Specialist – Implementation and Delivery

Location: Dodoma, Tanzania

AGRA and its Work to Transform Agriculture

AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million smallholder farming households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income aligned with the Kampala CAADP and national priorities.

Working in alignment with the development priorities of our focus countries, we enable farmers to access improved and high-yielding seeds, gain knowledge on sustainable farming, and linkages to profitable markets. In our work, we aspire to build the alliances, partnerships, and networks required to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation. We work with our partners to create an equitable youth-friendly environment that harnesses the youth dividend on the continent to drive growth and facilitate open employment opportunities for young women and men. We achieve our key objectives through a focus on the following four areas of intervention:

1. Policy and state capability – We support governments in creating an enabling environment for private sector involvement in agricultural transformation.
2. Seed systems – We trigger higher productivity by increasing the availability and access to improved seeds by farmers allowing them to increase their harvests for food security and better incomes.
3. Sustainable farming – We support farmers in building resilient farming systems for sustained high yields through interventions such as mechanization and irrigation.
4. Inclusive markets and trade – We work to increase the linkages between farmers, and other market actors for a positive, sustained cycle of commercialization and reinvestment.
5. Youth, Gender, and Inclusiveness – We enable women and youth to contribute to and benefit from agriculture for their economic empowerment.

Implementing Our New Strategy Through People

People are the heartbeat of our organization and remain the true drivers of our delivery, impact, and success. We have cultivated a workplace that fuels Depth in Collaboration, Excellence in Execution, Constructive Engagements, and a spirit of being Increasingly Entrepreneurial; all underpinned by our cherished I-RISE Values (Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship and Equity)

We work with incredible people and partners who have roots in farming communities across the African continent combined with an inclusive, diverse, and talented workforce from over 25 nationalities. Our commitment to a call to action goes beyond ourselves as we arise to catalyze African Food Systems transformation and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

We are looking for people who are passionate about being part of a mission-driven team that is making a real difference on the continent; love to work on cutting edge Ag technologies; and able to grow their skills, expertise, and experience career growth, while enjoying very competitive compensation and benefits.

Background

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in partnership with the Government of Tanzania, supports the operationalization of the Agricultural Transformation Office (ATO) under the Ministry of Agriculture. The ATO functions as a delivery enabler that strengthens coordination, implementation discipline, performance management, and inter-institutional follow-through for the Agricultural Master Plan (Agricultural Master Plan 2050).

The Position

Specialist – Implementation and Delivery

The Specialist – Implementation and Delivery will drive the institutional capacity strengthening and delivery work of the ATO and will work under the guidance of the ATO director to operationalize a fit-for-purpose delivery unit that can accelerate the implementation of the flagships under the agricultural master plan. The specialist will establish and roll out the delivery processes, tools, and templates; provide thought partnership and advisory to the director and supervise delivery officers and analysts.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for establishing appropriate delivery standards and operations within the ATO as well as with key implementing stakeholders of the Agricultural Masterplan. This entails the establishment of appropriate governance and coordination frameworks; problem-solving, performance management, and accountability systems, as well as frameworks to drive ecosystem collaboration around the priority flagships of the AMP. The specialist will also provide technical and managerial support for ATO staff under his/her purview by training, coaching, and handholding delivery officers and analysts.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop/strengthen multi-stakeholder coordination and accountability mechanisms for the agricultural masterplan flagships.
• Design and implement performance management and problem-solving frameworks, including routinized touchpoints with key stakeholders; this entails designing tools and templates to be used in performance management.
• Design and operationalize the governance and operating model of the ATO; this entails internal processes and rhythm of work/ routines.
• Develop and support the utilization of delivery tools and practices, delivery chain analysis, stakeholder mapping, prioritization, and root cause analysis.
• Develop a data collection, organization, and analysis framework; build partnerships with key stakeholders (including with National Statistical Offices) to implement the framework; and serve as a champion of evidence-based decision making.
• Forge a delivery coalition with critical stakeholders drawn from the government, private sector, and donors to unblock problems and accelerate the implementation of the AMP.
• Provide technical support, coach, supervise, and manage delivery specialists/analysts within the ATO.
• Support the ATO director in the preparation of the ATO’s plan and budget with a clear implementation plan and a results framework.
• Embed and enhance a delivery culture and accountability mechanisms in key government institutions through structured capacity building programs, including on-the-job coaching and learning by doing.
• Document lessons, produce knowledge products, and thought pieces related to the ATO’s delivery model and approaches.
• Engage and work with key government stakeholders to mainstream the Agricultural Masterplan flagships in annual work plans and budgets.
• Coordinate with the Minister’s employees and other partners to provide targeted capacity-building programs to drive the Ministry’s priority flagship.
• Direct and provide on-the-job coaching and learning by doing to relevant technical and administrative staff of the Ministry and the ATO teams.
• Facilitate and work with the Ministry to strengthen functional sectoral/multi-sectoral coordination platforms, working groups (ASWGs), and donor working groups (DWGs).
• Support the Private Sector Engagement Specialist in designing a compelling resource mobilization pitch and engage development partners to support the Ministry’s priority flagships.
• Map, target, and engage partners in agrifood systems to forge and operationalize new partnerships for the Agricultural Master Plan.
• Inspire and grow teamwork, partnership, and collaboration among the ATO and the Ministry’s teams to enhance performance and impact.
• Develop and Specialist systematic routines, frameworks, and dashboards, and track performance and ensure accountability.
• Design and provide need-based capacity building strengthening packages to enhance leadership skills and delivery functions in consultation with the AGRA and other partners.
• Instill and enforce the discipline of delivery culture and routinization by instilling management routines and digital tools to plan/prioritize, set targets, solve problems, a data-tracking system, evaluate, and report performance against agreed targets.
• Ensure delivery routines are embedded as an integral part of employees’ discipline and daily norms/routines of their performance appraisal systems.
• Identify systemic constraints and key drivers of performance, motivations, and perceptions of delivery system actors and provide evidence-based recommendations.
• Facilitate and coordinate functional sectoral/multi-sectoral platforms with clearly defined roles responsibilities, structures, and systems among actors to effectively roll out implementation.
• Track, evaluate, and report performance outcomes to ensure accountability mechanisms and learnings across the implementing partners in the delivery system.

Key Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration, Public Policy, Economics, Management, public/development administration, Rural Development, or any other relevant field from an accredited institution.
• An advanced degree in the fields mentioned above will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 10 years’ professional experience in building and operating delivery mechanisms within or outside food systems; this entails establishing and/or running Agricultural Transformation Offices, Presidential Delivery Units, or other types of delivery
• Experience in institutional capacity building of government institutions.
• Proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives with tangible results.
• Experience in working with multi-stakeholder platforms and processes, or other complex collaboration and partner management platforms across sectors.
• Strong knowledge of Tanzania’s food system context and political savviness.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing, operationalizing, and/or running delivery mechanisms within or outside the food system landscape, including delivery units, Agricultural Transformation Offices, and other mechanisms.
• Ability to map, engage, and coordinate with key ecosystem and delivery chain public and private sector actors, internal and external stakeholders across agrifood systems to foster alignment, coordination, and synergy around the Agricultural Masterplan flagship programs.
• Ability to establish sound relationships and cross-functional partnerships, identify and respond to current and future stakeholders’ needs, thereby providing quality delivery services.
• Ability to set ambitious and measurable goals, inspire and mobilize teams to deliver desired outcomes and results that lead to success.
• Demonstrate effective thought leadership and clarity in ambiguous or high-pressure situations
• Experience in translating key aspirations into delivery plans and the capacity to achieve ambitious targets under pressure

If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, please apply for this vacancy by clicking the link below:

https://ekjd.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/jobs

For more information on the AGRA, visit www.agra.org.

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer