Market Linkages Assistant NGO Jobs – Adventist Development and Relief Agency – (ADRA)
Job Title: Market Linkages Assistant
Organization: Adventist Development and Relief Agency – (ADRA)
Duty Station: Uganda
About US:
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency – (ADRA) is the humanitarian organisation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church tasked to serve humanity so all may live as God intended. Working at ADRA is more than just a job—it’s an opportunity to be a part of something bigger. Our work is making a difference in the lives of thousands of people in Uganda. Through hard work, perseverance, and deep commitment we turn limited resources into life-changing solutions.
Job Summary: The Market Linkages Assistant will be tasked with the supervision and capacity building of Collective Marketing enterprises of smallholder farmers, linking smallholder farmers organizations with private sector businesses including Kyegegwa district and elsewhere in Uganda as needed. The MLA will coordinate and support linkage between smallholder farmers and the market, identify the right markets for the products of the smallholder farmers and help them set up their collective businesses and, through mentoring and coaching, focus on developing commercial capacities of the smallholder farmers towards becoming formal business entities. He/she will discover opportunities for contract linkage of smallholder farmers with agribusiness development services (BDS) providers, traders, processors and procurement companies. The MLA will work directly and closely with the Project Manager and Project Officers, District Local Government Officers, WFP, local NGOs and other stakeholders.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Work with buyers to clarify their specific needs and requirements and help farmers organizations (FO & RPO) to communicate with these buyers to plan concrete and successful completion of transactions.
- Work with quality input suppliers to clarify their specific procedures of procurements and help farmers organizations (FO & RPO) to communicate with these input suppliers to plan and concrete successful completion of the transaction.
- Work with agricultural value chain financing to clarify specific requirements for financial services and help farmers organizations (FO & RPO) to communicate with these financiers to plan and complete transactions.
- Work with District Commercial Office and Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to ensure that smallholder farmers are enlightened on existing Uganda Standards and market requirements for priority agricultural commodities on demand.
- FO and RPO Support: Conduct value-chain analysis for priority commodities of the AMS program.
- Find current opportunities for smallholder farmers to sell their surpluses.
- Research, analyze, package and distribute current market and price information on commodities demanded in the WFP-CBT-linked markets within refugee settlements and the community at large.
- Help smallholder farmers, through their associations (FO / RPO), develop sound business systems including setting up financial records, bulking and sales records, warehouse records and sound governance and financial viability (revenue-generating systems), acceptable accounting systems
- Help FO / RPO to write a viable business plan.
- Arrange formal meetings for FO / RPO business managers to engage identified licensed buyers.
- Facilitate contract negotiations and the signing of contracts between FO / RPO and identified registered buyers.
- Support and monitor the flow of quality farm commodities from smallholder farmers to registered collective aggregation / bulking centres
- Support RPOs established by smallholder farmers for collective marketing to stock and sell inputs from licensed private sector manufacturers and suppliers.
- Identify sources of financing for smallholder farmers and guide FOs and RPOs on how to access them.
- Compile and submit timely reports on smallholder farmers’ collective marketing and sales.
- Support FO / RPO to be connected to business mentoring and coaching networks.
- Facilitate the development and maintenance of a database of key market actors that can be used to further transactions.
- Competitive Support: Find a market for products by the smallholder farmers, including WFP-CBT-linked markets in the refugee settlement.
- Increase the capacity of the smallholder farmers to adopt high value, market standards and ethical business practices.
- Provide consistent and regular business support, mentoring/coaching and follow up to smallholder farmers enterprises, including collective bulking/aggregation support to ensure successful enterprises.
- Support successful business set up, including setting up financial records, business plan, dividend policy and profit and loss statement.
- Conduct regular scoping of business, identify gaps and take measures to fill the gaps to reduce agribusiness business mortality.
- Support smallholder farmers enterprises to have access to agricultural value chain finance to ensure expansion or diversification
- Support FO / FO enterprises to have access to inputs for developing effective post-harvest systems
- Identify opportunities for farm-based value addition of products and provide instant training to farmers
- Work-Planning and Reporting: Actively facilitate the translation of intervention strategies into action plans with concrete activities targets and timeframes.
- Work closely with the project manager and project teams to prepare a realistic work plan output.
- Work in liaison with Project Manager, compile and submit timely reports on smallholder farmers Collective Marketing Business development.
- Monitor the market trends and prices and inform FOs and RPOs in line with child protection policy and guidelines
- Work with local leaders to protect smallholder farmers against abuses
- Sensitize the FO / RPO managers and other stakeholders about farmer’s rights and responsibilities.
- Liaise with District Commercial Office to organize exhibitions, smallholder farmer promotion weeks, trade missions, field tours and exchange visits for smallholder farmers and other value chain actors to interact and sell to each other.
- Participate in the Joint Monitoring and Supervision of the AMS programme progress based on the developed work plan and propose a necessary modification in the project design in coordination with the Project Manager
- Perform any other related tasks assigned by her/his supervisor.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Marketing or related field.
- At least five years’ experience in coaching and Mentoring, of which three must be in the marketing of products in a reputable organization and minimum two years of international experience in relief or development programmes
- Active membership and Certification from a recognized marketing professional body
- Must be conversant with creating a marketing campaign, marketing strategy and marketing plan.
- Position requires cross-cultural experience, understanding and sensitivity
- Proven broad-based experience in leadership, understanding of public relations and must have advanced communication skills
- Experience with digital Marketing Forms such as social media marketing
- Proven marketing campaigning experience
- Excellent interpersonal written and oral communication skills
- Good interpersonal relation skills
- Competence with Microsoft Applications including Word, Excel and Out Look
- Position requires cross-cultural expertise, understanding and sensitivity.
- Complete compatibility with ADRA’s Mission Statement, policies and core values.
How to Apply:
All candidates should apply online at the link below.
Deadline: 19th April 2020