AGRA

Job Role: Partnerships Officer – Institutional Partnerships

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Job Reference: PO-IP/PR/05/2024

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.

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.

Why Join Us?

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.

Are you ready to embark on this exciting transformative journey with us?

The Position

Partnerships Officer – Institutional Partnerships

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.

This role will develop and scale partnership interventions and models that support agriculture development and mobilization of public investments in key value chains. In addition, the role contributes significantly to position AGRA as a preferred partner for food and agriculture transformation, and a leading thought leader, convener and catalyst of multi-stakeholder partnerships that drive Agenda2030, CAADP, SDG and other food systems related targets.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Mobilize, manage, support, monitor, and report on AGRA’s Partnerships Strategy

• Support the division and unit leadership in creating the partnerships engagement strategy and action plan for each year in consultation with the country teams, centers for technical excellence, and other functions.
• Lead on efforts to structure a whole-of-institution partnerships management system in line with the approved partnerships relationship management approach.
• Continuously improve the platform and tools available for partnerships managers across the institution and engage with AGRA staff to ensure they can carry out their responsibilities in the system.
• Support the division and unit leadership in mobilizing concepts and engagements to convert a pipeline of highly engaged institutional partnerships committing to multi-year transformative partnerships that increase AGRA’s funding, in-kind support, and impact on the small-holder farmer.
• Continue and deepen partnership and stakeholder engagements across AGRA countries with key existing and potential partners, in collaboration with country and technical teams.
• Help build capacity by supporting, advising, and training staff at country level for key partnership managers to be able to manage partnerships effectively.
• Identify, mobilize, and close on relevant partnership agreements.
• Support the division and unit leadership in driving quarterly and annual monitoring and reporting on the partnerships system and annual action plan, contributing to summary reports to the board and funding partners.

Partnerships Development, Alliances & Stewardship

• Align and engage partners in support of a few of the institution’s highest-priority strategic initiatives and partnership platforms, such as engagement in Climate COP processes and the Food Action Alliance.
• Participate in regular multi-stakeholder platform and initiative coordination meetings and working groups to contribute AGRA’s value and make linkages across the institution and partners wherever appropriate .
• Coordinate partnerships meetings, develop communication material, and ensure measurement and follow upon agreed action items, holding stakeholders accountable, as appropriate.
• Develop partnership related grants, technical assistance, and third-party funding proposals – supporting the division leadership and Development Cooperation team, as appropriate.
• Provide written inputs and feedback on partner documents (e.g. strategies, initiatives, briefs, etc) that draw on collective intelligence of AGRA where needed.

Partner Engagement in Key Milestone Moments and Meetings

• Actively participate in designing, planning and delivery of select AGRA milestone moments and partnership events during the year such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, the Africa Food Systems Forum, and COP.
• Support the development of campaigns and events to mobilize partners in support of AGRA’s mission and to advance ambitious food systems transformation in Africa.
• Support leadership in preparing for, executing, and following up events, meetings, trips, and other external engagements of the unit.

Tracking and reporting on partnership development, case studies, regular reports & CRM.

• Facilitate knowledge diffusion and adoption of good practices.
• Track and maintain a partnership development database and relationship management database.
• Tracking indicators and outcomes of AGRA’s partnership activities, this includes a partnership survey.
• Prepare draft updates and reports for leadership to share with all partners on key activities, progress, and requests.
• Ensure all required reports are prepared and shared with relevant teams to inform decision making.
• Write and publish short communications pieces and case studies on learnings and successes, drawing lessons to reflect on and improve implementation of the yearly engagement plans.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Masters degree in a relevant field preferred but a bachelor’s degree required.
• Strong relationships with key national, regional, and international partners working on food systems and agriculture.
• A track record in successfully developing and managing partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiatives and/or platforms.
• Experience in implementation of partnerships and programs with government, institutional partners, development partners ,or other such institutions.
• Experience of end-to-end project management, including scoping and design, resourcing, risk management and quality assurance.
• Experience in developing and managing strong partnerships and relationships inside and outside the organization.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with external partners, stakeholders, and clients.
• Strong business development: Identifying and pursuing new partnership opportunities that align with the AGRA’s strategy and goals.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop a clear vision and long-term strategy for partnerships.
• Cultural sensitivity: Sensitive to cultural differences and understand how it can impact partnerships in a global business environment.
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrable ability to engage government, development partners and private sector.

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.

Applications must be received on or before 30^th June, 2024. Due to the large volumes of applications, we usually receive, we will only be able to contact those candidates who are shortlisted.

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer