Agribusiness and Market Systems Officer job at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Background

DRC Uganda is currently looking for a highly qualified and motivated individual to join our dynamic team as Agribusiness and Market Systems Officer. The role is conditional upon funding being secured for the project.

Overall purpose of the role:

The Agribusiness and Markets Officer will support the implementation of markets development, enterprise strengthening and value chain activities under the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project in Refugee Settlements.The role focuses on improving market access for crop, livestock and beneficial insect value chain beneficiaries, strengthening farmer organisations, supporting financial linkages, and facilitating private sector engagement to increase income and employment opportunities. The Officer will work with district structures, private actors, farmer groups and community-based facilitators to deliver market-oriented training and link farmers to buyers, financial institutions and value addition opportunities in line with project requirements

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Support capacity building for farmer groups on harvesting, post-harvest handling, value addition, marketing, and business development services.
• Organise annual youth skilling and apprenticeship programmes to enhance employable skills in service provision, value addition, logistics and agri-transport operations.
• Facilitate the formation and strengthening of farmer groups and cooperatives, ensuring functional governance structures and readiness for market engagement.
• Link farmer groups to financial institutions to access credit, savings opportunities and support for Village Savings and Loan Associations.
• Facilitate aggregation, bulk marketing and collective bargaining to improve market competitiveness.
• Identify private sector actors including off takers, agro processors and input suppliers and support development of market linkages and memoranda of understanding.
• Support the establishment and operation of aggregation points or marketing hubs in the settlement.
• Promote value addition microenterprises and support youth and farmer entrepreneurs to develop viable agribusiness ventures.
• Facilitate business to business networking and partnerships between farmers, aggregators and private companies.
• Coordinate training on enterprise planning, financial literacy, cooperative development and market-oriented production.
• Support access to climate smart and energy saving technologies such as solar drying units and improved cookstoves where relevant to market functions.
• Collect and maintain accurate data on market linkages, enterprise skills development, youth participation and private sector partnerships.
• Provide timely inputs for monthly, quarterly and annual reports including documentation of market linkages and enterprise development achievements.

About you

To be successful in this role, we expect you to have a minimum of 5 years of experience in agribusiness development, market systems strengthening, value chain management or rural enterprise development. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• A bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Business, Economics, Rural Development or related field.
• Experience working with farmer groups, cooperatives and private sector actors in Uganda.
• Knowledge of market development approaches, financial inclusion, business development services and collective marketing.
• Experience linking smallholder farmers to off takers, agro processors and financial institutions.
• Practical experience supporting youth entrepreneurship, apprenticeship programmes and enterprise incubation.
• Ability to work with Village Savings and Loan Associations and financial literacy programming.
• Experience collecting market related data and supporting monitoring and reporting requirements.
• Fluency in written & Spoken English.

Desirable

• Additional training in market systems development, business development services or cooperative development is an added advantage.
• Familiarity with refugee or humanitarian contexts is an advantage.
• Knowledge of local languages spoken in refugee settlements is an asset.

DRC's five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Designation of Duty Station: Refugee Settlements in Uganda (district depending on assignment)

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national employees; please refer to our website.

• Support capacity building for farmer groups on harvesting, post-harvest handling, value addition, marketing, and business development services.
• Organise annual youth skilling and apprenticeship programmes to enhance employable skills in service provision, value addition, logistics and agri-transport operations.
• Facilitate the formation and strengthening of farmer groups and cooperatives, ensuring functional governance structures and readiness for market engagement.
• Link farmer groups to financial institutions to access credit, savings opportunities and support for Village Savings and Loan Associations.
• Facilitate aggregation, bulk marketing and collective bargaining to improve market competitiveness.
• Identify private sector actors including off takers, agro processors and input suppliers and support development of market linkages and memoranda of understanding.
• Support the establishment and operation of aggregation points or marketing hubs in the settlement.
• Promote value addition microenterprises and support youth and farmer entrepreneurs to develop viable agribusiness ventures.
• Facilitate business to business networking and partnerships between farmers, aggregators and private companies.
• Coordinate training on enterprise planning, financial literacy, cooperative development and market-oriented production.
• Support access to climate smart and energy saving technologies such as solar drying units and improved cookstoves where relevant to market functions.
• Collect and maintain accurate data on market linkages, enterprise skills development, youth participation and private sector partnerships.
• Provide timely inputs for monthly, quarterly and annual reports including documentation of market linkages and enterprise development achievements.

• Fluency in written & Spoken English.
• Knowledge of market development approaches, financial inclusion, business development services and collective marketing.
• Ability to work with Village Savings and Loan Associations and financial literacy programming.
• Experience collecting market related data and supporting monitoring and reporting requirements.

• A bachelor's degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Business, Economics, Rural Development or related field.
• Experience working with farmer groups, cooperatives and private sector actors in Uganda.
• Experience linking smallholder farmers to off takers, agro processors and financial institutions.
• Practical experience supporting youth entrepreneurship, apprenticeship programmes and enterprise incubation.