Agriculture Value Chains Manager Iraq Nineveh

Contract

This is a Professional contract, Grade 9 (NRC) contract. More about Professional contract, Grade 9 (NRC) contracts.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Programme manager is responsible for supporting or leading, operationally and technically the implementation of agriculture value chain projects including the AMAL and SAAVI FIP across NRC’s operational areas in Iraq and representing NRC at coordination fora, as delegated from the Project Lead. The programme manager will also contribute in the design of agriculture value chain programmes and strategy development.

Generic responsibilities

• Line management of technical advisors working for agriculture value chain program
• Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
• Responsible for ensuring programme support to integrated programme, coordination and technical quality across the agriculture value chain program
• Compliance to donor standards, grant management and regular reporting to donor
• Identify funding opportunities and develop funding strategy and forecasts
• Ensure compliance with contractual commitments and extracting and implementing key learnings
• Ensure capacity building of all technical staff in agriculture value chain program

Specific responsibilities

• Overall technical lead for the project to coordinate strategies among CC specialist, AMAL core team, donor technical leads, project advisory groups and national ministries.
• Contribute to country livelihoods strategy development in collaboration with the cash and livelihoods specialist and AMAL project lead including leading on developing a specific agriculture value chain strategy for NRC Iraq
• Contribute to agriculture value chain programme development in collaboration with the cash and livelihoods specialist and AMAL project lead
• Matrix manage area based project managers.
• Support project managers including implementation backstop, gap filling, budget management, spending & work plans and donor reporting.
• Develop implementation strategies and approaches to successfully deliver project results across project implementing areas.
• Engage project teams at CO and AO levels to monitor progress and revise project’s approaches and implementation plans.

• Lead the project technical advisory group under AMAL and technical working groups under SAAVI FIP

• Facilitate monthly, quarterly and annual review meetings for all agriculture value chain projects including AMAL and SAAVI FIP and ensure project review minutes are well documented.

• Support the process of recruitment and capacity building of senior project staff engaged in implementation of agriculture value chain project across area offices and provide technical guidance regularly.
• Lead the process of drafting SoPs, tools and guidance notes related to the AMAL project and other value chain related programmes ensuring standardization of approaches across NRC’s value chain programming
• Ensure timely and quality reporting, and provide regular inputs to quarterly reports and annual reports in line with NRC and donor procedures and guidelines;
• Document and disseminate project learnings in coordination with M&E department and support to replicate such learnings including piloting innovation in other project locations
• Representing the value chain related projects in coordination fora with government authorities, ABC on water and agriculture, food security cluster, donors and other national stakeholders
• Lead on country wide assessments including needs assessments, agriculture value chains analysis, climate change related assessment, seed system security assessment (SSSA) etc
• Translate findings from key assessments/analysis such as value chain assessments and seed system analysis into practical strategies and priorities for interventions.
• Take the lead in Identifying potential market actors and business development service providers, and connect with farmers’ groups/alliances for creation of market linkages
• Provide technical support to project teams and technical advisors on areas of value chains and sustainable agriculture related issues;
• Coordination with the National Agricultural Research Centres (NARCs), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Universities and other research institutions to explore available new technologies for extension and marketing support

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Area Managers: to ensure required resource allocation
• Programme Unit: to ensure programme quality
• Programme implementation teams: to ensure programme completion to work plan
• Donor: to report project progress and highlight achievements and issues
• Authorities in Iraq: to ensure project understanding and support
• Support department managers: to ensure sufficient HR, Logistics, Finance and ICT support
• Grant management: Area Managers, Regional programme support, Regional Programme Adviser, HoS

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

1. Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic Professional Competencies

• Minimum 4 years’ experience from a management position in a recovery context
• A university degree in agriculture, agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, agribusiness or equivalent.
• At least 4 years of working experience in the field of agriculture value chain, market linkages, agricultural marketing, or agricultural recovery programmes and seed system development.
• Sound understanding of global agricultural policies and agriculture research, development, and extension systems/approaches
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context Specific/Knowledge skills and experience

• Experience of Livelihoods programming an advantage
• Experience in Agricultural Value Chains is a MUST
• Knowledge of Arabic or Kurdish an advantage
• Experience of working with large donors an advantage
• Experience of the Iraq context an advantage

2. Behavioral competencies

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioral competencies, the following are essential for this position:

• Strategic thinking
• Managing resources to optimise results
• Empowering and building trust
• Initiating action and change
• Influencing
• Handling insecure environments

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• Work- and Professional Development Plan
• The NRC Competency Framework

What We Can Offer

• Contract period: 12 months, extendable based on funding and need
• The position is Grade 9 NRC Grade Structure
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions
• Duty station: Mosul, Iraq
• Travel: 60%

In case of any query contact: [email protected]