Business Advisor at TechnoServe Kenya

Job Description (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that hardworkingpeople can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives. Our success in creating business solutions to poverty is due in large part to our talented and highly committed team. TechnoServe employs more than people, the vast majority of them host-country nationals working in the field. Our staff combine business expertise with local knowledge, relationships and context to help hardworking men and women generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. In , TechnoServe’s work made a difference in the lives of 1.7 million people in more than 29 countries, creating a better life and better world for this generation and the generation to come. Job Summary: The Business Advisor will report to the Senior Business Advisor and will work closely with the regional project team, as well as team members from the Global Entrepreneurship team. The primary role of the BA will be to work with TechnoServe on testing our TA approach for Agri-SMEs to inform scale up. Our aim is to revolutionize the way TA is delivered to Agri-SMEs in Africa. Primary Functions & Responsibilities: Program Implementation: Support the identification, profiling and recruitment of Agri-SMEs across East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda) Support the onboarding process of the Agri-SMEs into the Growth and Investment program, Create and manage synergies across TechnoServe’s portfolio to create holistic TA support for the SMEs Provide personalized support/advisory to the Agri-SMEs during the program implementation and ensure they complete program based activities on time. Support planning and organizing the Growth and Investment Pitching sessions which includes identification and recruitment of investors and supporting the Agri-SMEs to develop their pitching decks. Continuously monitor and engage strategic partners for TA, business development, and collaborations Capacity Development: During Cohort three, the BA will support the Technical Assistance through training, group and individual coaching and mentorship of the recruited Agri-SMEs on areas relevant to a growing business. Focus will be on typical business challenges and company priorities around generating top-line growth, addressing operations/management inefficiencies, accessing finance, market development/ customer acquisition & retention. Support management of the whatsapp group to provide support, answer questions and share information of interest and promote networking Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL): Track and monitor the real-time analytics of Agri-SMEs progress on the various program based activities in order to ensure timely implementation of the program as per the work plan. The BA will work on integrating follow-up surveys after delivery of content to assess adoption and uptake and collect information from Agri-SMEs related to training outcomes. The BA will support the program quality surveys by contacting the registration(baseline), module satisfaction and end line surveys. The BA will periodically develop updates and reports to the supervisor and the donor. The collected data will be used as input for a joint workshop that will look at how to incorporate our lessons learned to further optimize our approach for scale-up. The BA, in collaboration with Aceli and other stakeholders, will co-author a report for publication. Requirements Basic Qualifications: These are the requirements that any qualified candidate must meet. Typically includes A Bachelor’s Degree in economics, business or a related field is an advantage and at At least 3 years of relevant work experience. Preferred Qualifications: Strong background advising and coaching agri- SME’s in East Africa is highly desirable Proven analytical and modeling skills Demonstrated ability to gather data (through desk research and interviews) and synthesize large amounts of information to provide a cohesive assessment of opportunities and constraints within a market Demonstrated leadership skills, teamwork and relationship building Excellent written and verbal communication Strong computer skills, including advanced skills in MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel Able to work independently, flexibly and responsively to deliver high-quality deliverables Able to adapt to changing working conditions Able to prioritize and meet deadlines Strong background in agriculture, economics, business and strategy development. Success Factors Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job. Core Competencies include: Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain. Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks. Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately. Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders. Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication. Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary. Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables:Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks. Planning & Time Management:Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively. Business Acumen:The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance. Job Specific/Technical Competencies include : Innovative Mindset:Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity. Computer Literacy:Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace. Compliance & Governance:Compliance with and knowledge of company policies, applicable legislation, grant requirements, donor contracts, the local labor code and tax laws. Internal Client Focus:Client Focus is based on the ability to understand the client’s needs and concerns in the short to long-term and to provide sound recommendations and/or solutions. #J-18808-Ljbffr