Senior Business Advisor (2)

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Lead activities related to the development and implementation of Inclusive Business Plans for processors, aggregators, microenterprises and other agric-SMEs involved in the program. This includes managing delivery of IBPs by Technoserve Fellows (strategic direction, process management, stakeholder management, commercial and technical quality control, and communication of the solution to key stakeholders) as well as managing IBP operations effectively (recruitment, timeline, budget, compliance)
• In partnership with the Value Chain Managers, conduct thorough business assessments to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Design and develop and implement tailored business improvement plans for each agribusiness aimed at increasing productivity, sustainability and profitability of MSMEs and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of business strategies and interventions, using data-driven insights to recommend and implement improvements.
• Provide hands-on support in areas such as financial management, operations, marketing, and sales.
• Facilitate access to finance and investment opportunities for the businesses.
• Lead the development of inclusive business plans that integrate smallholder farmers and other value chain actors.
• Ensure business plans align with the goals of the HAPPY program, focusing on sustainability and inclusivity.
• In collaboration with the Value Chain Managers and Microentrepreneur Business Advisors, develop and facilitate sector-wide training to address common challenges affecting industry actors with the goal of generating inclusive and sustained growth in the sector.
• Provide targeted training and advisory services to processors, aggregators, microenterprises other agri-SMES, offering insights and guidance on best practices for inclusivity and sustainability in business operations.
• Facilitate connections between entrepreneurs and potential buyers, suppliers, investors, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare and submit detailed reports on the progress of entrepreneurs, highlighting success stories and areas needing improvement.
• Ensure that all activities and support mechanisms are gender-sensitive and promote the inclusion of young women in the value chains.
• Facilitate workshops, meetings, and forums to encourage knowledge-sharing and collaborative problem-solving among industry actors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with partners, private sector entities, and stakeholders to facilitate cooperation and knowledge exchange.

Basic Qualifications

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• A Bachelor's degree with 5 years of experience or a Master's degree in agriculture, business, or a related field or another relevant discipline with at least 3 years experience
• Proven experience in value chain development, market strategy, and project management.
• Proven stakeholder management skill set.
• Strong presentation skills and ability to advise and coach senior company representatives on business capacity building needs and advice.
• Demonstrated success in leadership roles developing and managing development organizations, programs or initiatives requiring a combination of strong analytical, writing, social and management skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience working in private sector development in Ghana
2. Experience working or collaborating with agriculture private sector companies
3. Strong project management skills.

Required Languages: Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills, including fluency in English (equivalent to R4/S4)

Travel: Up to 30% travel to field offices and project sites

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

1. Ability to work both persuasively and diplomatically in a team-based environment with a high degree of complexity and ambiguity.
2. Must be able to work across teams to influence behavior and build capacity.
3. Experience in adult learning techniques, excellent in-person and virtual facilitation skills
4. Detail orientation, including strong organizational, analytical, and quantitative skills
5. Ability to anticipate demand, manage multiple tasks/projects, and meet tight deadlines
6. Excellent computer skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other administrative applications
7. Strong private sector market orientation, entrepreneurial and innovative thinker

Supervisory Responsibilities:

1. Micro entrepreneur Business Advisor

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.