Regional Program Manager at TechnoServe Zambia Limited

Title: Regional Program Manager

Project: Technical Assistance to Agriculture Technology Demonstration Centers

Reports to: Zambia Country Director

Location: Zambia

Travel: 50% Mozambique, Zambia & China

Grade:

I. About TechnoServe

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a non-profit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

Our four core values embody our deepest beliefs and our highest aspirations. They are the guiding principles that drive and inform our organizational culture at every level—in the field, with partners and funders, throughout headquarters, in all we do.

• Collegiality. We share responsibility, ideas and tools in a spirit of connection, collaboration and candor.
• Integrity. We hold ourselves to high ethical standards, respect the rule of law and behave honestly and openly.
• Resourcefulness. We are problem solvers who think creatively, act boldly and learn from our mistakes.
• Results. We are accountable for lasting, measurable impact.

II. Program Description

China has invested in Agriculture Technology Demonstration Centres (ATDCs) across Africa to share Chinese experience, models, and technologies for the benefit of African smallholder farmers (SHFs). The project will provide technical assistance to the Zambia and Mozambique ATDCs to drive organizational change management and partnership building between the centers and local government and non-government stakeholders; demonstrate and scale-up technologies in rice and poultry value chains; and develop the centers’ capacity for technology sourcing and evaluation. The project will require significant stakeholder management between Chinese, Zambian and Mozambican private sector stakeholders, government agencies, the ATDCs and smallholder farmer representatives to ensure alignment on the future of the ATDCs and position them for success. This is an opportunity to manage an international, multi-sectoral team and align multiple local and international stakeholders to ensure the ATDCs develop into sustainable centers making a significant impact at a national level.

The program has one country manager for each target country—one in Zambia and one in Mozambique.  The Regional Program Manager will work alongside the country managers in their countries to execute against the plans for the two project components: 1) organizational strengthening and 2) technology transfer.  The Regional Program Manager will also ensure that ATDC activities in both countries are aligned to identify, demonstrate, pilot and scale agricultural technologies in targeted value chains that have positive benefits for farmers.

III. Role Description

As Regional Program Manager you will:

• Be responsible for ensuring that the scope and projected impacts of the program strategy are clearly defined and understood by all team members and reflected in the project work plan
• Provide quality assurance of project outputs ensuring consistency between the two countries
• Support two country leads by contributing change management experience
• Monitor and oversee project reporting requirements and financial management.
• Support interaction with stakeholders at the national and international level
• Ensuring that communication is consistent and aligned with the program’s approach
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with key personnel in local and Chinese governments, Chinese operators, research institutions, and the private sector including processors, seed companies, financial institutions, NGOs, farmers and other industry stakeholders in the areas of operation.

Specific Program Management Responsibilities include:

• Manage overall workplan process: Harmonise management, workplanning and approaches between the two countries in order to identify, prioritize and sequence activities required for successful delivery
• Results management Support each country team to execute to the work plan and meet targets/milestones associated with all program work streams
• Financial management: reviewing spend reports, leading internal TNS budgeting and reporting process
• Technical input: Lead implementation of a workplan activities against the business plan and change management plans, support technology transfer component as required
• Stakeholder management: setting agenda for steering committee meetings, attending and presenting, annual reporting to Gates (2018,19&20)
• Communications: coordination of news bulletins and other communication materials for stakeholders, attend to other stakeholder requests
• Monitoring and Evaluation: refine results chain and measurement plan, ensure timely reporting and engage external consultants/experts for evaluations as required
• TechnoServe internal contributions: Inputs to information requests within TechnoServe, fundraising support – e.g. proposal writing, strategy development, technical advisory to TNS writers (as relevant), ad-hoc meetings with interested donors/partners, attendance/presentation of ATDC and learnings at conferences
• Other Duties as Assigned

IV. Qualifications & Experience

• A bachelor’s degree and at least 7 years of experience. A master’s degree and at least
• 5 years of experience strongly preferred
• Experience coaching clients in a multi-cultural context
• Proven ability to manage complex multi-stakeholder processes
• Strong project management and analytical skills
• Proven ability to build rapport among internal and external stakeholders, particularly government and private sector stakeholders
• Experience working in China and/or with Chinese organizations preferred
• Understanding of agricultural dynamics in Southern Africa preferred
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
• Excellent oral & written presentation skills required
• Fluency in Portuguese required

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