This role will lead TBI’s agriculture workstream in Sierra Leone and support the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) to drive the delivery of the President’s flagship Feed Salone programme which will boost agriculture productivity to fuel inclusive economic growth, increase local food production and reduce country’s dependence on food import.

The Manager will be embedded and work closely with the Minister’s team and civil servants, under the supervision of the Minister. The role is focused around supporting the set-up and running of a reliable delivery system of the Feed Salone programme for the Ministry and facilitating improvements in the data collection, management and analysis systems to deliver on Feed Salone strategic priorities.

To be successful, the Manager will need to apply a combination of political savvy, management consulting approaches, strong relationship building, and sectoral expertise. The Advisor will report to the Country Head and will be expected to actively contribute to the  Institute’s wider Agriculture work.

Key Responsibilities

The Agriculture Manager will have the following accountabilities:

Client relationship and delivery

• As a technical agriculture expert, support the Ministry to coordinate and deliver on all  Feed Salone priorities including import substitution of key staples, boosting export earnings, job creation and income generation.
• Support the establishment of a delivery unit, along with establishing routines and developing tools for measuring and discussing performance.
• Support the delivery unit, the Divisions and staff in the Ministry to implement the Feed Salone Strategy.
• Facilitate joint reviews and problem-solving sessions with relevant stakeholders to identify barriers to delivery, support in resolving and escalating critical issues as appropriate.
• Support the creation of a sustainable system for agricultural data collection, management and analysis that is used for decision making and M&E.
• Supervise the agricultural data systems workstream, providing strategic direction and technical support to the team.
• Work alongside government counterparts and stakeholders to develop value chain analyses, provide implementation support and provide linkages to value chain actors, including value-adding local and international agro-processors.
• Advise and encourage appropriate use of technology and innovation to drive results for Feed Salone.
• Support the development of good delivery practices within the MAFS – through adaptive management processes such as prioritisation, planning and performance management – the development of skills and systems within the Ministry, as well as coordination mechanisms and structures needed with implementing ministries, agencies and partners.

Investment and funding

• Support counterparts in mapping, engaging and managing key stakeholders, including foreign and domestic investors, development partners, and various government institutions.
• Support efforts to attract agribusiness investment in Sierra Leone.
• Maintain good relations with the donors and be the technical lead on all related donor reporting.

Support the Country Head and internal coordination

• Provide technical advice to TBI leadership. Ideate, troubleshoot to ensure we are bringing the best of TBI to our work.

• Support the Country Head and the team in delivering the broader Sierra Leone country strategy, reporting on progress, and managing key stakeholders.
• Engage with other parts of TBI in the agriculture space by proactively collaborating with other TBI projects through knowledge sharing and thought leadership.
• Ensure robust project management processes are in place, including reporting and legal/policy documentation and effective implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities, including data collection and analysis.

Person Specification

 We are looking for an outstanding individual:

• An MA in Agriculture, International Economics, Public Administration, Business, Finance, Public Policy or related fields.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience working on the delivery of innovative programming and policies, ideally in the agricultural sector, and leading a team to deliver results.
• Experience in institutional capacity development, agriculture production and productivity, value chain analysis, delivery, management consultancy, agribusiness, data systems, investment promotion.
• Experience working or engaging with private sector players and development partners.
• An ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into delivery plans on the ground, with emphasis on attention to details; with excellent analytical, organizational, communication and management skills.
• An understanding of the needs of senior officials; be able to work and interact at the highest level of public life.
• Ability to liaise with partner governments, external bodies, organizations and key stakeholders to deliver the requirements of the office, and TBI in particular.
• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to work in a team with colleagues; strong leadership skills.
• Experience of identifying and resolving project implementation bottlenecks.
• Strong sense of ethics, discretion and perseverance required.
• Willingness and ability to mentor, coach and build capacity of national counterparts.
• Ability to deliver results in complex and challenging environments.
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is desirable.
• Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice.