TechnoServe

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing...when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off. 

Title: Intervention Area Manager

Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party, USAID FTF Inclusive Agricultural Markets Activity and TechnoServe Uganda Country Director

Location: Kampala, Uganda

Travel: Domestic, up to 40%

Grade: 9

Job Summary:

TechnoServe seeks an Intervention Area Manager to manage a team of Partnership Intervention Managers (PIMs) and provide senior technical leadership to ensure FtF IAM applies a successful market systems development approach to its interventions. The Intervention Area Manager will be responsible for a portfolio of value addition and Business support services, Partnerships with agri input suppliers, distributors, GoU, and private service providers.

The position is a senior management role and reports to the Deputy Chief of Party, USAID FTF Inclusive Agricultural Markets Activity and TechnoServe Uganda Country Director.

Program Overview:

TechnoServe Inc/Uganda, a subcontractor to DAI, is implementing the Feed the Future Uganda Inclusive Agricultural Markets Activity (FtF IAM). This market systems development Activity works with producer organizations, business development service providers, agro-industry/agribusiness firms, Government of Uganda institutions and agencies, and other market actors to create efficiencies in cross-market functions that enable systemic changes to sustainably increase incomes and improve the livelihoods of households through agriculture-led inclusive economic growth. The Activity will work throughout the Feed the Future Uganda Zone of Influence (ZOI), which covers 38 districts across four regions of Uganda.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Provide senior technical leadership in on or more intervention areas: develop interventions and partnerships that enable the Activity to achieve its objectives and results by applying a facilitative market systems development approach that considers commercial viability, capacities and behavior changes needed to create transformative change in the wider agricultural market system.
• Build linkages, broker deals, and provide tailored technical assistance focused on growing businesses in an inclusive manner to a portfolio of private sector partners, including but not limited to processors, traders, financial services, and business development services (BDS) providers, focusing on growing their businesses in an inclusive manner.
• Supervise a team of PIMs, overseeing the development of partnership strategies, negotiation of pay-for-results partnerships, development of technical assistance packages and monitoring of learning and adaptation arising from these interventions; provide ongoing mentorship and technical guidance to the team.
• Ensure quality control of partnership agreements and deliverables, monitoring and learning, reporting and planning documents.
• Monitor the implementation in collaboration with the FtF IAM monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) team to facilitate collection of data, analysis and learning; contribute to learning briefs and monitoring report; facilitate events and present lessons from FtF IAM.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field of study, such as rural and agricultural development, agricultural economics, agribusiness and/or business development, business administration OR a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field of study with at least 5 years of development experience relevant to the SOW.
• At least 7 years of experience with private sector led agricultural development activities; focus on input supply and distribution preferred; demonstrated understanding of market systems development approaches and principles of facilitative development.
• Strong knowledge of Uganda’s agricultural market systems, constraints and opportunities to growth; experience in the private sector or building/managing investments or relationships with private sector partners preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience managing a team.
• Excellent communication, computer skills, and analytical skills; strong writing skills required.
• Experience working with international donor agencies; experience with USAID management and administrative requirements preferred.
• Ugandan candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Supervisory Responsibilities – supervises 4 staff 

Success Factors:

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.

Core Competencies include:

• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:

• Partnership/Donor Management: program staff should understand and apply techniques to develop, maintain and manage business relationships with clients, donors and internal or external partners in order to implement and manage projects and/or identify new business.
• Financial & Resource Management: an important competency program staff must possess to enable them budget properly based on facts and change course when necessary, knowledge of finance to develop and manage budgets.
• Innovative Mindset: program staff should know how to ask questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learn from mistakes, and see change as an opportunity.
• Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.

Managerial Competencies include:

• Emotional Intelligence: Empathetic, understands attitudes, interests, needs of others; predict others behavior. Self-aware and keeps own emotions from interfering with work. Understanding both the strengths and limitations of others.
• Trust to Delegate: Appropriately allocates decision‐making authority and/or task responsibility to others; maximizes the organization’s and individual’s effectiveness.
• Strategic Thinking: Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization in a global environment. Capitalizes on opportunities and manages risks.
• Staff Development: Planning and supporting the development of individuals’ skills and abilities so that they can fulfill current or future job responsibilities more effectively.
• Coaching/Feedback: Recognizes and acknowledges strengths in others. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others develop knowledge and skill areas to accomplish tasks or solve problems.

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.