The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) is a joint initiative of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the UNDP, Millennium Promise (a private philanthropy) and the governments of African countries, including Ghana. The MVP adopts an integrated approach to help populations in severely deprived villages to break the cycle of extreme poverty and realize the Millennium Development Goals. Sectors within which the MVP intervenes include agriculture, infrastructure, environments, health, education and business development among others. In Ghana, the MVP operates in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region, and works with a cluster of 30 contiguous villages with an estimated total population of 30,000 people

Description Of Job

Unit: Millennium Villages Project

The role of the Co-operative facilitator is to identify and develop farmer co-operatives based on the major crops and other staples. This will include training with the view of making them profitable business units and capable of attracting grants and loans. The major value chain crops are oil palm and cocoa.

Job Summary
Purpose of the Position:
The role of the incumbent will be assist the Co-operative Co-ordinator to develop a strategy that strengthens the capacity of farmer-based associations, co-operative, and other common interest groups to reach the critical mass needed to access and benefit from the financial and technical services; as well as other market opportunities to be offered by the Project for achieving sustainable agribusiness development in the Cluster.

Responsibilities/Duties:
The Duties and Responsibilities of the Co-operative facilitator will be to assist the Co-ordinator to implement and co-ordinate the capacity building activities for the creation of sustainable associations, co-operatives and other common interest groups; which will serve as the catalyst for achieving sustainable agribusiness development in the Cluster. The incumbent will:

A. Strategic Planning:

•  Develop and implement a strategy and an Action Plan(s) to strengthen the institutional capacity of associations, co-operatives, and other common interest groups in the Project area
•  From the action plan(s), develop Annual Work plans of outputs and activities to strengthen
a)The preparation and revision of objectives and by-laws of new and existing associations, co-operatives etc
b)The organizational, management and governance systems and structures of associations, co-operatives and other common interest groups
•  Assist in the enrollment of new members into existing and new associations, co-operatives etc, facilitate the formation and legal registration of new associations and ensuring compliance with the regulatory and political environment

B. Assessment and Capacity Development:

•  Work with the Co-operative Co-ordinator to:
•  Undertake periodic assessment of the status of the existing co-operatives in the Project Area to identify appropriate areas of intervention for capacity building and investment to ensure better functioning and self-sustaining co-operatives;
•  Develop, organize, and supervise training for 1) members at the grassroots; 2) for the management committee members and 3) managers/administrators of the associations/co-operative
•  Provide timely technical, advisory and counseling support and advice to associations, and co-operatives managers and leaders (management committee members) to enhance their managerial and functional competencies;
.  Equip existing associations, co-operatives and common interest groups with the necessary advocacy and dialoguing knowledge and skills to be able to face the challenges of the business and regulatory environment

C. Strategic Alliances and Partnership:

•  Promote, build and manage relationships and partnerships with business partners, including financial institutions and prospective market links, to promote collaboration and partnership in the provision of services to associations, co-operatives etc in cluster
•  Ensure strong, effective working relationships among the various co-operatives stakeholders, particularly, co-operative training institutions, government departments, the cooperatives in the Clusters, government representatives, regulatory agencies, the cluster team and the MDG centre

D. Technical and Policy Advice:

•  Assist the Co-ordinator to provide technical and policy advice to extension staff, farmers, and co-operative groups in the Cluster by:
a) Troubleshooting pro-actively as needed
b) Analysing how to mitigate new and existing risks
c) Ensuring that cooperative businesses operate in keeping with co-operative principles; voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation; autonomy and independence, education, training and information and concern for community

E. Reporting and Knowledge Management:

•  Submit a monthly and quarterly Work Plan Implementation Report to the Team Leader and the Co-operative Specialist in Bamako
•  Report on effectiveness of associations/co-operatives in the cluster and their ability to move forward to receive additional support for transition into increasingly value-added activities and enhanced productivity and profitability
•  Document the development process (implementation) i.e. the organizational and operational capacities (before and after implementation); and lessons learnt

Contribute to the programme knowledge and management efforts by organizing knowledge sharing meeting/workshops, with technical briefings, and preparing other reports to record methods being used, experiences and good practices

Terms of offer:
MVP offers a competitive salary with an excellent benefits package. The employment contract is for a period of one year with the possibility of renewal. MVP prides itself on its collegial, supportive and gender sensitive working environment and believes that staff diversity promotes excellence. Women are encouraged to apply

Qualification Required & Experience

•  Graduate degree in Co-operative Management, Business Administration, Management, or other relevant subject
•  At least five (5) years of relevant work experience in a closely related field gained in an international organisation with experience in working with co-operatives
•  High level of computer skills, ability to handle basic accounting and ability to learn new applications quickly
•  Knowledge of co-operative laws is an added advantage
•  Excellent interpersonal skills
•  Fluency in English written and Oral
•  Fluency in Twi
•  Excellent oral and written communication skills
•  Experience working with co-operatives and oil palm and cocoa crops will be an advantage

How To Apply For The Job

Applicants should apply by email, sending a cover letter summarizing their relevance to this position, a full C.V. and names of contact information of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate's professional qualifications and work experience to: mp_ghana@yahoo.com with to: petrinaoa@yahoo.com. "Applications for MVP Co-operative Facilitator" should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message.

Closing Date: 12th July, 2012

We invite you to learn more about us at:

www.millenniumvillages.org
www.millenniumpromise.org
www.unmillenniumproject.org
www.mdgcentre.org