Agriculture Technical Coordinator

Job description
Last Date for Applications: 25/08/2022

Position: Technical Coordinator

Location: Mongu (with frequent visits to the project’s locations in Western Province)

Contract duration: 12 months (with possibility of renewal)

Start date: ASAP

Line Manager: Project Manager

Job Summary

Under the direct line management of the Project Manager (PM), Agriculture Technical Coordinator (ATC) will be tasked to implement project’s activities with a special emphasis on the agricultural component of the intervention. ATC and his/her team will work closely with smallholder farmers, local services providers (incl. financial institutions), ministry’s extension officers to ensure the needs of the final beneficiaries are addressed. Part of the role is to provide technical advisory support with help of relevant experts regarding the agricultural topics to the farmers and facilitate the trainings on respective topics assigned to pre-selected experts and trainers. ATC should be aware of the biogas technology and/or sustainable/alternative energy sources.

ATC will closely work with PM and PA, as well as other PIN staff. Under PM’s guidance, ATC will coordinate the implementation of relevant activities with project partners and associates (local CSO and foreign university) and will inform them regularly about the project’s progress. S/he will attending all the relevant meetings with ministries and other stakeholders and to discuss any issues arising during the project implementation.

Project Implementation
Under the guidance of PM coordinates the implementation of activities with special focus on the project’s agricultural component
With help of relevant experts and trainers provides technical advisory support to the farmers
Facilitating the capacity building sessions for farmers
Informing and presenting the advantages of biogas technology to the farmers
Participates in internal weekly coordination meetings with the PIN team led by the PM,
Participates in external coordination and sectoral meetings with project partners, associates
Works in line with PIN sectoral guidelines, internal procedures and donor requirements
Together with the PM, participates in the meetings with relevant Ministries and other local authorities
Supports PM with monthly and project work plans
Works with PIN’s as well as other technical advisers and experts involved in the projects
Organizes meetings and assists in meeting project requirements and participates in the capacity building activities organized for the farmers
Informs stakeholders, partners and the project team about relevant project information

Monitoring and Evaluation
Support PM with project reports development
Ensures tracking of monitoring data from project target communities
Participates at project monthly review meetings
Collects all relevant data and indicators in the field and cooperates closely with PM and MEAL Unit .

Proposal Development
Supports development of new proposals and formulation of new project designs and ideas for future interventions in the sector of sustainable livelihoods and environment Administration and Archiving
Approves and archives all the relevant documentation to PIN’s internal databases – ELO, Sharepoint etc., according to PIN and donor guidelines
Together with the PM collects lessons learnt and best practices and challenges actively re-incorporates them across all the project portfolio

Communication and Visibility
Participates in communication and visibility activities

Procurement
Informs in advance and involves Procurement Unit in the project implementation
Assists with project related procurement
Supports PM in development of Purchase Requests

NB: Women and people with special needs are encouraged to apply

Qualifications Requirements
Bachelor or higher degree in relevant field (Rural Development Studies, Agricultural Studies or any other relevant field)

Essential Skills & experience
2 years of experience in working in similar program position
3 years of technical experience in the agriculture
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Proven understanding of the relevant context of an agricultural sector
Ability to facilitate training sessions on the topics related to agriculture
Being aware of the biogas technology
Fluency in spoken and written English language
Good administrative skills, computer literate (working knowledge of MS Office)
Self-starter and motivated, ability to plan and organize work independently
Ability to work under pressure and react accordingly to evolving context/situation
Ability to delegate and follow up of tasks among team members

Preferred
Experience in working with various stakeholders, include. farmers, government officials, business sector, financial institutions, academia and civil society actors)
Experience of working for an international non-governmental organization
Experience using mobile data collection tools (such Kobo toolbox)
Understanding of Silozi language, as the project will be implemented in Western Province with the major population of Lozi people