Vacancy: Programme Specialists

Job Description

A reputable local NGO operating in northern Ghana is seeking dynamic professionals to be recruited for the under-listed job vacancies within the USAID-funded Ghana Market Systems Resilience (MSR) Project in northern Ghana.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Ghana Market Systems and Resilience Activity (MSR) is a five-year USAID-funded follow-on project to USAID/Ghana ADVANCE II. MSR will leverage over a decade of experience linking smallholders to markets, inputs, and services in Ghana. The project will strengthen commercial relationships between market actors, improve the rural entrepreneurship ecosystem to enable greater market participation, particularly for women and youth, expand the availability of agribusiness services, and link targeted policy initiatives to improved local economic governance. These activities will result in competitive, stronger, and more resilient markets, thus increasing inclusive agriculture-led economic growth in northern Ghana.

• Job Title: Programme Specialists


• Reports to: Regional Manager


• Counterparts: All Project Component Specialists Responsible to: Executive Director of the Local NGO


• Job Location: Wa, Ghana

Summary of Responsibilities

The Programme Specialists will be part of the Market Systems and Resilience Project team and responsible for the implementation of all components of the project in the five project districts in the Upper West region under the technical direction of the technical specialist. The Programme Specialists will work directly under the supervision of the Regional Manager. They will be the direct contact with project clients in the region. They shall contribute to the achievement of the specific and overall objectives and results of all the component.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

They shall employ appropriate actor engagement strategies and methodologies to achieve maximum benefits to clients and short and long-term project goals. This includes, but not limited to:

• Build the capacity of Out-grower Businesses (OB) Networks, facilitate linkages to buyers and suppliers and advocate for an improved business enabling environment.


• Strengthen the capacity and linkages between public sector agricultural extension and research and smallholder farmers and MSMEs.


• Develop and leverage on good working relationship with relevant local institutions; government, CSO, NGO, private sector, local / traditional authorities, and others to achieve project results.

Required Skills or Experience

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, agricultural science, economics, agribusiness, agricultural economics, Business Studies or another relevant field. A Master’s degree in any of the above fields will be an advantage.


• Minimum of five years’ field experience in agricultural market systems development, agricultural value chains, agribusiness including supporting private enterprise; commercial and smallholder farmers, women, youth, OBs and OB network, input dealers, aggregators, input dealers. 


• Experience in working with innovation and technology centres / institutions and in the field of technology transfer.


• Knowledge of gender, youth and social inclusion frameworks, approaches and tools


• Working experience of the northern Ghana context; particularly in the agricultural sector


• Experience working with a range of donor funded projects including USAID funded projects.