Deputy Team Leader- Horticulture (National Position)

• Kigali, Rwanda
• Full-time
• Contract type: National employment contract

Company Description

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organization. Founded in the Netherlands in 1965, we have built a long-term, local presence in 30 of the poorest countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors works with local partners to equip communities, businesses, and organizations with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty, and guide their own development.

SNV currently implements over 25 horticulture projects worldwide. In its projects SNV actively engages with the private sector, being convinced of the crucial role the private sector has in furthering horticulture value chains for both domestic and international markets. SNV’s Inclusive Business approach combines private sector development with inclusive growth objectives. Reducing food losses and increasing value chain efficiencies, improving food safety, the inclusion of entrepreneurial smallholders, climate-smart agriculture, and other themes play an important role in all our horticulture projects.

SNV seeks a high-level Deputy Project Manager for a Government of Netherlands-funded horticultural value chain program. Comprised of 5 implementing partners, SNV is the consortium lead comprising of Wageningen University; Center for Development Initiative (CDI), Holland Green-Tech, Agriterra, and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH). Currently, SNV’s largest project in Rwanda; the HortInvest project contributes towards the attainment of the mission of the National Horticulture Policy in terms of fast economic growth and rapid reduction in poverty and malnutrition in Rwanda and the objectives of the Rwanda-Dutch bilateral programme aimed at enhanced food security and private sector development. The expected impact will be primarily noticeable in the six target districts in North-west Rwanda

Job Description

• Reporting to the Project Manager: the Deputy Project Manager largely has the same responsibilities and the two must work as a team.
• Managing key staff within the project in order to ensure excellent program delivery. Whereas, the administrative and program support staff (e.g. finance advisor, project assistant, and MEL advisor) report directly to the Project Manager, the content-oriented advisors (e.g. Market systems development advisor, smart extension expert, nutrition advisor and Policy and Public Sector Engagement expert) report to the Deputy Project Manager.  The Deputy Project Manager will also coordinate the activities of advisory staff that are seconded full time by other consortium partners to the HortInvest team in Kigali.
• Ability to create a unified team of project staff as well as consortium leaders in order to deliver excellent project results to stakeholders.
• Identifying market-oriented, commercial horticulture Product Market Combinations (Business Cases), in close cooperation with stakeholders, in particular with traders, buyers and end-users of horticulture in  Rwanda and abroad;
• Facilitate business matchmaking and market access: negotiate strategic alliances between partners; organize business meetings and facilitate meetings to discuss and develop Supply Chain Business Cases and to reach consensus between supply chain partners
• Quality assurance of national experts’ project reports in accordance with donor requirements and SNV professional reporting standards;
• Provide overall technical leadership of SNV’s component of the project;
• Support the Project Manager’s role as liaison with government counterparts and local partners;
• Manage and supervise the work of project personnel and subcontractors;
• Ensure that all project assistance is technically sound and appropriate.

Qualifications

• At least an MSc / MA Degree in economics, business administration, agribusiness or marketing, or relevant discipline;
• At least 15 years of professional experience in private sector development projects, including market facilitation and business development in the public as well as in the private sector;
• At least 3 years of demonstrated, successful, professional experience as a Project Manager or Deputy Project Manager;
• Excellent organizational skills are a must in order to keep up with the various demands and competing priorities of the project.
• An extreme eye for detail is a must in preparing reports as well as organizing meetings with various stakeholders in the project.
• Able to keep track of project priorities, commitments, and follow up with stakeholders.
• A broad knowledge base of project/programme management and hands-on experience with capacity building and institutional change as well as project leadership and good knowledge of aspects of the fresh and processed agro-food sector, horticulture, or flowers, and agricultural supply chains in Rwanda
• Experience in or exposure to project development and management at sector/systemic level, including horticultural/agricultural supply chain pilots and capacity building/institutional development;
• The Project Manager should be a strong relationship builder with sound experience and understanding of building and maintaining professional relationships with (senior) government officials as well as policymakers and industry leaders, both in the Netherlands, and Rwanda;
• Experience in partnership development, particularly at the sector level with Rwandan industry associations, policymakers and regulators. But preferably also with private sector partners/companies in Rwanda and project partners;
• Experience building capacity of smallholder and emerging commercial producers is considered an asset.

Specific requirements

• Fluency in English is a prerequisite;
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to delegate (but not over-delegate) to team members.
• Good networks in the Rwandan horticulture sector is considered an asset
• The successful candidate has a good professional working relationship with the relevant Rwandan government and public sector bodies;
• Fully computer literate, and professional user of MS Office;
• Demonstrated capacity to assure timely, quality, and compliant reporting, incorrect professional English, in accordance with donor requirements;
• Willingness to travel to project regions in Rwanda

Additional Information

Contract Duration: from the date of the contract until November 2021 (with the possibility of extension).
Desired start date: 1st September 2020.
Duty Station: Kigali with 40% travel to the field.

Interested candidates should submit their applications by 25th July 2020 17:00 Rwanda time. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

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