ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

FtMA is a consortium of six agri-focused organizations, with a mission of making markets work better for smallholder farmers since 2016. Through a demand-led approach, FtMA works with local agricultural ecosystem players to sustainably improve farmer livelihoods whilst fostering commercial viability of value chain stakeholders. FtMA promotes the growth of viable smallholder facing business models through strategic and hands-on partnerships. FtMA is a convener and an open platform for agricultural private sector players. It coordinates the ecosystem, co-innovates products and services, and provides information management covering market access, access to finance, access to inputs and technology, and post-harvest handling and storage to overcome critical value chain bottlenecks in smallholder crop markets.

The strategic aim of FtMA is to increase incomes and resilience of smallholder farmers (SHFs) through providing them access to commercially sustainable value chains. FtMA seeks to build a network of commercially viable farmer service centers that provide last mile delivery of critical demand driven services by Smallholder farmers with the objective of directly linking smallholders into agricultural retail input networks that increases their access to reliable, cost-effective productivity-enhancing services, inputs, and technologies such as improved seeds, fertilizers, Post-harvest Handling and Storage (PHHS) technologies, mechanization services, finance, while at the same time opening direct access to markets and long term off-takers. FtMA will establish strong linkages to reliable and open markets and create a new market pull – driving future small-scale farmers’ development in addition to digitizing both the farmer and farmer service centers that can be either cooperatives, farmer organizations, private entrepreneurs, or agro-dealers to increase transparency, efficiencies, and decision making in responding to the demand driven services required by smallholder farmers through access to reliable data to enhance farmer productivity. By creating new possibilities for innovation and modernization throughout the value chain, all stakeholders’ prospects of successfully investing in the future will be improved. FtMA’s vision is to enable sustainable food systems through strengthened markets that empower smallholders to increase their yields, incomes, and resilience, and to improve global food security. This will be achieved by creating an inclusive commercial environment throughout the food value chains, supported by appropriate policies and investments in hard and soft infrastructures.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education:

University degree in one or more of the following disciplines: Agriculture, Agriculture Economics or a field relevant to agricultural value chain management. An advanced degree in the relevant field is an added advantage.

Experience:

At least five (5) to eight (8) years of experience in agribusiness, either in private sector enterprises or in non-profit value chain related projects, with a strong exposure to the private sector.

Languages:

Fluency (oral and written) in English and Kiswahili a must

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The FtMA Business Plan for Tanzania aims to provide quality technical assistance that aligns with FtMA’s objectives and compliments both public and private sector’s investments in developing viable, sustainable and robust agricultural value chains. WFP hosts the coordination of this comprehensive value chain intervention and is looking for an individual to push forward these efforts under the direct supervision of the FtMA Country Coordinator.

JOB PURPOSE
To lead and provide support to programme and policy activities for small holder farmers to ensure sustainability and increase productivity.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Technical lead in the productivity pathway to ensure sustainable and environmentally friendly increase in SHFs productivity.
Lead in designing and refining scalable, sustainable approaches and strategies suitable for increased productivity.
Lead in identifying demand for services that enhance SHF productivity, their supplier and facilitate linkages through the cooperating partners and farmer service centres to provide these demands driven services commercially.
Support the identification of target farmer organizations and farmer-friendly/facing aggregators by managing the selection and due diligence process; collect, analyze and assess profiles of target farmer organizations.
Plan and manage farmer training on agronomic practices and ensure effective knowledge transfer by instituting and leveraging the Farmer Service Centre (FSC) model for the supported farmer organizations and networks.
Mobilize, convene and coordinate FtMA’s Alliance Members and other private sector service providers to participate in developing solutions for SHFs and that are a response to the demand driven services required by the SHFs to produce sustainably and increase productivity. This includes developing workplans, identifying areas of investment and opportunities for alliance members as well as other private sector partners to engage in last mile service delivery through the farmer service centres.
Identify and mobilize private sector mechanization service providers, financial service providers input partners and other agri-services providers outside the Alliance whose products, services and technologies are suitable and relevant for the SHFs sustainable production.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES CONTINUED

8. Identify other development partners complementing FtMA activities and develop working relationships that are mutually beneficial. Specifically incorporating partners dealing with Conservation and Climate Smart Agriculture technologies that are relevant to SHFs.

9. Establish and manage Public sector relationship by ensuring the local governments’ buy in and participation in the FtMA model.

10. Spearhead the mainstreaming of the FSC model to ensure sustainability in productivity activities including last mile delivery of products and services, training and outreach to SHFs.

11. Ensure partners’ participation in capacity building and support of the FSCs to achieve a timely and seamless end to end availability of products and services.

12. Support the Country Coordinator in the coordination of partner activities in the field to ensure synergies and avoid duplication.

13. Provide digitization support on productivity activities that ensure increased efficiency and mass outreach to farmers.

14. Technical backstopping, troubleshooting for the field teams and management of the extension services. Includes identifying training needs, working with partners for the trainings to be done and guiding in developing technical materials.

15. Support Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities related to productivity pathway as well as baseline and impact assessment surveys.

16. Attend and represent FtMA-Tanzania in relevant stakeholder meetings/forums. Perform any other duties as required.

4Ps CORE ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES
Purpose

Understand and communicate the Strategic Objectives: Understands WFP’s Strategic Objectives and the link to own work objectives.
Be a force for positive change: Flexibly adapts individual contributions to accommodate changes in direction from supervisors and internal/external changes (such as evolving needs of beneficiaries, new requirements of partners).
Make the mission inspiring to our team: Recognizes and shares with team members the ways in which individual contributions relate to WFP’s mission.
Make our mission visible in everyday actions: Sets own goals in alignment with WFP’s overall operations, and is able to communicate this link to others.
People

Look for ways to strengthen people’s skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses to increase self-awareness, and includes these in conversations on own developmental needs.
Create an inclusive culture: Participates in open dialogue, and values the diverse opinion of others, regardless of background, culture, experience, or country assignment.
Be a coach & provide constructive feedback: Proactively seeks feedback and coaching to build confidence, and develop and improve individual skills.
Create an “I will”/”We will” spirit: Participates in accomplishing team activities and goals in the face of challenging circumstances.
Performance

Encourage innovation & creative solutions: Shows willingness to explore and experiment with new ideas and approaches in own work.
Focus on getting results: Consistently delivers results within individual scope of work on time, on budget and without errors.
Make commitments and make good on commitments: Commits to upholding individual accountabilities and responsibilities in the face of ever-changing country or functional priorities.
Be Decisive: Makes rational decisions about individual activities when faced with uncertain circumstances, including in times of ambiguity regarding information or manager direction.
Partnership

Connect and share across WFP units: Seeks to understand and adapt to internal or cross-unit teams’ priorities and preferred working styles.
Build strong external partnerships: Demonstrates ability to understand and appropriately respond to and/or escalate needs of external partners.
Be politically agile & adaptable: Portrays an informed and professional demeanor toward internal and external partners and stakeholders.
Be clear about the value WFP brings to partnerships: Provides operational support on analyses and assessments that quantifies and demonstrates WFP’s unique value as a partner.

FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Capability Name Description of the behaviour expected for the proficiency level
Programme Lifecycle & Food Assistance Displays ability to identify the main hunger problem at the national or subnational level to design and implement context-specific programmes that integrate complex analysis and the full range of food assistance tools.
Transfer Modalities (Food, Cash, Voucher) Demonstrates ability to analyse and consolidate quantitative and qualitative information from different sources (e.g., market studies) to inform transfer modality selection and programme development.
Broad Knowledge of Specialized areas (i.e. Nutrition, VAM, etc.) Demonstrates the ability to interpret basic data in the context of WFP specialised fields to contribute to technical programme design, implementation and monitoring.
Emergency Programming Displays ability to translate understanding of programme principles in emergencies and protracted conflict situations into relevant, effective, and context specific approaches.
Strategic Policy Engagement w/ Government Develops thorough recommendations using multiple inputs (e.g., government counsel, research, own experience) to strengthen national or subnational entities and government owned food and nutrition security programmes.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF CONTRACT

Coordinate Alliance Members and other agri-services providers engaged in selected value chains to participate in developing solutions for SHFs to produce sustainably and increase productivity.
Identify commercially viable business models to run by FSC that respond to the demand driven services required by SHFs to enhance their productivity.
Proposed and piloted digitization support on productivity-oriented activities that ensure sustainable and environmentally friendly increase in SHFs productivity, increased efficiency and mass outreach to farmers.
Design, test, and refine scalable, commercially viable and sustainable approaches and strategies suitable for increased productivity whilst leveraging on private sector partners and commercial service providers working in collaboration with the farm service centers and farmers.
Enhanced capacities and capabilities of the FSCs to drive last mile delivery of products and services, training and outreach to SHFs to ensure sustainability in productivity activities.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural economics; field level experience with smallholders and pro-smallholder SMEs.
Demonstrated knowledge of establishing, mentoring and coaching SHFs into successful and profitable business entities particularly in production, aggregation and marketing.
Demonstrated knowledge of Post-harvest Handling and Storage (PHHS) solutions, technologies and practices, Markets and Logistics spheres with a strong sense of how to deliver success in these sectors through FSCs.
Demonstrated knowledge of relevant digital tools and solutions that drive efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness within input and output markets, productivity enhanced service provision applicable through FSCs, their commercial partners, farmer cooperatives and smallholder farmers that are adapted to local context and has relevant practical experience in digitizing farmer service centres and farmers.
Ability to work independently, establish priorities and monitor own work plan with minimum supervision in close coordination with the geographically diversified FtMA team.
Ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with results-oriented private sector partners as well as internal WFP clients.
Solid operational skills including problem solving and project management skills, including ability to work and deliver projects proactively and under pressure.
Good analytical skills; resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgment, tact, and negotiating skills.
Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing.
Ability to frequently travel within the country.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
– ONLY TANZANIAN NATIONALS SHOULD APPLY FOR THIS POSITION.

– ALL APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED THROUGH WFP E-RECRUITMENT PORTAL

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS IS 28 JANUARY 2022