Business Development & Extension Advisor Job Vacancy in Nairobi

Are you interested in joining an Organisation with a long term commitment to fighting poverty? 

Would you like to work in a challenging environment and develop an international career focused on demonstrating shared core values that achieve results?

SNV Kenya is looking for a:

Business Development & Extension Advisor
 

Work within Renewable Energy (RE) Sector and based in Nairobi,  Kenya

SNV is a non-profit international development organisation established in the Netherlands in 1965. For over 40 years, SNV has been at the forefront of development, helping to build local capacity and empower local families and communities to break the cycle of poverty. 

We are present on the ground in 36 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans and operate in Agriculture & Food Security, Renewable Energy (RE), and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene.
 

Our 900 advisors in the field come from a variety of cultural and technical backgrounds, and over 60 per cent are nationals of the countries where we work.

In its Renewable Energy Sector, SNV Kenya working closely with HIVOS wishes to recruit a Kenyan National as an advisor to serve in an upcoming project /programme named Sustainable and Secure Smallholder Systems @ Scale (4S@Scale). 

The purpose of the programme is to create viable smallholder coffee farming systems, that will allow the coffee sector in East Africa to regain its vitality and offer long-term business opportunities for 2.4 million smallholder coffee farms and 16 million people dependent on the sector.

Key activities of the programme will include incorporating biogas into the whole farm system; diversification of incomes, in particular through dairy and horticulture; the provision of credit facilities; enhanced good agricultural practices including climate resilience; and women and youth targeted training and support. 

Women and young farmers are priority clients as key actors to revitalise the sector and ensure long-term sustainability.

For SNV Kenya as the “lead country” for this PPP, specific interventions that the advisor and RE/AGRIC teams will ensure are planned as follows:

• Expand farmer support to include non-coffee activities, in particular animal husbandry.
• Build markets for non-coffee products, lead role for local cooperatives
• Provide biogas digesters to 40% of program farmers.
• Setting up agro-investment support, readily accessible to women and youth.
• Implement whole-farm approach with 30.000 farmers who have received basic training
• Roll out approach to 30.000 farmers who have had no prior training.
• Implement business model for fully self-funding farmer services by project end.

Responsibilities
 

The advisor will be reporting to Sector Leader, Renewable Energy (RE) BUT will work closely with colleagues within the Renewable Energy and Agriculture Sectors. 

The advisor will work directly with KENDBIP, Producer Cooperatives and Extension services and will be responsible for providing technical guidance for the improvement of farm productivity utilising bio-slurry to produce high value organic manure for coffee and other farm crops.
 

More specifically the SNV advisor will.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships  with project partners and stakeholders
• Act as the focal point for the project with the technical team  in RE and Dairy and partners
• Strengthen synergies between dairy and RE sectors
• Lead in the development and testing of extension models which farmers must be able and willing to pay.
• Support the biogas programme to improve current extension models.
• Assure proper learning and knowledge development (10%)

Candidate profile

• Master’s degree in a rural development related course (or in Management of appropriate development technologies), Economics of Sustainable development, Agro-economy, Rural development;
• A minimum of 5 years of work experience in agricultural extension and/or rural technology dissemination. Experience in extension / investments for renewable energy, business skills will be an added advantage;
• Have proven track record in capacity building, experience in micro and medium size enterprise development and insight into problems and constraints in stimulating private-public partnerships.
• Have experience in networking, alliance building and facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes, product development, organizational learning, institutional change processes, and project proposal formulation.
• Strong applied analytic skills are required.

Desired Skills and attitude

• Leadership skills, including independent initiative, meeting facilitation, flexibility, ability to drive multiple aspects of initiatives and projects from inception to implementation within a limited time frame, and ability to develop and sustain effective working relationships with people of diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise.
• Have superior oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including keen attention to detail and ability to express complex ideas clearly to a broad range of audiences.
• An advanced knowledge of and experience with MS Office Suite and internet use.
• An ability to travel moderately with readiness to work and travel in rural districts with minimal amenities.

Contract Duration: Two (2) years BUT renewable subject to availability of programme funding

Desired start date: ASAP

Description - Duty Station
 

Medical facilities: Good, numerous private clinics
 

Educational facilities: Very good. There are several International Schools in Nairobi, including a Dutch School
 

Security situation: Peace is prevailing in most parts of the country
 

Accessibility: Good telephone fax, email and internet facilities are available. There are daily flights with KLM and several connection flights
 

Communication: Good

How to apply?
 

Please send your application letter and CV with three referees by clicking here to apply online (att. HR Officer) before 20th July 2013 with reference title as “Business Development & Extension”.

For more information, please refer to our website: www.snvworld.org