Job offer: Consultant, Pilot Manager – Bio-stimulant Marketing Phygital Model

TechnoServe is a non-profit, economic development organisation with sustained commitment to its 50-year old founding mission to work with enterprising men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. We are business specialists assisting farmers and other entrepreneurs in 29 countries, increasing their access to information, capital, and markets. The increased income our clients derive enhances resilience and prosperity for their families and communities.

TechnoServe was competitively selected by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to lead part of a seven -year programme – Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusinesses (CASA) – focused on driving catalytic change in how investors view and invest in agribusinesses operating in supply chains with significant numbers of smallholder producers. CASA is focused on increasing economic opportunities for smallholder farmers by:

• Enabling more smallholder farmers to engage with and trade into commercial markets;
• Demonstrating the commercial viability of agribusinesses with significant smallholder supply chains and attracting more investment into these businesses;
• Deepening the smallholder impact of investments made by development finance institutions and impact investors.

TechnoServe’s role on CASA is to establish and operate a £10 million Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) to support agribusinesses that have received development finance institution (DFI) or impact investor financing to extend and deepen their smallholder impact. The facility provides grants and technical assistance to agribusinesses that have received financing from a DFI (e.g., BII, FMO) or an impact/patient capital investor (e.g., Dob Equity, Barak Fund) for projects which will increase the volumes of purchases from smallholders and bring new smallholders into business supply chains.

TechnoServe invites you to participate in this competitive solicitation for qualifications related to the position of Pilot Manager to support Nileda to develop practical recommendations for smallholder farmer (SHF) sustainable rice production based on bio-stimulants to increase short- and longer-term farmer resilience to market and climate shocks in Cambodia.

Position Location: Cambodia (targeted location in Phnom Penh)

Anticipated start date: 1st of December 2024

Estimated Duration : 15 months, full-time

Duties

• Project Planning and Management: This involves creating a project timeline, estimating work time for each task, each phase, each team member and coordinating the development and implementation of the project. The project manager would also be responsible for tracking and reporting on key project milestones and metrics and managing the project team which comprises an Agronomist, a Marketing Training Specialist and a Digital Marketing Specialist.
• Phygital Model : The project manager is overall responsible for planning and effective implementation of the Phygital Model which includes:
• Establishment of Nileda Demo farms and recruitment and management of Lead Farmers managing the demo plots.
• Digital marketing aimed specifically at retailers and channels as distributors, and farmers as consumers
• Implementation of the CRM tool as a medium supporting digital marketing
• Stakeholder Engagement: The Pilot manager needs to collaborate with various stakeholders to align with program and organisational goals. This involves working directly with the program core team as well with Nileda senior management and any other stakeholders to the program. The Pilot Manager is expected to identify, manage and mitigate risks in key stakeholder relationships.
• Impact Data Management and knowledge sharing: This involves developing and managing a data collection system, monitoring and maintaining a repository of data such as but not limited to: worldwide sustainable rice studies, team learnings, ensuring sustainability claims are substantiated with evidence. The project manager also needs to identify opportunities for data sharing and implement pragmatic data management systems.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: The project manager is responsible for managing evaluations and impact studies, establishing baseline data and benchmarks for measuring progress, and managing resources and budget for monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Management of weekly program team meetings & quarterly steering team committee meetings: The project manager is responsible for the planning, coordination, and management of such meetings, including the proper preparations in a format that enables teams to have full visibility and information to make effective decision making.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, or business / business administration but not a must; ideal is a project management certificate
• At least 5 years’ experience in project management
• Project Planning and Execution: Ability to create detailed project plans, set realistic timelines, and ensure project milestones are met.
• Sustainability Knowledge: Understanding of sustainable agricultural practices, ideally in rice cultivation, and how to implement them effectively.
• Stakeholder Management skills: engaging with Nileda team, retailers and channels, CASA TAF and other stakeholders to promote and support bio-stimulants in rice production.
• Language and Communication skills: Proficiency in spoken and written English with the ability to draft clear, concise, and informative reports for donors. Fluent in Khmer.
• Monitoring and Evaluation skills: Ability to track project progress, evaluate the impact of interventions, and adjust strategies as necessary.
• Budget / Financial Management affinity: Competence in managing budgets, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and financial reporting to CASA TAF
• Problem-Solving skills: Ability to identify challenges and develop innovative solutions to ensure the success of the project.
• Leadership and Team Management: Skills in leading a team and coordinating activities to achieve project goals.
• Adaptability: Being flexible and responsive to the changing conditions and needs of the project environment