ILRI vacancy: Forage Seed Business Advisor

Vacancy Number: A/064/13
Department: Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity (ASSP)
Duration: Two years contract

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ILRI has campuses in Kenya (headquarters) and Ethiopia, with other offices located in other regions of Africa (Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria) as well as in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, Vietnam) and East Asia (China).

THE POSITION

ILRI seeks to recruit a competent Forage Seed Business Advisor who will be a member of ILRI- Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity Program in Led Feed Seed Project based in Addis Ababa.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• The critical responsibilities of the Forage Seed Business Advisor in the ILRI-led FeedSeed project will be to ensure a well-functioning, sustainable forage seed business incubator, and identify, train and mentor seed business entrepreneurs to establish successful and sustainable seed enterprises.
• The Forage Seed Business Advisor will report to the ILRI Project Leader and also be responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the FeedSeed project, including its collaborative activities with development partners and all relevant stakeholders.
• The critical roles of the ILRI Forage Seed Business Advisor will include:
• Working with the ILR Seed Production Officer and Project Leader to design and carry out project interventions
• Working with the ILRI Seed Production Officer to assess the ability and capacity of existing and potential formal and informal seed enterprises, both public and private, to produce and sell quality seed supply in order to design and carry out project interventions
• Assessing the existing institutional and policy framework to design and carry out project interventions to advocate for thriving forage seed systems
• Identifying entrepreneurs from both the private and public sectors, including farmers, farmer groups and coops interested in starting forage seed enterprises through the support of the FeedSeed project
• Helping to set up and ensure the capacity of a sustainable forage seed business incubator to provide technical and business training and mentoring to entrepreneurs to establish successful and sustainable seed businesses.
• Providing business training (BBS and BDS) to potential forage seed entrepreneurs wanting to create thriving forage seed businesses
• Providing mentoring to entrepreneurs forming seed companies, to include business planning, handholding to obtain financing, developing marketing strategies, quality inventory control, etc.
• Promoting forage seed systems and seed supply by influencing policy makers, NGOs, extension and the private agribusiness sector
• Leading impact assessment and comparison of a range of seed systems to determine which models show the most promise for scaling up to other regions of Ethiopia and to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Managing the day-to-day activities of the project to ensure the project outputs, including progress reports, and deliverables are achieved in a timely manner

• Managing and ensuring good working relations amongst the project partners and with all relevant stakeholders
• Report regularly to the ILRI Project Leader on progress and challenges in achieving the project objectives
• Organizing workshops, focus group meetings, learning visits and farmer field days
• Preparing information to use traditional and web tools to raise awareness and inform stakeholders on opportunities and project progress
• Carrying out other activities relevant to achieving the project objectives, as requested by the ILRI Project Leader

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education

• Masters of Business Administration (MBA) or MSc in Agribusiness (preferred), or MSc in Agricultural Economics (with business building experience)

Additional requirements:

• Interest in agribusiness and seed systems development
• Interest and enthusiasm to learn about forage seed production, processing and marketing
• Experience with private business development, as well as public enterprises and PPPs
• Experience working in a multicultural environment and ability to work in a team
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, and excellent diplomatic skills
• Good English (spoken and written)
• Good general computer skills
• Interest to travel often within the country to provide business training and mentoring, and internationally for learning site visits

Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience.

Skills:

• Extensive knowledge and conceptual understanding, of a specialized field or a technical or administrative function. E.g. knowledge of relevant policies and procedures determines a course of action based on these guidelines with ability to analyze, interpret and modify complicated information

Job level

• This position is job Grade 3C.

Monthly Base Salary: Base salary of Birr 32,220 (Negotiable, depending on experience, skill and salary history of the candidate)

Terms of appointment: This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI’s Addis Ababa campus. Initial appointment is fixed term for two years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. The ILRI remuneration package for nationally recruited staff in Ethiopia includes very competitive salary and benefits such as life and medical insurance, offshore pension plan, etc.

The ILRI campus is set in a secure, attractive campus on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. Dining and sports facilities are located on site.

Applications

Applicants should send a cover letter and CV (3 pages maximum) explaining their interest in the position, including relevant documents and testimonials and the names and addresses (telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. Applications should be sent to the Human Resources Office, ILRI, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Telephone: (251-11)-617-20-00; Fax (251-11) 646 46-45. The name and reference number of the position for which the application is made (A/064/2013), should be clearly marked on the envelopes if mailed or fax applications. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Closing date: November 4, 2013.

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer