The U.S. Mission in Accra, Ghana is seeking a highly motivated and qualified individual for the position of AGRICULTURE SPECIALIST in the USAID/Ghana Tamale Satellite Office in the Northern Region.

BASIC FUNCTION OF THE POSITION

The Agriculture Specialist position is part of the Economic Growth (EG) Office within USAID/Ghana and will be posted to the USAID/Ghana Tamale satellite office in the Northern Region. The incumbent will establish and maintain a working relationship with and assist Government of Ghana (GoG) agencies, regional governments and district assemblies in three Feed the Future (FtF) focus regions (Upper West, Upper East and Northern). The Specialist's will provide expertise to prepare, plan, review and monitor the field and implement the USAID FtF Strategy and the GoG’s Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASIP). The purpose of the Specialist's position is to:

•   Strengthen coordination among key stakeholders (private sector, civil society groups, GOG and Development Partners) in Northern Ghana’s agriculture sector;
•   Assist the Mission to strengthen regional governments, district assemblies, private sector and civil society capacity for better understanding and implementation of assistance programs to improve agriculture and natural resource management (NRM) capabilities in the three northern regions of Ghana;
•   Provide advice and counsel to USAID and GoG on necessary interventions in the FtF regions;
•   Maintain up-to-date data and analysis of agricultural and rural development issues in key FtF focus areas, as well as escort and facilitate the visits of people coming to see FtF activities;
•   Promote partnerships and joint ventures in the agricultural and rural development sectors between local partners, farmer-based organizations, the private sector, other donors, and USAID programs in the field; and
•   Assist the Mission to implement and monitor development assistance in agriculture and NRM programs - especially project site visits.

The Agriculture Specialist will interact with businessmen and women plus their associations, local partners, regional governments and district assemblies, other donor programs and GoG agencies involved in agricultural and rural development sectors in the targeted regions; liaise with the staff of ADVANCE, ATT, GCAP, FinGAP, SARI and other implementing partners to ensure strong technical support for, and strong synergies between FtF agriculture activities in all locations supported through FtF agricultural interventions. Conduct monitoring of USAID Agriculture activities in support of the AORs based in Accra.

The incumbent will be supervised by and report to the EG Deputy Director or his/her designate, but will coordinate administratively with the Office Coordinator in Tamale. S/he will also provide technical assistance support for livelihood activities supported by the anticipated Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) program. For this task, the Specialist will focus his/her technical support on those districts where USAID is providing direct support to District Assemblies participating in RING; work with the USAID Office of Health, Population and Nutrition (OHPN) Specialist also based in the Tamale satellite office, and liaise with staff from the RING contractor to ensure strong technical support for agriculture/livelihood improvement activities in all the RING supported districts.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES % OF TIME

A. Advises Mission and GOG on Agriculture and NRM Issues (15%)

•   Provide advice and assist local partners to develop programs for agriculture and rural development related activities in support of USAID Feed the Future and GOG’s METASIP; liaise with other mission staff and partners to ensure USAID agriculture programs and implementing mechanisms used by local partners are realistic and follow USAID regulations.
•   Conduct research and develop thorough analysis of opportunities and constraints to improve agriculture and NRM. Closely follow current political, social and economic trends in Ghana and provide analysis on agricultural trends and how these trends affect the development and implementation of the Mission’s FtF agriculture programs.
•   Maintain close contact with GOG and other actors active in agriculture and NRM; gather both published and raw data on agriculture and NRM from a wide variety of sources both nationally and internationally; maintain up to date accurate information on trends, opportunities, international businesses active in the agriculture and NRM sectors in Ghana, and key international and regional players in the sectors.
•   Provide expert advice to USAID, GOG and local official entities on best agriculture practices, Ghanaian agriculture and NRM policies and related international agreements or conventions; provides analysis and propose policy reforms to the mission and partners including effective means to promote policy changes.
•   Provide expert advice on the development, procurement and monitoring of partnerships within the mission’s agriculture and NRM activities and to the GOG.

B. Management of Agriculture and NRM Field Activities (40%)

•   Supervise the implementation of agriculture and NRM programs and activities to ensure that program designs meet Mission strategic objectives and implementation to achieve planned results and USAID goals. This may include preparing statements of work or program descriptions, request for proposals/applications, Acquisition and Assistance requests, comment on/contribute to relevant decision memos, Congressional Notifications, inter-agency agreement letters, etc. drafted by the EG team in Accra.
•   Follow the development of a performance management plan for agriculture and other NRM-related activities and contribute to data collection and synthesis and reporting. Ensure project and/or sectoral assessments are carried out, and participate in developing Statements of Work, field trips, data analysis and dissemination.
•   Act as an Activity Manager, AOTR (Agreement Officer’s Technical Representative) or COTR (Contract Officer’s Technical Representative) for one or more USAID agriculture or NRM programs.
•   Ensure program implementation achieves planned results, document developmental impacts and resolve any implementation issues in an efficient and professional manner.
•   Participate actively in the USG procurement process, including program advocacy, design, communication with USAID and USG stakeholders, to gather consensus and develop alliances in effective foreign assistance programming.
•   Perform Monitoring & Evaluation function: The specialist will monitor and regularly evaluate USAID-managed activities; review of quarterly and annual program and financial reports from program partners paying particular attention to data pertaining to:

- activity performance indicators as identified within the Performance Management Plan (PMP) and Operational Plan;
- program objectives achievement, methodology and lessons learned paying particular attention to inputs, output and expected outcomes including economic, social, cultural, and technical factors; and
- Financial indicators (e.g., expenditures, burn rate/pipeline analysis and congruity of expenditures against activities) and the need for incremental funding.

•   Maintain active dialogue with other donor programs, local organizations, and various GOG offices on agriculture and NRM, building contacts to facilitate dissemination of information and coordination of activities.
•   Facilitate public/private partnerships and/or global development alliances that improve agriculture development.

C. Coordinates Mission Agriculture and NRM Activities with GOG, Local Governments and other Donor supported Projects 45%

•   Maintain contacts with a variety USAID/Ghana staff to keep abreast of current developments and successful interventions; liaise and actively support various local government institutions.
•   Ensure USAID agriculture activities are coordinated with and integrated into local government management systems. This will include providing assistance to local governments to strengthen coordination systems.
•   Respond to periodic requests from partners, USAID/Ghana, the GOG and other donors on USAID’s agriculture and NRM programs activities and results.
•   Actively cultivate and maintain professional relationships, partnerships and joint ventures with partners, traders, donors, the GOG and other appropriate entities to improve agriculture and NRM. Develop and maintain an extensive range of contacts with representatives of the Ghanaian public and private sector in agriculture and NRM.

Qualification Required & Experience

•   Education: Master’s degree or equivalent in agriculture, rural development, international development, natural resources management or other closely related field is required.
•   Prior Work Experience: A minimum of six (6) years of prior work experience in agriculture and Natural Resource Management (NRM), Ghana and U. S. Government agriculture policies and laws, local communities and farmer associations, development organizations, dissemination of agriculture information and communication is required.
•   Language Proficiency: Level IV proficiency in spoken and written English and Speaking skills in one or more local languages is required. Proficiency will be tested.
•   Job Knowledge: The incumbent must have thorough knowledge in development theory, programming especially agriculture and NRM programs and policies; agricultural trade and food policies, land tenure and macro-economic, legal and policy framework of the GOG,
specifically as it is related to agricultural and NRM development. Broad knowledge of current political, social, economic and strategic factors in Ghana, and an excellent understanding of the complexity of Ghanaian organizational structure, bureaucracy, and ongoing reform processes is required. S/he must be familiar with approaches and goals of development organizations and other partners and their approaches to agriculture and NRM programs and must have an understanding of the changing direction of the agriculture sector in Ghana.
•   Skills and Abilities: The incumbent must possess the capacity to critically analyze current agriculture and NRM issues. Initiative to carry out assigned tasks and strong interpersonal qualities is required. S/he must be able to generate creative ideas to plan, organize and execute complex agriculture-related activities, prepare precise and accurate reports using rigorous analytical and interpretive skills, establish and maintain professional and effective contacts with GOG counterparts, other donor technical staff and implementing partners.

Salary Range: GH¢52,421.00–GH¢78,634.00 p.a. (depending on qualification and experience)

Location: Tamale

How To Apply For The Job

Interested individuals should submit cover letter and curriculum vitae with references to:

Regional Executive Office
USAID/West Africa
P.O. Box 1630, Accra

by Email to:-

acpersonnel@usaid.gov

Closing Date: 03 October, 2014

Note: When submitting your application via email, please start the subject line with the position title. Please note that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

USAID/West Africa anticipates awarding one Personal Services Contract (PSC) regarding this announcement. Please note that this does not constitute any guarantee that a PSC will be awarded as result of this announcement.