Delivery Specialist – Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Agriculture Transformation Office (ATO) Sierra Leone

Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone

Job Reference: PRM/SL/03/2026

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 estimated 33 million small-farming households to transform their subsistent agriculture into profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we, in collaboration with our partners, aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more incomes 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 heart of our organization and remain the true drivers of our delivery and our impact.

We work with incredible people and partners who have roots in farming communities across the continent, combined with an inclusive and diverse workforce from over 24 nationalities. Our commitment to a call to action goes beyond ourselves as we arise to catalyze African Food Systems & transformation by being Deeply collaborative, Executing Excellently, Sincerely Constructive, and Increasingly Entrepreneurial, aligned with our values of (I-RISE; Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship, and Equity).

We are looking for people who are passionate about Africa to join our innovative, growing, and multidisciplinary team. Together, we can accelerate Africa’s food system transformation, thereby improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Want to join us?

Background

The Government of Sierra Leone has launched the Feed Salone Strategy (2023–2028) to accelerate and ensure food systems transformation, food security, and inclusive economic growth, targeting an annual growth rate of 10% for the agriculture sector within the next five years. The strategy focuses on boosting productivity in high- impact value chains, leveraging the comparative advantages of targeted districts, and enhancing resilience through climate-smart practices. The Feed Salone Strategy focuses on six strategic pillars: mechanization and irrigation, seed and input systems, aggregation and marketing, agricultural finance, AgTech and climate-smart agriculture, and the empowerment of women and youth.

To drive its effective implementation, the Sierra Leone Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), in collaboration with AGRA and its partners, seeks to hire a qualified Delivery Specialist- Partnerships and Resource Mobilization will engage with development partners and private sector to secure resources for the implementation of the Feed Salone program; working directly with the Minister and engaging across government, development partners, and other relevant sectors to deliver “Feed Salone” strategic priorities.

The Position Overview

The Delivery Specialist – Partnerships and Resource Mobilization leads partnership development and resource mobilization to support the delivery of the Feed Salone agenda under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS). Reporting to the ATO Director, the role builds and manages strategic relationships with national and international partners, mobilizes financial and technical resources, and aligns partner contributions to priority interventions.

The role provides strategic advisory support to the Director and Minister through high-quality briefs, engagement preparation, and follow-through on commitments to ensure partnerships translate into measurable delivery outcomes. Working closely with ATO teams, the Specialist also leads strategic communications and partnership engagements to position Sierra Leone as a credible investment destination and mobilize donor, DFI, and private sector support for the implementation of the Feed Salone Strategy.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the execution of the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization strategy for Feed Salone, translating Ministerial priorities and ATO flagship programs into clear partner engagement plans, financing pathways, and commitments.
• Catalyze and mobilize financial and technical resources from development partners, DFIs, donors, and others to directly support implementation of Feed Salone flagships and ATO delivery mechanisms.
• Build and manage strategic, long-term partnerships with multilateral, bilateral, regional, and global food systems actors, positioning the ATO as a credible, results-driven delivery partner.
• Strengthen donor and partnership coordination platforms, improving alignment, reducing fragmentation, and ensuring accountability for partner commitments across government.
• Establish and embed structured partnership follow-up systems so that commitments are systematically tracked, reported, and reflected in delivery dashboards and Ministerial updates.
• Position Sierra Leone and the ATO/AGRA as a recognized leader in agrifood systems transformation through active participation and deliverables in priority international and regional platforms.
• Represent Sierra Leone, MAFS, and the ATO in high-level international, regional, and investor-facing forums, compelling partners around a clear delivery narrative and investment proposition for Feed Salone.
• Design compelling investment and resource mobilization proposals, pitches, and partnership briefs that articulate priorities, results, and financing needs.
• Convene and engage development partners, DFIs, foundations, and other actors around priority flagships to convert interest into concrete commitments and action.
• Work closely with the Minister, ATO Director, and senior government counterparts to communicate progress, unblock issues, and escalate cross-government constraints where required.
• Facilitate and strengthen sectoral and multisectoral coordination platforms (ASWGs, DWGs), ensuring meetings are action-oriented, decision-focused, and linked to delivery outcomes.
• Build internal partnership, negotiation, and strategic communications capacity within MAFS and the ATO through on-the-job coaching and learning-by-doing, reducing reliance on external support over time.
• Lead development of bankable partnership and investment cases, defining clear scopes, roles, timelines, and implementation pathways.
• Translate partnership commitments into delivery plans with milestones, owners, risks, and escalation points across the project lifecycle.
• In collaboration with the M&E Officer, establish and manage delivery routines, dashboards, and trackers to ensure partnership commitments move from agreement to execution.
• Prepare briefs and follow-up actions for Ministerial and Presidential engagements, routed through the Presidential Council and Technical Secretariat where cross-government action is required.
• Conduct regular partnership stock takes and delivery reviews, identifying bottlenecks and providing recommendations.
• Embed delivery discipline and accountability across the Partnerships and Communications workstreams through standardized planning, tracking, and review processes.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Management, Public Policy, Economics, Development Management, or related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in management consulting, partnerships, resource mobilization, donor engagement, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in leading, structuring, and managing multi-stakeholder programs and partnerships in food systems or related sectors.
• Proven track record of working effectively with international and regional organizations, development partners, and national institutions at the executive levels.
• Strong understanding of public sector and development partner operating environments, with the ability to engage and influence senior government leadership.
• Hands-on experience supporting delivery mechanisms within public institutions.
• Proven capability to identify, structure, negotiate, and manage partnerships with development partners, DFIs, foundations, and other investors.
• Strong experience in mobilizing financial and technical resources and engaging confidently with senior decision-makers and investors. Ability to design and pitch funding and investment proposals for Feed Salone Strategy flagships to target donors/investors.
• Ability to design and use delivery routines, dashboards, trackers, and follow-up systems to ensure partner commitments are executed and monitored.
• Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder platforms across government, donors, and other relevant sectors to reduce fragmentation and accelerate delivery.
• Ability to oversee high-quality partner-facing communications, including investment pitches, donor updates, and briefing materials, in collaboration with communications teams.
• Demonstrated skills to design and present resource mobilization and investment proposals.

If you believe you are a fit for this position, please submit your application with a detailed CV (including your email and telephone contact information) to recruit@agra.org. Please quote the job reference number PRM/SL/03/2026 on the subject line of the application email.

Applications must be received on or before 18 th March 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer