About US:
Under the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda DINU, a Government of Uganda programme supported by the European Union EU and supervised by Office of the Prime Minister, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture IITA has received a grant to implement an action, Building resilience to enhance food and nutrition security, incomes and health in Northern Uganda. The three- year grant action will be implemented by a consortium of partners in seven districts of Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Otuke and Kwania in Lango sub-region, and Kapelebyong and Amuria in Teso sub-region.

IITA is one of the 15 Institutes of the CGIAR global research partnerships with headquarters in Ibadan Nigeria, and in Uganda, permanent offices are in Namulonge and Kampala respectively. IITA is a not-for-profit International Research organization, whose focus is on transforming African agriculture through Agricultural Research for Development as well as Partnership for
Development and is governed by the Board of Trustees.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with the team to implement activities that enhance crop productivity and market linkages for profitability of on-farm enterprises.
• Identify, assess and establish potential private public partnerships that enhance crop productivity and market linkages
• Provide technical guidance and capacity building on business development services to farmers especially women and youth and partners.
• Work with youth groups on processing and marketing
• Identify business opportunities and alliances with business model potential for input and output marketing
• Serve as the technical lead for designing, implementing and monitoring all livelihoods diversification, value chain and marketing activities.
•  Coordinate and collaborate with partners including private enterprises, community-based organizations and NGOs working on livelihood diversification to leverage project resources, avoid duplication of efforts and ensure
  complementarities
• Identify broker deals amongst business partners with the market team for output marketing
• Lead the development of business strategies and action plans for agriculture commercialization in the regions
•  Work with the markets component implementing team to promote marketing of nutritious products produced by farmers
• Support the monitoring of business-related activities and partnerships
•  Conduct any other duties as may be assigned by supervisor

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal applicant must hold MSc degree in post-harvest technologies and management with crop production and post-harvest background plus more than five years of experience working with value chain or business development projects using the value chain or market approach.
• Experience in development of business plans for financing and working with the private sector to build and sustain mutually beneficial market linkages
• Experience in conducting value chain assessments and determining appropriate interventions to enhance agricultural productivity and market access for the rural poor.
• Experience in developing plans aimed at upgrading agricultural value chains through enhanced private sector engagement.
• A strong ability to work within a team under minimum supervision and deliver results.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment
• Excellent networking and communication skills in English and local language
• Proven training and coordination skills, with the capacity to coordinate teams operating in rural areas
• Computer proficiency including MS Office Word/ PowerPoint, advance excel skills and SPSS
• Ability to complete multiple tasks under pressure and meet deadlines
• Past working experience in northern Uganda – Lango area is an added advantage.

Applications, which must include covering letter, curriculum vitae, academic certificates, names and addresses of three referees should be addressed to:

The Country Representative, IITA – Uganda.

P.O. Box 7878,

Kampala.

OR

hand deliver to plot 15B East Naguru Road,

OR Send by email: to J.Anyango@cgiar.org

Please indicate position applied for on the right-hand corner of envelope or in subject line for emails.