Production Systems Lead: West Africa Regional Cashew Program

Production Systems Lead: West Africa Regional Cashew Program

Winrock International

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Production Systems Lead will be responsible for the technical design, implementation, and partnership strategy for interventions to scale market-driven supply and production chain service models that create new employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young women and men in cashew and cashew-adjacent sectors. The Production Systems Lead will develop approaches and lead strategic private and public sector engagement to promote the adoption of inputs, practices, and technologies that result in higher productivity, sustained natural resources, resilient growth, and improved food security. They will lead a team that will organize, support and build capacity of young producers and entrepreneurs, increasing their access to longer duration and higher quality contracts as well as improved market opportunities.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide technical leadership for design and implementation of facilitative activities to promote the adoption of inputs, practices, and technologies using a market systems development approach.
• Enhance management and operational capacities of supply chain logistics service providers, with a focus on young women and men, empowering them to offer market-relevant intermediation and embedded extension services to cashew farmers.
• Broker partnerships between processors, service providers and producer groups to roll-out sustainable, market-driven extension services reaching producer groups. Extension service delivery provides entrepreneurship and youth employment opportunities for rural young women and men.
• Spearhead the support of corporate social responsibility initiatives by cashew processors, promoting social projects that enhance community involvement within the industry.
• Facilitate market coordination for production planning and building trust between cashew market actors.
• Strengthen cohesive farmer groups to improve access to knowledge, inputs, finance and markets.
• Build capacity of project staff, partners, and stakeholders for implementing market-led strategies for increasing agricultural production and empowering young women and men in cashew supply chains.
• Understand and manage expected project results, including evaluation of ongoing activities as part of a collaborating, learning, and adapting approach.
• Provide thought leadership for government counterparts, private sector businesses, donor contacts, and other stakeholders in understanding and implementing strategies to improve productivity.
• Contribute to knowledge management and sharing activities within project, with the donor, other implementing partners, and with government.
• Contribute substantively to development of annual workplans aligned with annual and life of project targets.

QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND:

• Education:
  • Degree in agricultural science or related field.
• Experience:
  • Minimum 7 years of professional experience managing and implementing market-led productivity enhancing activities for international development projects in West Africa.
  • Experience managing and providing technical direction to technical teams for agricultural productivity enhancement and market systems development, including training, capacity building, mentorship, and day-to-day management.
  • Experience designing, implementing, and building partnerships around last mile extension service provision.
  • Experience in market-oriented rural enterprise strengthening linked to export-oriented agricultural supply chains.
• Skills/Knowledge:
  • Familiarity with market systems development framework, including tools, strategies, and approaches.
  • Strong understanding of global cashew market trends and potential pathways to increasing regional competitiveness.
  • Deep knowledge and contacts within the Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau agriculture sector – including strong understanding of historical and existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as constraints and opportunities for women and youth.
  • Openness to and track record of innovation and adaptive management.
  • Strong training design, training delivery, and facilitation skills.
  • Strong personnel management skills.
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Excellent written and oral communication skill in English and French required.
  • Knowledge of Portuguese an advantage.

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