Job Description

Responsibilities:
Working under the direction of the Senior Market and Trade Specialist, key responsibilities for this staff will include:

• Liaising with USAID FinGap program to help create linkage between financial institutions and Advance II value chain actors including smallholders, nucleus farmers, aggregators and processors;
• Assisting local Business Development Providers to assist larger farmers access finance;
• Increase the bankability of our nucleus farmers by helping them develop Term Sheets and other documentation;
• Working with the Ghana Grains Council on helping them expand the number of participating financial institutions in the warehouse receipts system;
• Assist in expanding access of PHH equipment and storage by developing incentives for logistics and warehousing providers;
• Assist in developing an End Market Analysis that will identify regional and domestic firms interested in upgrading operations and expanding their raw material base;
• Provide assistance to firms by helping develop marketing and sales strategies that will enable them to: 1) develop a more efficient supply chain; 2) develop an investment plan to support their growth agenda; and 3) develop a marketing and brand that will meet the needs of the consumer base;
• Work with other financial service providers to increase access of value chain actors to financial services particularly mobile money and crop insurance;
• Forge strategic partnerships with transporters, public sector institutions and other USAID funded projects like WATH and Borderless Alliance to improve efficiencies in logistics and transportation of agricultural produce within Ghana, and across the borders of Ghana;
• Provide periodic reports on activities and results; 
• Provide capacity building to local BDS providers, specifically to address gaps identified;
• Provide and/or facilitate the provision of BDS services to lead firms, enterprises and other actors in the value chains to support their growth and improve their competitiveness; 
• Facilitate the building of relationships between actors in the value chain through the organization of buyer tours to lead firms and other matchmaking events;
• Work with the Senior Specialist to prepare work plans and accompanying budgets for the Market Access and Trade component of the programme;
• Provide periodic reports on activities and results;
• Communicate regularly with the rest of the Advance team on existing clients in order to support their marketing activities, provide additional support, and track key metrics;
• Represent the project at relevant stakeholder meetings and gatherings, as directed by programme management; and
• Work and coordinate activities with all team members of ADVANCE II to deliver the expected results of the programme.

Required Skills or Experience

• Degree (BA) in Agribusiness, Business or Economics with 3 years experience in a relevant role, or a Master’s of Business Administration.
• Strong experience in Marketing and Sales
• Background in food processing or the maize, rice and soya  value chains is a plus
• Strong private sector experience and entrepreneurial skills  
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
• Strong skills in Microsoft business software (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English
• Ability to develop well written reports that concisely and clearly state the issues and recommendations
• Proven capacity to engage senior audiences and influence decision makers in the private sector
• Strong knowledge of Local and Regional Commodity Trade a plus