Technoserve is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty and work around for over 50 years.
The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing. when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.
| Recruiter | TechnoServe |
| Position | Agriculture Value Chains Coordinator |
| Location | Harare |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Official Website | https://www.technoserve.org/ |
| Qualification | Bachelor’s degree |
| Experience Required | Minimum Three years |
| Application Deadline | January 25, 2023 |
Position Overview
TechnoServe Zimbabwe has integrated smallholder farmers into commercial livestock production value chains, focusing on poultry and beef production. The poultry pillar is set for growth, whilst the empowering of existing farmer groups to sustainably increase their profitability remains critical. The beef pillar is focusing on cattle breeding and nutrition to improve the quality of the local herd for future commercial activities.
The Agriculture Value Chains (AVC) Coordinator -Livestock will advise and capacitate poultry and beef farmers to increase their productivity, mainstreaming regenerative business approaches. The role will attend to animal health, nutrition, welfare and productivity. The role will also strengthen the capacity of farmer groups to commercialise their operations as they progress from subsistence farming. This will entail developing, executing, and reviewing group-specific business plans to ensure sustainable year-round production in compliance with Best Production Practices.
Reporting to the Program Manager, the role will train Farmer Trainers, government Agricultural Extension Officers and farmer groups to implement recommended commercial models to meet volume, quality and yield targets, mainstreaming a regenerative approach to production. The position should result in the following milestones being achieved:
- Meeting yield, mortality and Feed Conversion ratio targets under poultry production
- Planned and executed training program for farmer groups, focusing on commercial poultry and beef production
- Regular meetings with groups to evaluate progress, with minutes shared with stakeholders.
Primary Functions and Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Program Manager, you will:
Commercial poultry Support
- Support farmer groups to increase their productivity through implementing best practices with respect to nutrition, health and housekeeping.
- Mainstream regenerative business approaches to production
- Report on farm budgets, focusing on plans vs actuals
- Support farmers to improve their records-keeping systems whilst implementing commercial models
- Develop a growth path specific to each group, based on the current status and where the group is expected to be in three years. Execute the growth path plan.
- Liaise with the Trust Coordinator to iron out group dynamics challenges which may threaten the sustainability of the groups.
- Supporting the Program Manager to facilitate the setting up of new poultry groups and construction of new fowl runs.
- Facilitate regular meetings with farmer groups to measure performance.
- Stakeholder Management
- Develop an excellent working relationship with the farmers, farmer groups, Program Manager, Livestock, CUT, ARDAS personnel and all project partner organizations
- Develop and nurture excellent working relations with all relevant stakeholders in Midlands province
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Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Vet or animal sciences or other relevant fields and/or extensive experience in commercial export horticulture.
- 3 years working experience in the relevant field
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Commercial poultry production experience
- Animal health and nutrition experience
- Coaching and mentoring skills
- An analytical mind: you know how to break a problem into easily understandable pieces of information. You use your intuition and logic to guide your research and find solutions.
- Ability to tell stories with data, educate effectively, confidence, motivating stakeholders to act on recommendations
- Outstanding communication skills, both written and oral. Ability to develop well written, cohesive analyses and reports
- Computer skills in MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel
We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe’s vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.
With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.
We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.
If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.
