Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, April 07, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Background
The 2SCALE program1 is designed to incubate and accelerate inclusive business development in African agri-food systems. 2SCALE works together with companies (African, Dutch and other small and medium-sized enterprises - SMEs) and producer organizations (POs) to develop business and partnership models that promote inclusiveness, develop competitive edge, and have potential for scaling. These partnerships, also referred to as public-private partnerships (PPPs), are the core implementation modality to achieve the objectives of the program.

Specifically, 2SCALE supports partnerships in target agri-food industries with significant potential to:
• Improve food and nutrition security, both at grassroots level and at the consumer end of the value chain by serving local and regional markets (including Base-of-the-Pyramid – BoP - markets) with nutritious food
• Improve the terms of inclusion of smallholder farmers and other micro-, small-, and medium- sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the value chains
• Attract and employ the youth
• Engage and empower women

To strengthen PPPs, 2SCALE also collaborates with companies and organizations that provide a specific expertise to support the target agri-food value chains or act as a major off-taker in the chain.
2SCALE is co-funded by the private sector and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS). Building on a first phase (2012-18), the current phase of 2SCALE runs from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023. It is awarded to a consortium led by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and comprising the Base- of-the-Pyramid Innovation Center (BoPInc) and the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV).

Position summary
The PPP approach adopted by 2SCALE puts the private sector in the lead by facilitating and co-financing joint interventions that drive inclusiveness. Inclusiveness in the context of 2SCALE entails empowering youth, women, and low-income communities to be fairly integrated in agri value chains by ensuring their ownership and voice are visible and that risks and rewards are fairly shared by the stakeholders. To ensure this, the program supports grassroot actors’ empowerment through developing Agribusiness Clusters (ABCs). Further enhance youth economic inclusion and skills matching in partnerships.
Agribusiness clusters are local networks of business that complement each other and function around common opportunities and challenges. These ABCs are supported by business support service providers and ABC coaches. The capacity building includes various “hard” and “soft” skills identified as gaps hindering the performance of the Agribusiness Clusters (ABCs).
2SCALE is looking for a junior consultant who will provide support to develop Agribusiness Clusters and youth inclusion activities under PPPs in Kenya. The junior consultant will support the country team by actively engage in youth inclusion and agribusiness cluster development strategy implementations.
In terms of the ABC development and strengthening the consultant is responsible to compile database of ABCs and the Coaches; support the organization and delivery of capacity buildings, field level coaching; and facilitate relationship building to enable actors plan and take joint actions based on their common constraints and opportunities. For youth inclusion activities the consultant is expected to review youth mapping and need assessments; facilitate youth mobilization and selection, facilitate market relevant and youth-friendly skills training; document best practices and lessons learned in youth inclusion and agro enterprise development. This consultancy will be for an initial period of six months with a possibility for renewal based on satisfactory performance, priorities of the partnership and availability of funds.

Tasks
The specific tasks that the junior consultant is expected to deliver include:
• Compile ABC and ABC coach’s database as per the template for PPPs in Kenya
• Facilitate needs assessment and prioritisation of capacity development for ABC coaches.
• Support ABC coaches, Business Support Service (BSS) providers, rural entrepreneurs, and other grassroots actors to set clear vision and to understand their roles in the ABCs.
• Co-organize capacity building sessions for all ABC coaches and youths selected for inclusion.
• Provide regular field support to ABC coaches, Business champions, and other grassroots actors to strengthen the functioning of the ABCs and field level governance system. ABC functions include but not limited to:
• enhances access to agro-inputs and services
• encourages coordinated action, collective learning, co-innovation and co-investment
• facilitates empowerment (youth and Gender), more voice and better bargaining power of the grassroot actors
• Document the ABC actors strategies to embed the cost of coaching and other paid advisory services within the partnership cost structure.
• Provide support to the ABC coaches network (Community of Practice) in Kenya and facilitate cross learning among coaches.
• Support (through the ABC coaches) Producer Organisations (POs), micro, small and medium sized enterprises to perform in a professional and well accepted standard to improve their business performance.
• Support ABC coaches to implement all interventions to strengthen the ABCs.
• Collaborate with other 2SCALE thematic experts and consultants to align and draw synergies for optimum impact.
• Participate and support country team in youth identification and mobilization based on PPP work plan and impact pathways to join the program in coordination with the Business Champion(s).
• Support country team for youth employment value chain opportunity mapping and need assessment under PPP.
• Support country teams to facilitate market relevant and youth-friendly skills training / youth social, business development and employability skills including remote training.
• Support in the documentation (monitoring and reporting) of ABC & Youth Inclusion interventions/activities in designated partnerships and facilitate development of field stories.

Supervision and team collaboration
The consultant is supervised by and reports to the 2SCALE country team leader in Kenya. He/She will receive technical guidance and support from the ABC development and Youth inclusion specialists. He/she will work in close collaboration with all other 2SCALE colleagues, including Partnership Facilitators, thematic experts, interns, and other consultants.

Position and duty station / Location
This consultancy is a national position and requires intensive travels (up to 50% of the time) in the target ABCs in-country.

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Job application procedure
Interested and eligible candidates are requested to visit the IFDC career website https://ifdc.org/about-us/careers/  to find out more information about the 2position and apply.
Note: Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted for interviews.
IFDC is an equal opportunity employer. Women and Youth are strongly encouraged to apply.

All Jobs

QUICK ALERT SUBSCRIPTION