Senior Food Processing Specialist at TechnoServe Kenya

Job Summary:

The Senior Food Processing Specialist is the technical lead overseeing the provision of strategic advisory services to food processors and other clients at the country level in coordination with Partners in Food Solutions and corporate volunteer experts. S/he oversees all engagements with selected clients, and collaborates with other team members in-country and across the project, to ensure coordinated and impactful implementation.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

  Client Relationship Management

• In coordination with other team members identify clients (processors, industry bodies, aggregators etc.) that can have an impact on the availability of nutritious food products and on broader food systems.
• Clearly identify and document their aspirations and challenges; plot a mutually agreed intended impact and route to reach it.
• Plan activities to ensure that the shared objectives are met within the set times and resources and that impact is maximized.
• Effectively manage, maintain, and nurture the relationship with these clients.
• Ensure regular and responsive communication to monitor progress, identify problems at an early stage and respond to them.

    Coordination of Technical Assistance

• Clearly communicate to clients the full range of support that is available to them from TechnoServe and through PFS.
• Provide on-the-ground support for implementation of technical advice, on issues identified by the business diagnostic.
• Source and facilitate relevant expertise from PFS partner company volunteer experts to support the food processors. Liaise between volunteers and processors to ensure clear expectations and smooth communication.
• Ensure PFS Technical Leads are fully informed on progress, challenges, and successes
• In collaboration with other team members at the country and regional level develop and deliver standardized training and quick-win solutions to less sophisticated clients with simpler technical and business needs.
• Facilitate university student internships/apprenticeship initiatives with processors, whereby interns will be assigned for a defined period to provide technical support and address identified issues.

    Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• In coordination with the M&E Manager, manage client data collection and review data for accuracy.
• Contribute towards explanations of metric results and provide input to recommendations to adapt program approach as necessary to maximize impact.

• Provide anecdotal evidence of impact, including success stories, case studies, and lessons learnt
• Ensure activities carried out are in accordance with TechnoServe and donor requirements.

     Sector-Wide Training

• Support the Regional Program Training Lead, PFS experts, and local training institutes with technical input on identifying appropriate topics and developing curricula for sector-wide training in support of broader industry development.

     Competencies:

Strategic and Innovative Thinker

• Identifies opportunities and builds strategic relationships with other organizations to help achieve identified goals.
• Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn and actively applies new knowledge and skill.
• Analyses both successes and failures for clues to improvement.
• Innovative to try new ideas to find solutions
• Analytical, able to diagnose problems, identify the key issues, and think strategically to evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical, and acceptable solution. Works persistently to overcome obstacles
• Asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.

Team Player

• Works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Effectively plans, schedules, and prioritizes activities.
• Able to take ownership of decisions on areas of responsibility but show sound judgment in escalating issues where necessary.

Effective Communicator

• Listens openly and effectively and ensures accurate understanding; able to adjust communication to the needs of the audience and work at multiple levels; facilitates the open exchange of ideas and information in individual and group situations.
• Transparent in dealings with others, admits mistakes, and is trusted. Inspires confidence in the team of honest intentions and fairness.
• Able to analyze and express themselves clearly in business writing.

Basic Qualifications:

• Degree in food science, food nutrition, or a related degree, preferably at Master’s level.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in the food industry or as a consultant to the industry
• Good knowledge and understanding of the challenges of food processing in Africa, both technical and business
• Previous work on a donor-funded program, ideally USAID
• Design and delivery of training
• Managing local consultants/BDS providers

Required Languages 

• Fluency to speak, read and write in English and Kiswahili is essential

 The deadline for submitting applications is on  3rd May 2023.