SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER-COOPERATIVE STRETHENING

ABOUT US

Established in 2005, Fairtrade Africa (FTA) is a member of Fairtrade International and the umbrella network organization representing Fairtrade-certified Producer Organizations in Africa and the Middle East. It has four (4) regional networks – Eastern & Central Africa; Southern Africa; West Africa; and the Middle East & North Africa. FTA currently represents 1,354,294 farmers and workers in 660 producer organizations spread across 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East by providing services to them that contribute to the improvement of their livelihoods.

ABOUT THE ROLE

FTA is looking to hire a Côte d’Ivoire (CDI) based Workstream Lead for Cooperative Strengthening on the Livelihoods Ecosystem Advancement Programme). The Livelihoods Ecosystem Advancement Programme (LEAP), aims to address the root causes of market failures which keep Ivorian cocoa farmers in poverty traps. The programme will deliver tailored interventions across three key areas: cooperative strengthening; access to finance; and income diversification. By the end of the programme, it is anticipated that over 5,200 Ivorian cocoa farmers will benefit from increased incomes. The programme will also test and seek to understand which interventions and/or a combination of interventions drive farmers closer to reaching a living income in CDI.

The Cooperative Strengthening workstream involves supporting and resourcing cooperatives to deliver a high-quality, broad, demand-led menu of products and services to their farmer base while improving operational efficiency, financial management and planning, and maintaining stability. It will also aim to build the resilience, sustainability and profile of the cooperative as a business, reliable long-term supply chain partner, and equipped to enable members to create value (economic, social and political). The intervention will build competencies and soft skills of cooperatives to perform a bridging function between farmers and the delivery of the other workstreams in income diversification and access to finance.

We are looking for a candidate with experience in the Ivorian cocoa sector and excellent experience working closely with cocoa cooperatives and farmers, with a good understanding of economic growth, market systems and agricultural value chain approaches applied in Ivorian contexts. The candidate must be able to build trusted relationships with a wider variety of stakeholders, have good business acumen and good programme management experience, with the ability to develop and manage a work plan and budget for their work, identify resources required, and stakeholder management.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Workstream Management

• Lead, (with the QA of the Programme Manager and UK Programme Lead) the work of Workstream 1, including identifying milestones, planning, budgeting and the management of consultants. This largely focuses on the development and adaptation of the service delivery model to be housed at the cooperatives, ensuring that issues are flagged and understood and the model works well for cooperatives and farmers.
• Work closely with the workstream 2 lead to ensure the service delivery model can also be expanded to include non-cocoa services and inputs
• Work closely with the workstream 3 lead on access to finance to advise on the optimal financing models for the service delivery model housed at cooperatives
• Support in the provision of technical assistance to cooperatives in the development of business strategic plans, capacity and recruitment requirements and marketing plans related to business development and growth requirements
• Be the key point of contact and ensure excellent collaboration with farmer cooperatives and farmers in ensuring their views, direction, concerns and needs are built into the LEAP programme activities
• Work closely with international consultants and colleagues on the identification of cooperative management and member needs
• Maintain an entrepreneurial mindset for the project, staying on top of new trends, innovations, emerging new market actors and feeding back into programme design

Stakeholder Management

• Initiate and maintain relationships with cooperative management, local communities, public and government institutions, and educational institutions among other stakeholders
• Understand producer needs and concerns, and advocate for relevant policies to enhance LEAP’s work with the local opinion leaders and decision-makers.
• Ensure awareness of the local trends, perceptions and players in the local community, including a keen focus on climate and gender
• Advise on how to manage risk and optimise the opportunities
• Influence localised policies and perceptions in favour of FTA and LEAP with the support of the Programme Manager.
• Represent LEAP (and FTA) in country and field events
• Support the needs and situational assessment of producer organizations and propose recommendations to best support Small Producer Organizations

LEAP Programme Support

• Represent and lead the programme work on Cooperative Strengthening, including representation to internal and external stakeholders, planning and delivery
• Support the LEAP programme manager to implement LEAP programme strategy and ensure delivery of programme activities to plan and budget
• Be committed to the programme learning agenda, including raising issues and adapting ways of working according to lessons learned and best practice
• Submit necessary reports on programme activities as per required timelines
• Support and or, participate in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities
• Advise on member’s perceptions and attitudes towards the LEAP programme and other stakeholders operating within the region
• Support the identification of opportunities for LEAP programmatic development
• Attend regular programme meetings and be prepared to travel to visit farmers regularly.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Agriculture or related field

Experience and Knowledge

• A minimum of 3 years experience in agricultural development
• Experience working closely with farmer cooperatives
• Experience in supporting ethical and sustainable supply chains
• Knowledge of agricultural development and sustainable business practices
• Thematic knowledge and expertise in FTA’s priority areas

Skills

• Good command of spoken and written English and French
• A keen entrepreneurial mindset, with a natural interest in new trends and innovations in the sector
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with individuals across multi-functional disciplines and a wide variety of stakeholders
• Conflict resolution skills
• Good organizational skills
• Good training and facilitation skills