Field Assistant job at Swiss Contact

About Swisscontact

Swisscontact was established in 1959 as an independent organization by prominent individuals from the worlds of commerce and science in Switzerland. It is exclusively involved in international cooperation and since 1961 has carried out its own and mandated projects. Since it was founded, Swisscontact has maintained close ties with the private sector. Swisscontact is currently active in 38 countries implementing 120 projects with a workforce of over 1,000 people. The organization is based in Zurich. Swisscontact concentrates on private sector development, specifically in skills development, enterprise promotion and Trade.

For over 20 years now in Uganda, Swisscontact has been strengthening people’s competencies, improving their employability, increasing enterprise competitiveness, and promoting social and economic systems which promote inclusive development, reaching over 70,000 direct beneficiaries (25,000 women) with innovative skills, diverse markets and information, various financial products/services, and life skills. Our current portfolio includes 7 projects focusing on skills development, enterprise promotion, trade, entrepreneurship and agribusiness in 30 districts in Uganda.

Project Overview

Context

Uganda’s economy is predominantly driven by the agricultural sector, which contributes 24% to the GDP, 33% of export earnings, and 70% of employment. This sector provides most of the raw materials for the agro-based industrial sector and is essential for national food security, especially during adverse years. With 84% of Uganda’s population of 47.25 million residing in rural areas and relying on agriculture for their livelihoods, the sector’s importance cannot be underestimated. Smallholders, mostly with less than 2 hectares of land, produce almost all agricultural output. Food crops dominate, accounting for 92% of the cultivated area, while export crops account for 5%. The traditional cash crop subsector, including coffee, cotton, tea, and tobacco, contributes 10% to GDP but is crucial for foreign exchange, making up 60% of the total. Food crops contribute 71% of agricultural GDP, and livestock 17%.

Under the frame of Green and clean jobs for youth: WeWork, funded by Enabel and implemented by Swisscontact Uganda, HortiMarkets Dynamics Uganda’s project harnesses the productive power of young producers, MSMEs, medium enterprises and established businesses in Uganda’s horticultural sector to foster the growth of the selected sub-sectors in the national, regional and international markets that will result in creating green jobs and decent work opportunities for 1800 direct young women and men and 8725 indirect beneficiaries in the targeted locations of Uganda. To achieve this, the project will facilitate the establishment of robust, lucrative, market-driven and sustainable inclusive value chains in the horticulture sector through demand stimulation and support functions’ (skills, information, inputs, post-harvest and off-farm services, and access to markets) performance strengthening that creates business and employment opportunities for the targeted youth along the supply chains, distribution channels and off-farm service provision.

HortiMarkets Dynamics aims to focus on 5-6 key value chains within the horticultural markets, considering the regional dynamics across the four target regions and the extent of private sector involvement in these value chains. The selection will be guided by factors such as growth potential, relevance to youth empowerment, action feasibility, and environmental sustainability.

Vision of Change

A thriving horticulture sector enhances the socio-economic well-being and economic resilience of young men and women in the targeted locations of Uganda.

The project aims to attain the vision by adopting a two-pronged strategy: on one hand the project will support the horticulture sector in fostering growth by addressing the underlying issues of under- performance, which will create economic opportunities. On the other hand, and in parallel, the project will support young men and women with the required skills and capacity to grab emerging opportunities optimally to improve their resilience within the three broad intervention areas proposed:

1. Improving access to quality and relevant skills and information for On-farm and Off-farm activities.
2. Improving access to appropriate and affordable financial services.
3. Increasing access to viable and sustainable markets for inputs, products and services.

Theory of Change

The project’s overarching goal is to harness the productive power of young producers, MSMEs, medium enterprises and established businesses in Uganda’s horticultural sector to foster the growth of the selected sub-sectors in the national, regional and international markets that will result in creating green jobs and decent work opportunities for 1800 young women and men in the targeted locations of Uganda.

To achieve this goal, the project will facilitate the establishment of robust, lucrative, market-driven and sustainable inclusive value chains in the horticulture sector through demand stimulation and support functions’ (skills, information, inputs, post-harvest and off-farm services, and access to markets) performance strengthening that creates business and employment opportunities for the targeted youth along the supply chains, distribution channels and off-farm service provision.

Purpose of this role

The Field Assistant is a vital member of the technical implementation team that directly implements the project Interventions, along with the mission and vision of Swisscontact in Uganda, to meet specific project targets of the objectives and propose Interventions and partnerships therein. The field assistants’ duties will involve applying the inclusive systems development (ISD) approach to facilitate the implementation and monitoring of project interventions through partners from the private and public sectors. S/he will be directly responsible for mobilizing and supporting stakeholders and project partners to participate in sector promotional meetings, workshops, and other project activities.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Technical and Programmatic support:

Market Systems Development programming

• Under the guidance of the Intervention Manager, undertakes co-creating business models suitable for WeWork-Creating Green and Decent Jobs interventions; Access to Information and Skills; Access to Finance and; Access to Forward and Backward markets.

Stakeholder and private Sector Engagement:

• Under the guidance of the Intervention Manager, supports the mapping, onboarding, and maintenance of business relationships with private sector actors at various levels (MSMEs and large enterprises) in close collaboration with the project team.

Support in Intervention management and Partnership engagements:

• Under the guidance of Intervention Manager, work with MSMEs to understand their business constraints and design interventions and business models that create growth opportunities for enterprises and beneficiaries.
• Under the guidance of Intervention Managers, support the ideation, co-creation, and design of business partnerships with targeted businesses to enhance and streamline trade routes in horticulture value chains within target areas.
• Under the guidance of Intervention Managers, lead in business development efforts by identifying and engaging the private sector, supporting onboarding, and facilitating post-agreement planning processes to strengthen market linkages and systems.
• Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation, plans, and reports.
• Utilize project management tools to monitor work progress; workplan, budget, forecasts and expenditures.
• Actively participate in weekly check-ins and report progress on a weekly, monthly, and semi-annual basis in consultation with the Monitoring team.

M&E, Learning and Mentorship Agenda:

• Work closely with MRM team towards project baseline data, supporting quantitative data collections from the project participants.
• Routinely support monitoring and tracking project progress, addressing any issues that arise.
• Support rigorous database updates from project implementations
• Actively participate in the knowledge management activities; case studies and success story identification and harvesting from the project participants and partners
• Support developing and closely follow up updates on HMD-Uganda learning agenda and significant change stories from the program participants.
• Participate in internal learning cycles/ Topics that facilitate team growth
• Act as business coach to agripreneurs and project partcipants
• Participate in tracking system level changes that could occur because of the project interventions.

Operational support:

• Cross Departmental Collaboration; Finance, Operations as well as with Enabel office teams to ensure smooth running of field offices at the respective location.
• Plan field trips and activities ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.
• Manage logistics and work stream tasks in your respective region.

Stakeholders’ Relationships:

• Close monitor, interface and collaborate with Enabel Intervention Managers and other team members in respective locations.
• Collaborate with Governmental institutions for both civil and political forces within the regions to ensure smooth project implementations
• Liaise and collaborate with other Swisscontact projects to ensure effective integration of interventions across projects.
• Identify other implementing organisations for potential collaboration
• Liaise with identified private sector actors to support the linkages with local business practitioners in the targeted areas.
• Build relationships with other implementing partners to ensure the project deliverables are met and coordinated.

Required skills and experience

• Strong understanding of Inclusive Systems Development (Market Systems Development) approaches and private sector engagement therein in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
• Excellent knowledge of Uganda’s horticultural sector, including value chains, key actors, and dynamics
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience working in multi-cultural teams and presenting findings in both reports and presentations.

Personal traits

Proactive, self-driven, results-oriented, positive attitude, collaborative, flexible, values-oriented and enthusiastic.

Qualification

• The Field Assistant must possess a degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Development Studies, Rural Development with related work in horticultural value chains and at least 2 years’ experience in related field.

• Under the guidance of the Intervention Manager, undertakes co-creating business models suitable for WeWork-Creating Green and Decent Jobs interventions; Access to Information and Skills; Access to Finance and; Access to Forward and Backward markets.
• Under the guidance of the Intervention Manager, supports the mapping, onboarding, and maintenance of business relationships with private sector actors at various levels (MSMEs and large enterprises) in close collaboration with the project team.
• Under the guidance of Intervention Manager, work with MSMEs to understand their business constraints and design interventions and business models that create growth opportunities for enterprises and beneficiaries.
• Under the guidance of Intervention Managers, support the ideation, co-creation, and design of business partnerships with targeted businesses to enhance and streamline trade routes in horticulture value chains within target areas.
• Under the guidance of Intervention Managers, lead in business development efforts by identifying and engaging the private sector, supporting onboarding, and facilitating post-agreement planning processes to strengthen market linkages and systems.
• Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation, plans, and reports.
• Utilize project management tools to monitor work progress; workplan, budget, forecasts and expenditures.
• Actively participate in weekly check-ins and report progress on a weekly, monthly, and semi-annual basis in consultation with the Monitoring team.
• Work closely with MRM team towards project baseline data, supporting quantitative data collections from the project participants.
• Routinely support monitoring and tracking project progress, addressing any issues that arise.
• Support rigorous database updates from project implementations
• Actively participate in the knowledge management activities; case studies and success story identification and harvesting from the project participants and partners
• Support developing and closely follow up updates on HMD-Uganda learning agenda and significant change stories from the program participants.
• Participate in internal learning cycles/ Topics that facilitate team growth
• Act as business coach to agripreneurs and project partcipants
• Participate in tracking system level changes that could occur because of the project interventions.
• Cross Departmental Collaboration; Finance, Operations as well as with Enabel office teams to ensure smooth running of field offices at the respective location.
• Plan field trips and activities ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.
• Manage logistics and work stream tasks in your respective region.
• Close monitor, interface and collaborate with Enabel Intervention Managers and other team members in respective locations.
• Collaborate with Governmental institutions for both civil and political forces within the regions to ensure smooth project implementations
• Liaise and collaborate with other Swisscontact projects to ensure effective integration of interventions across projects.
• Identify other implementing organisations for potential collaboration
• Liaise with identified private sector actors to support the linkages with local business practitioners in the targeted areas.
• Build relationships with other implementing partners to ensure the project deliverables are met and coordinated.

• Strong understanding of Inclusive Systems Development (Market Systems Development) approaches and private sector engagement therein in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
• Excellent knowledge of Uganda’s horticultural sector, including value chains, key actors, and dynamics
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience working in multi-cultural teams and presenting findings in both reports and presentations.

• The Field Assistant must possess a degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Development Studies, Rural Development with related work in horticultural value chains and at least 2 years’ experience in related field.