AGRA

AGRA and its Work

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. 

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.

AGRA’s 2030 Strategy

The continent has, in recent years, taken steps towards inclusive agricultural transformation resulting in notable improvements in food security, with clear progress across all AGRA’s focus countries. However, with over 20% of Africans still suffering from hunger, we need to accelerate our progress and mitigate against the growing external pressures of conflict and climate on our food systems.

AGRA 2022-2030 Strategic Framework (SF2030) demonstrates our long-term vision for how we intend to contribute to, and align with, global and continental priorities, applying a food systems lens towards the goals of zero hunger, improved nutrition, an end to poverty, and climate adaptation. We have split our Strategic Framework 2030 into two 5-year strategies so that we have a clear mid-way point to evaluate progress and re-route our strategic focus if necessary. Our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan sets out to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where the private sector thrives, and smallholders are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food.

Implementing Our New Strategy Through People

AGRA is at the threshold of a new chapter where we begin implementing our new strategy of catalyzing inclusive, resilient and sustainable agricultural transformation. At AGRA we believe Agriculture is the single greatest opportunity to deliver inclusive economic growth, jobs, and health to the African continent.

People are the heart of our organisation and remain the true drivers of our delivery and our impact.

We are excited about a new fit-for-purpose organizational structure that is largely driven by an ambition to enhance collaboration across teams and drive sustainable growth. We have therefore purposed more focus on delivery of country programs within the new strategy giving even greater attention to optimizing existing talent in addition to upscaling technical and operational resources. 

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 values of (I-RISE; Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship and Equity) espouse our commitment to a call to action to go beyond ourselves as we arise and transform Africa’s Agriculture.

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

The Opportunity

Senior Partnerships Officer – Private Sector, Job Reference: SPO/PD/10/2023

Overall Purpose

In realizing its mission to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa, AGRA has identified aligning, influencing, and leveraging partners as a critical mechanism to build a robust enabling environment where private sector thrives and smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food and go from subsistence farming to operating thriving agri-businesses. 

To support the successful delivery of its mandate, AGRA is seeking to recruit an experienced and exceptional individual to the role of Senior Partnerships Officer – Private Sector. 

The role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. 

The Position

The Senior Program Officer – Private Sector Partnerships will take a leading role in curating a pipeline of high value programmatic partnerships with key private sector players. H/she will execute AGRA’s partnership strategy by working in close collaboration with AGRA staff in identifying, designing, delivering, and monitoring strategic private sector partnerships for implementation, advocacy, resource mobilization and investment facilitation.

The role will work closely with partners across the continent and the world, and travel is expected to be around 50% per year. Candidates are assumed to have extensive experience of working within the private sector.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the Head of the unit to create private sector engagement strategy and country directors to create annual country level workplans. 
• Develop and manage a strong portfolio of highly engaged private sector players committing to multi-year transformative partnerships to increase AGRA’s funding, in-kind support, and impact on the small-holder farmer.
• Coordinate a relationship management framework for private sector engagement leveraging leadership across the technical and country teams.
• Support AGRA Country teams to identify and prioritize new relationships, partnerships and alliances in each country considering the country-specific strategy
• In collaboration with the technical and country teams design partnership models for engagement (collaboration, alliances, co-investments) and facilitate calls for proposals and engagement.
• Support the identification of enabling environment bottlenecks hindering private investments and assist AGRA’s advocacy with regional bodies, governments and donors 
• Mobilize partner engagement for participate in Africa’s Food systems summit, the Agribusiness Dealroom and relevant AGRA events.
• Coordinate private sector partnerships meetings, develop communication material, and ensure measurement and follow upon agreed action items, holding stakeholders accountable.
• Develop partnership related grants, technical assistance, and third-party funding proposals – supporting Resource Mobilization team.
• Tracking indicators and reporting outcomes of AGRA’s partnership activities, this includes a partnership survey.
• Grows best practices across different the AGRA focus countries, support exchange and learnings across AGRA countries.
• Write and publish case studies on learnings and successes, drawing lessons to reflect on and improve implementation of the yearly engagement plans.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• A master’s degree in business management, Agriculture, Economics, political sciences, public policy, international relations, or other relevant discipline. Relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of this.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in partnership development and business relationship management, with an emphasis on operationalizing programs in the field and/or value chain initiatives
• At least three (3) years’ senior-level management experience in engagement and management of complex multi-stakeholder processes.
• Strong private sector experience in either agribusiness, finance, or related sector is a must.
• Strong network amongst African and global private sector in the food and agribusiness, more specifically input companies, processors, traders, and service providers.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with external and internal partners and stakeholders with an understanding of interorganizational cultural sensitivities.
• Strong business development skills to identify and pursue new partnership opportunities that align with AGRA’s strategy and goals.
• Ability to develop a clear vision and long-term strategy for partnership development.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to communicate and translate fluently between English. French is highly desirable.
• Deep understanding of African Agribusiness trends, activities, investment related policies. Familiarity with agricultural development programs and grant design. 
• Proven track record of building inter-value chain linkages between farmers, companies and different actors across value chains.
• Excellent organizational skills, with demonstrated ability to work on own initiative and to effectively manage and prioritize workload.

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

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. 

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

Applications must be received on or before 8th November 2023. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer