Job Title: Agri-Business Advisor – Cocoa Coffee Uganda
Reporting to: Cocoa and Coffee Program Director
Geographic Scope: Uganda (Country Level)
Working Location: Kampala
Contract duration: Multiple years at least (to be discussed)
Application instructions: at the bottom of this document
About Rikolto International
Rikolto (formerly VECO) is an international network organization with over 40 years of experience in partnering with farmer organizations and food chain stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. We run programs in 17 countries worldwide through seven regional offices with a network secretariat in Leuven, Belgium. At Rikolto, we envision a world where farmers have a sustainable income, and everyone has access to nutritious and affordable food. Our global cocoa and coffee program focuses on creating a living income for sustainable cocoa and coffee farmers and strengthening local and international food systems to ensure access to nutritious and affordable food. As the Agri-Business Advisor - Cocoa Coffee, your work will be centered around striving for a living income for cocoa and coffee farmers.
About the position
Rikolto International has recently allocated resources to expand its cocoa-coffee program in Uganda. Aligned with our global strategy, the program will initially prioritize improving the income of cocoa and coffee farmers with a focus on agro-ecological principles. As the Cocoa-Coffee Agri-Business Advisor, you will coordinate and contribute to the implementation of projects under the cocoa and coffee program umbrella. You will identify opportunities to develop and secure funding for new projects, enhance the inclusion of smallholder farmers in fair-trading relationships with private companies, increase farmers' climate adaptation capacity and promote structural changes to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the agricultural sector.
Duties and responsibilities
Develop, implement, and monitor sustainable innovation/change pathways in inclusive business models within the cocoa and coffee value chains.
Coordinate actions to facilitate structural changes, enhance inclusion of smallholder farmers, and strengthen business linkages with private companies.
Strengthen the entrepreneurial attitude, skills, and capacities of Farmer Business Organizations (FBOs) to ensure their inclusion in the value chains.
Design, test, and validate change/innovations in inclusive business models, monitoring and documenting the processes and outcomes.
Document and translate sustainable innovation pilot outcomes as evidence for achieving structural changes and scaling up at the national level.
Build relationships with private companies interested in sustainable sourcing from smallholder farmers.
Take overall responsibility for networking, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with other organizations.
Analyze and document the changing national context in relation to the value chains and markets.
Collaborate closely with the M&E specialist to collect, synthesize, and report program data.
Develop plans, budgets, and monitor expenditure for Rikolto and partners in the designated area
Expected Outputs
The successful completion of your responsibilities will contribute to:
Innovative, sustainable pilots that drive planned structural changes and business models.
Strong business linkages between FBOs and private companies.
Enhanced entrepreneurial attitude, skills, and capacities of FBOs.
A high-quality analysis of (sustainability) trends and opportunities in relation to the business environment.
Strong network and coordination with partners and key stakeholders.
Significant and sustainable benefits for farmers involved in the pilots.
Effective learning processes that lead to improvements in program design.
Effective multi-stakeholder platforms that amplify the voice of smallholder farmers.
Meticulous documentation and translation of pilot outcomes.
Education
- Master’s (or Bachelor's) Degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Economics, Business, or Cooperative Development
Experience
- Experience in coordinating and implementing the adoption of agroforestry practices.
- At least 5 years of experience in high-value crop value chain development.
- Experience in working with VSLAs and/or other financial literacy-enhancing implementations.
Knowledge and skills
Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with a results-oriented mindset.
Effective communication, networking, and collaboration skills.
Understanding of cluster and hub approaches, lead firm approaches, and gender empowerment strategies.
Knowledge of food safety standards, certifications, and quality management systems.
Proficiency in sustainable non-financial and financial services, including market information systems.
Experience working with FBOs, facilitating collective action, and developing business models and plans.
Understanding of sustainability and environmental issues, with the ability to interpret and communicate information to stakeholders.
Familiarity with market dynamics of high-value crops.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office software.
Strong proficiency in English (both verbal and written).
Valid driver's license for a manual car.
To apply
We invite interested candidates to submit their applications, including a cover letter and CV, in an e-mail with the subject “Agri-Business Advisor – Cocoa Coffee Uganda” to eastafrica.recruitment [at] rikolto.org by August 1st 2023.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Rikolto International is an equal-opportunity employer.