Farming Systems Advisor job at SNV

Farming Systems Advisor job at SNV

JOB DETAILS:
Project information
SNV is currently in the process of developing a 5-year Livestock project. The project aims to improve resilient livelihoods for smallholder livestock farmers in Busoga, Rwenzori, Greater Ankole and Kigezi regions. The project targets 75,000 smallholder farms (SHF) in these four subregions. The project will adopt a farming systems approach integrating livestock and crops, having livestock (dairy cattle, sheep, and goats) as an intervention entry point.

To address the above the project will apply the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach. The PIP approach is an innovative way of transforming small-scale subsistence farm households into more productive and sustainable farms. Changing farmers’ mindsets by motivating them to transform their reality through conscious collective action is at the core of the PIP approach. The project will also support the ongoing school milk program and be supportive to policy actors to developed and implement inclusive and responsive livestock policies and practices.

Job Purpose
The Farming Systems Advisor is a technical expert in the field of smallholder farming systems for the PIP. He/she will provide advisory support to field officers as well as for the regional coordinators and project management. The Farming Systems Advisor targets to create an enabling environment (by sharing knowledge, understanding stakeholders and environment) for the implementation of a farming system approach into the project activities and for the project to meet its objectives. He/she leads the development and improvement of the use of animal power as currently practiced in the Busoga region. He/she monitors progress and reviews quality of own expertise and ensures project management support and satisfaction during project implementation period. The Farming Systems Advisor provides technical support to partners, smallholder farmers and other staff on integrating climate smart solutions in production, promoting household diversification, supporting linkages between business champions and climate smart service providers to promote adoption at scale.

Job Description
Responsibilities
Knowledge Development
• Contribute to both internal and external knowledge development and ensure lessons learned are harvested, documented, communicated, and applied in daily practice.
• Be the National focal point of an expertise network.
• Initiate and coordinate the review process and evaluation of advisory services to collect lessons learned in farming systems including livestock and crop production, CSA, and draft power.
• Propose corrective measures and ensure identification of follow up assignments.

Project and process development
• Identify and propose technical process improvements to the project team, partners, and smallholder farmers.
• Act on improvement areas suggested by stakeholders or informed by the lessons learned.
• Ensure on ground adaptive management where farming systems and CSA lessons learned are adopted in daily practice by all stakeholders.

People Management
• Steer colleagues and coaches associated partners/smallholder farmers, and other external stakeholders on quality within the farming system context of assignments.
• Be farming system technical (including draft power) expert as well as coordinator for the Busoga region.
• Apply process improvements in projects and coaches’ colleagues, partners and smallholders on quality farming systems, CSA technologies and practices important for improved resilience to climate and price related shocks and stresses.

Positioning
• Identify and analyse farming systems and draft power development opportunities and threats and ensure relevant colleagues are informed.
• Participate in strategic positioning meetings and be the knowledgeable face of the SNV organisation to the client.
• Analyse, understand, and develop local networks with relevant stakeholders, identifies new clients, farmer groups and smallholders.

Qualifications & Experience
• Master’s degree in specialised/relevant technical field with specialisation of farming systems, smallholder development and utilisation of draft power.
• A minimum of 8 or more years of relevant work experience in areas of farming systems, small holder farming development and resilience.
• Ability and demonstrated experience of designing and appraising inclusive business cases.
• Ability to meet deadlines and to work within a team.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Computer literate, proficient with MS Word, Excel, and financial applications.
• A self-motivated achiever with excellent leadership, teamwork, coaching.
• Communication, analytical and organisational skills.
• Strong work ethics, high level of confidentiality and Integrity.

Additional requirements:
• Leadership: The ability to provide direction and guidance to a group of people and to encourage cooperation between team members to attain an objective.
• Planning and organising: The ability to determine goals and priorities and to assess the actions, time and resources needed to achieve those goals.
• Persuasiveness: The ambition to win over other people for one’s views and ideas and to generate support.
• Conceptual thinking: Having and gaining insight into situations, problems, and processes. Deconstructing problems and systematically investigating the various components. Having a complete picture of the context and overview of the whole problem.
• Result Orientation: The ability to take direct action to attain or exceed objectives.
• Focus on quality: Setting high quality standards and striving for continuous improvement and quality assurance.
• Flexibility: Readiness to travel to the different project locations.

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