Founded in 2006, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), is an African-led African-based organization that seeks to catalyze Agriculture Transformation in Africa. AGRA is focused on putting smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. As the sector that employs the majority of Africa’s people, nearly all of them small-scale farmers, AGRA recognizes that developing smallholder agriculture into a productive, efficient, and sustainable system is essential to ensuring food security, lifting millions out of poverty, and driving equitable growth across the continent.

Under its 5-year strategy, AGRA looks to catalyze and sustain an Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa to increase incomes and improve food security for 30 million farmers. Under this strategy, AGRA will deliver through an approach that simultaneously catalyzes change at farmer level, strengthens input and output market systems and puts government at the center to enable and champion private-sector-led agricultural growth at national level.

To support this transformation from a country perspective, AGRA is seeking to recruit an experienced and exceptional individual to the role of Country Manager, Ghana: Job Reference CM/GH/03/2021

The role will be based in Accra, Ghana.

The Position

• Reporting to the Regional Head, West Africa the Country Manager, Ghana will represent AGRA in Ghana and will act as the catalyst for AGRA’s integrated interventions by coordinating activities and building necessary relationships with the government, private sector, donors and other key stakeholders.
• S/He will lead the country to actively manage the AGRA Ghana strategies, while maintaining close linkages with Nairobi technical divisions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop the country plans on an annual basis in collaboration with wider AGRA teams.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to mobilize resources in support of AGRA’s priorities and/or advocating for public and private sector stakeholders to scale AGRA’s demonstrated intervention models in country.
• Direct program officers to research and develop grantee portfolios dealing with constraints, resources, and opportunities for increasing and improving seed and technology supply at farmer levels.
• Convene and build relationships with domestic government, private sector, donors, civil society organizations and others with a presence in country, to build and nurture country-level partnerships deemed essential to AGRA’s mission in the country.
• Lead in representing AGRA in key meetings and forums of the government and its development partners including donor coordination meetings that contribute to the advancement of AGRA’s investments in the country.
• Provide advisory based working knowledge of national agricultural sector development plans, to identify and pursue opportunities in the following areas (i) mobilizing of resources to support AGRA’s priorities and/or (ii) advocate for public and private sector stakeholders to scale AGRA’s demonstrated intervention models in Ghana.
• Advise and relay feedback from AGRA’s partners, especially the government and development partners to other parts of the organization.
• Engage donors in the relevant countries, furnishing them with required reports, day-to-day communications, and timely insights on program challenges and breakthroughs in a manner which maintains positive engagement with the program.
• Inspire and grow teamwork, partnership and collaboration among the team to raise overall team contributions and performance
• Support development of existing staff, hiring new staff as necessary and managing team dynamics to ensure a high-performance team
• Direct and provide coaching to relevant technical and administrative staff.
• Oversee country-level interventions set out in the country plan, working with program teams to deliver innovative intervention models across the value chain.
• Plan, facilitate, and oversee implementation of AGRA-supported investments in Ghana and foster the integration of AGRA’s investments.
• Oversee country level research required to complete the country plan on a periodic basis, to safeguard that country and program objectives are aligned to the national/government goals and objectives.
• Guide, oversee, manage, and professionally develop the Ghana Country Team, as well as oversee the work of AGRA consultants in the country as needed
• Build on the expertise of AGRA program officers in the areas of soil fertility, policy, and farmer organizations to enhance the operations of country strategies and link program investments and activities to other AGRA initiatives.

Qualification Required & Experience

Key Qualifications and Experience required

• Master’s degree in Agriculture, Economics or related disciplines
• A relevant Doctorate degree will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in agriculture related international development work.
• At least 5 years of management experience, particularly over diverse teams working across diverse geographies.
• Experience working with a large multinational development agency in a management and coordination role is an advantage.
• Experience working on teams with a purview over both domestic-wide and regional activities.
• Professional development programs in leadership and management including financial and staff supervision/performance management.
• Proficient in program management, program design and M&E.
• Good command of English and a working knowledge of French will be an advantage.

An attractive remuneration package commensurate with the responsibilities of the position will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV (including your e-mail and telephone contacts) to:

recruit@agra.org  Please quote the job reference number in the subject line of the application e-mail.

Closing Date: 30 March, 2021

For more information on AGRA, applicants can visit www.agra.org. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer