context

AATF is an international not-for-profit organisation that facilitates and promotes public/private partnerships to promote food security and enhance livelihoods of smallholder farmers in SSA. AATF works with African governments, private and public technology owners and developers, NGOs, seed companies and African smallholder farmers to identify and access technologies that address farmers’ key problems and empower them through availability of a choice of agricultural innovations that generate wealth and health for their families and communities. AATF is a registered charity under the laws of England and Wales and has host country status with the Government of Kenya. The Foundation depends on the ongoing support and collaboration of different partners and investors to meet its objectives.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Manager: Agribusiness, Policy and Commercialization, the officer shall provide technical support on Agricultural value chains and Market development to catalyse commercialization and scaling of AATF products.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Contribute to the planning, designing and implementation of market studies.
• Support the design of surveys questionnaires and overall research design by providing quality inputs specifically relevant to the needs of SMEs in the targeted sub-sectors / value chains.
• Coordinate data analysis and reporting on the market studies and value chain analyses.
• Conduct value chain analyses for each of the selected commodities in targeted areas entailing the agronomic production profiles (e.g. agricultural management practices, land ownership and use practices); value chain mapping (key stakeholders, flow of supplies and products, flow of funds and information, etc.); functional analysis of each value chain (profiling of industry structure, adoption of skills, technology and innovation); climate change implications; economic analysis of potential opportunities to add value along the chain; and policy and institutional conditions necessary to create suitable enabling environment for value chain development.
• Mobilization and engagement of value chain players such as farmer cooperatives and marketing groups, Savings and Credit Associations.
• Creation of linkages between value chain players across and within AATF projects.
• Designing and implementation of farmer outreach programmes.
• Analyze technical and policy issues, strategies, and programmes to support the development, competitiveness, inclusiveness and improved impacts of agribusiness, food systems and value chain development.

Competencies

• Ability to build and sustain relationships with key constituents (donors, research institutions, media, government institutions, etc.)
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral environment.
• High-level interpersonal and cross-cultural skills including ability to build alliances and collaborative relationships with sensitivity to diversity.
• Ability to maintain high standards of integrity; establish straightforward, productive relationships; treating individuals with fairness and respect.
• Excellent technical writing and editing skills.
• Fluency in English. Knowledge of French or Portuguese would be an added advantage

Qualifications

Education:

Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management or any other related and equivalent disciplines from a recognized institution of higher learning

Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in Agricultural value chains and markets at the national or international level in providing business and management development services, hands-on experience in design and implementation of development projects.
• Experience in Agricultural Markets analysis.
• Experience in conducting market linkages.
• Experience and knowledge in various agricultural Technologies.
• Extensive experience working in and with the private sector, market systems approach, inclusive business/market models, and public-private partnerships.
• Knowledge of national food systems and agricultural value chain and scaling/commercialization of Agricultural technologies.
• Practical experience in socioeconomic quantitative and qualitative data analysis using statistical analysis software such as STATA, R, SPSS etc.
• Professional experience with agro-based private sector entities will be an added advantage
• Proven experience linking farmer businesses to diverse types of market.
• Extensive experience working in and with the private sector, market systems approach, inclusive business/market models, and public-private partnerships.
• Professional experience with agro-based private sector entities.
• Practical experience in socioeconomic quantitative and qualitative data analysis using statistical analysis software such as STATA, R, SPSS etc.
• Experience in technical writing with proven ability to write high quality technical reports, policy briefs and journal articles.
• Proven experience developing training programs for smallholder farmers and other value chain actors