JOB AT TechnoServe : Coffee Innovations Manager
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit 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.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
TechnoServe is helping to build a sustainable global coffee industry that can lift millions of farming families out of poverty. Through our projects, we have developed a set of market-based solutions to meet this challenge and applied them in communities across Africa and Latin America. Additionally, TechnoServe has established a portfolio of innovative technology related programs and platforms that create an impact throughout a variety of coffee supply chain actors in East Africa. These platforms perform a range of functions, from creating the ability for working capital lenders in Rwanda to better monitor coffee washing station working capital loans, to providing washing station managers the tools needed to improve the operational efficiencies and quality of the coffee they produce- all with the ultimate goal of contributing to lift smallholder farmers out of poverty.
In the future, TechnoServe intends to continue to build and refine the existing coffee portfolio, with the long-term goal of increasing smallholder farmer incomes for 5 million smallholder farmers. The following priorities have been identified: 1) Improve linkages between wet mill businesses and financial/marketing service providers 2) Improving the ability of rural coffee businesses to make sound, data-driven financial and processing decisions 3) Improve the governance/transparency of coffee cooperatives; and 4) Integrate digital-payment mechanisms into the wet mill business model.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Coffee Innovations Manager will assist the Global Director in coffee-sector strategic work, lead deployment of new innovations and management activities for all existing technology platforms falling within the coffee innovation portfolio.
Strategic work activities include conceptualizing strategy for new projects and assisting field teams in initial implementation. Deployment of new initiatives will include continuously identifying new technologies to pilot to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of coffee programs. Platform development and management activities include leading design, testing, and implementation of the new platform features, while also ensuring suitable maintenance is provided to support ongoing platform delivery over time.
The Manager will work in concert with the Global Coffee Director and the Coffee Leadership team and will be involved in business development and donor relations.
Specifically, the manager will be responsible for the following:
Strategy& Program Management / Operations
Develop strategy and materials for new projects and represent the program to key partners and the interested community
Manage the design, development, testing, implementation, and evaluation of theCashless Wet Mill digital payment system within Rwanda;Lead the scalability and deployment of this tool across Rwanda and other Coffee-sector programs
Assist program teams on implementation of new initiatives/ activities within coffee portfolio
Continuously evaluate and refine the East Africa coffee innovation strategy, including receiving buy in from regional coffee leadership team members
Support Global Coffee Director and Coffee Leadership team on other strategic activities per need and donor relationship management
Identify new business development leads within East Africa division and hand them over to the business development team
Innovations – Conceptualize and Deployment
Manage pilots of new and existing technologies and innovations with East Africa coffee regional projects to improve program efficiency and effectiveness
Integrate East Africa team innovations within Latin America Regional Coffee Programs
Develop internal knowledge materials; support internal knowledge sharing activities and the development of broader TechnoServe innovations frameworks and initiatives
Management of ICT Platform
Develop a revival operational strategy for coffeetransparency.com and actively seek new partnerships for engagement on this platform
Lead transitioning of SMS book-keeping system from TechnoServe to a third party private service
Continuously develop partnerships with large working capital lenders in Rwanda
Identify and liaise with ICT4D donors and fund managers to identify new innovation-based funding opportunities
Maintain good relationships with all internal and external users of developed ICT Platforms, includingcom,theVirtual Business Advisor
SKILLS REQUIRED
Degree in Computer Science, Business Administration or other relevant field
At least five years relevant IT project management and delivery experience, including systems development, implementation, operations, maintenance, and support activities, within a relevant field (e.g., Access to Finance, Micro-Finance, Farmer Outreach, Mobile-Payments)
Experience developing organization-level digital strategies and business cases for technology investment
Experience living and working in sub-Saharan Africa (East Africa experience preferred)
Experience leading and managing multicultural teams, preferably some experience with managing remotely (e.g. field-based teams)
Strong market orientation, entrepreneurial and innovative thinker
Proven communication, presentation and writing skills
Proven ability to work independently, delivering high-quality end products
Previous successful experience mentoring and building capacity of staff
High proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel
Verbal and written fluency in English; Spanish an additional advantage
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 cooperatively 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:
Computer Literacy:Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace.
Donor/Partnership Management:Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
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.
Innovative Mindset:Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.
Career Pathways:
The positions that may be a next career opportunity for employees in this job title include Senior Program Manager or Senior Portfolio Manager.
Women are encouraged to apply.
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