Junior Agribusiness Cluster - Consultant at International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)

Position summary

• The Junior ABC consultant, in close collaboration with the ABC strengthening coordinator, is responsible for steering the ABC development in the assigned country and focus PPPs. 
• He/She is expected to provide required technical support to 2SCALE country teams by ensuring women’s (as small holder farmers, processors, traders and other Entrepreneurs, and employees) terms of inclusion are improved. As well in terms of grassroot empowerment,
• She/he will support inclusive business advisors in implementing the strategy of strengthening ABCs. She/he is responsible for providing all demanded and needed support to the assigned country team to reach the targets, planned results and impact.  

Main tasks:

Working in close cooperation with the 2SCALE Inclusive Agri-business Advisors and the Business Champions (SME or PO) the ABC consultant will ensure the performance of following 2SCALE thematic areas: BoP marketing, youth inclusion, financial inclusion, agribusiness cluster formation, business support services, coaching, loyalty and trust building and increased productivity. She/he will work closely with 2SCALE technical specialists in above mentioned thematic areas to facilitate the integration of the thematic-related strategies in the Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).

In addition, the Junior consultant will accomplish the following specific tasks:

Ensure grassroots actors especially women inclusion in PPPs and participation in Agribusiness Clusters:

• Support the building of relevant technical skills for SHFs and their local network (especially women) to increase their production and income.
• Support the preparation of training materials and work as trainer in areas related to agribusiness in all regular training topics of the champion.
• Support Inclusive Agribusiness Advisors and Agribusiness Cluster Coaches to deliver ABC empowerment training and report on training activities.
• Support grassroots entrepreneurship and leadership development in 2SCALE partnerships.
• Support linkages with financial institutions and target actors in relevant value chains. Based on country context, support/promote savings and lending associations as a starting point to financial access and inclusion.
• Support private sector development and engagement with grassroots entrepreneurs (focus on women) to promote and distribute products in BoP markets.
• Support grassroots actors participation in governance meetings.

Support the country portfolio and Inclusive Agribusiness Advisors (IAA) in other thematic areas.

• Support Inclusive Agribusiness Advisors on their relations with different actors in the respective countries and other thematic areas.
• Support 2SCALE Nigeria team to facilitate market relevant and female-friendly trainings on social and business development and technical skills; consistently identify further capacity gaps by the Business Champion and women that may hinder formation of concrete linkage, trusting and sustainable working relationship between women entrepreneurs and Business Champions.  
• Support the promotion of good and strategic relationships between Business Champions, agribusiness cluster actors and 2SCALE in country consortium partners.
• Support 2SCALE teams in identification and mobilization of ABC actors to join the program in coordination with the Business Champions and leverage on other ongoing in country grassroots development programs and activities for scale and sustainability.
• Support the Monitoring, Evaluation and Action Learning (MEAL) team with country portfolio progress and result management.
• Collaborate with the Communication Specialists to develop outreach materials frequently. Also, ensure the visibility of the ABC and GE &WEE Thematic Area and its development (achievements, challenges, lessons learned) and positioning of grassroots and women as reliable partners in public private sector partnerships and the positive spinoffs of Business Champions providing opportunities for them.

Provide technical support to Business Service Providers and Agribusiness Cluster Coaches:

• Provide required support for capacity building of Agribusiness Cluster (ABC) coaches and mentoring of other trainers to enable them to reach increased number grassroots actors.
• Support ABC capacity strengthening programs for youth and women inclusion.
• Participate pro-actively in the industry team, respond to and seek advice from the 2SCALE management to improve grassroots actors inclusion theme knowledge, forward-looking strategizing within the industry, and priority-setting within target PPPs.

ABC thematic knowledge development, reporting and communication:

• Document lessons learned, good practices on ABC formation and strengthening and Business Champion engagement/linkages; document case studies with examples in 2SCALE Partnerships (PPPs) where ABCs are performing and contributing to value chain development and make recommendations for improvements as the program evolves. 
• Develop and disseminate relevant documentation on effective contributions to ABC to local stakeholders including national governments that influence positive spinoffs to an enabling environment for grassroots enterprises, in line with 2SCALE broader knowledge and learning agenda. 
• Write and submit timely activity reports, as well as other ABC Thematic technical reports, notes; ensure coordination of MEAL specialist in the assigned countries.

The Junior ABC consultant may implement other tasks that the 2SCALE management deems necessary for the success of the program.

Supervision and team collaboration

• The Junior ABC consultant is supervised by and reports to 2SCALE Country Team Leader and works closely with the Inclusive Agribusiness Advisors to provide thematic support to the team. Further, She/he works in close collaboration with all 2SCALE colleagues in Nigeria and other 2SCALE countries.

Required Experience

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree is an advantage) in Agricultural Sciences, Agribusiness, or Agricultural Economics, Development Studies and Economics Studies,
• Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Knowledge and experience of the 2SCALE ABC approach is a good advantage.
• At least 3 years work experience in entrepreneurship, communication, and gender mainstreaming.
• Experience of supporting, managing, inspiring and coaching staff with different disciplines and backgrounds.
• A good understanding of the cultural barriers affecting grassroots agribusiness entrepreneurship efficiency and agency in developing countries.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, critical thinking, leadership, planning and coordination skills and; ability to operate effectively in an environment with multiple stakeholders and people from different cultures and backgrounds.
• Analytical capabilities, attention to detail and ability to successfully perform multiple tasks.
• Ability and willingness to travel within Nigeria.
• High level of initiative and enthusiasm, adaptability, and flexibility
• Strong communication (written and oral), presentation and report writing skills.
• Fluency in English is mandatory.