Innovation and AgTech Coordinator at Farm Africa | May 2024

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The Project Innovation and AgTech Coordinator plays a vital role in bridging the gap between digital technology and agriculture, driving innovation, and promoting sustainable practices in the five-year NOURISH project. The role will provide technical and administrative management support for project operations to identify opportunities to pilot and integrate various innovations into the project and enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the project through the use of relevant and effective technology and digital solutions in the target agriclutre value chains and geographies in the project. This role aims to improve productivity, efficiency, and sustainability in
farming practices and market systems by leveraging the potential of various innovations, including digital agricultural (agtech) and financial technology (fintech) solutions.
The successful candidate will play a key role in identifying and driving agriculture innovation initiatives and technology adoption within the NOURISH project to enhance food production, improve resilience to environmental challenges, and increase the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. She/he will be responsible for supporting the development of an innovation and digital agriculture strategy. She/he will work closely with the project management teams to oversee the implementation of digital agriculture technology solutions for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, to drive rural transformation through digitalization, and support technology and ICT innovations related to food security, agriculture, and rural development issues. She/he will also
be a key point of contact and work directly with identified digital service and other innovation service providers to strengthen partnerships, and support capacity development and resource mobilization. The selected candidate will have relevant experience and in-depth knowledge of how to identify and apply innovation, digital technologies and solutions within development projects in the agriculture sector. This position entails leading project management efforts, providing technical advisory support, fostering stakeholder relationships, and overseeing monitoring and evaluation activities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Project management and technical advisory:
 Lead the design, development and implementation of the NOURISH project’s strategy to identify, pilot and incorporate agricultural innovations, technology and digital solutions to address food security challenges and promote sustainability.
 Conduct desk review and keep up to date on emerging developments and trends within the agriculture sector to identify and evaluate emerging and relevant innovative solutions, technologies and digital solutions that can improve farming practices, increase productivity, and enhance efficiency resilience and sustainability.
 Provide technical support and guidance on new innovation and technology developments and the integration of such products and services into agricultural practices.
 Develop project plans and set objectives, timelines, and budgets for implementing agricultural innovation and digital technology initiatives, and ensure timely delivery of project milestones.
 Collaborate with farmers, MSMEs, researchers, and innovation and technology providers to support the testing/piloting, integration and adoption of different innovations and agricultural technologies. This may involve coordinating training sessions, farmer senstization, B2C meeting, providing technical support, and
ensuring effective utilization of technology.
 Manage the contractual partnership with selected partner(s) on digital, agtech and fintech activities.
 Coordinate with project teams to identify risks, assess impacts, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure project success.
Team and stakeholder relationship management:
 Support ‘one team’ matrix ways of working across value chains and geographies, and collaborate with other cross-cutting roles responsible for MEL, Nutrition, Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI), and communications.

 Cultivate strong relationships with farmers, technology providers, research institutions, extension officers and government agencies to promote the adoption of innovative agricultural practices and technologies, ensure effective communication, and foster collaboration and knowledge exchange by conducting workshops, and training sessions, and providing ongoing support to stakeholders.
 Collaborate with beneficiaries to understand their needs, address challenges, and foster the adoption of various agricultural innovations and digital technologies.
 Guide agtech, fintech and/or innovation partners and consultants engaged with the project to develop a guide on required actions to test, deploy, and service new innovations and digital solutions, including the provision of training and skill building for farmers, households, youth, women, and MSMEs.
 Coordinate capacity building of NOURISH team and partners on issues related to agricultural innovations, agtech and fintech.
 Present results and represent the project as required in national, regional, and/or international forums.
 Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment of initiatives with program objectives and organizational goals.
 Serve as a liaison between stakeholders and the project team, ensuring effective communication and resolution of issues.
Monitoring, learning, and knowledge management:
 Monitoring the performance and effectiveness of identified agriculture innovations and digital agtech solutions implemented in the project.
 Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of interventions on food security outcomes.
 Support in the collecting and analyzing of project data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
 Use data-driven insights to optimize innovations and digital agtech offerings and interventions to improve agricultural value-chain practices, make informed decisions, and drive continuous improvement.
 Support knowledge-sharing and capacity-building activities to enhance the technical expertise of project staff and key stakeholders.
 Contribute to internal and external learning and knowledge sharing by documenting best practices, lessons learned, and case studies related to innovation and implementation.
 Facilitate workshops, seminars, and training programs to to foster knowledge sharing and networking among experts and practitioners in the digital agriculture and innovation fora.
 Prepare high-quality monthly and quarterly reports, and act as key point of coordination and consolidation for all project-level data collection and donor reporting on behalf of Farm Africa.
ROLE REQUIREMENTS
Qualifications and experience:
 Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in agriculture, agronomy, agricultural engineering, development or related field with experience working on thematic areas related to agriculture, food systems, innovation and agtech.
 Proven experience in project management in the field of agricultural development, food security, or rural livelihoods.
 Strong technical knowledge of agricultural practices, with experience in identifying and applying new innovations and supporting digital agtech solutions or technology adoption within a development context in Tanzania and/or East Africa.
 Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with proven ability to manage institutional relationships and engage effectively with diverse project stakeholders, including technical and project teams, government entities, private sector, and other agriculture sector actors.
 Experience in collaborative and adaptive monitoring, evaluation, and learning, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
 Highly motivated self-starter, with strong organizational skills, who takes individual accountability seriously.

  .Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
 Familiarity with donor-funded projects and grant management processes.
 Fluency in both written and spoken English and Kiswahili.
 Excellent social and communication skills (written and oral), as well as reporting and presentation skills.
 Computer literacy (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
Desired attributes:
 Passion for working with rural communities and smallholder farmer households.
 Able to strategically influence, inspire, and energize program teams in a collegiate manner.
 Self-aware, possessing high levels of emotional intelligence and respect for staff, colleagues, and partners.
 Adaptive yet result-oriented with strong planning, analytic, and decisive mindset.
 Commitment to continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
 Strong sense of integrity and personal commitment to the goals and values of Farm Africa and SNV.
 Ability to undertake unaccompanied travel and operate in the field.
 Understanding of climate-smart agriculture, smallholder farming, and inclusive market development.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 Location: Preferably Dodoma or Sumbawanga (but will consider Dar es Salaam for exceptional candidates) with regular field travel (40-50%)
 Reports to: Team Leader, NOURISH Project
 Staff reporting to postholder: n/a
 Contract duration: 2 years, with the possibility of extension
TO APPLY
If interested in this role, please submit a CV (no more than 3 pages); a motivation letter detailing your interest, suitability and expected salary for the role (no more than 1 page); and a brief write-up (no more than 1 page) which also answers the following question: “What do you think are the key opportunities for deploying innovation
and digital technology in Tanzania’s agriculture sector?” Any applications that do not respond to this question will not be considered.
This should be sent to Tanzaniarecruitment@farmafrica.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis