Energy Crops Expert (Agronomist)

Date of Publication
Application Deadline
Company
Cowater International
Brief Description

Job title:

Energy Crops Expert (Agronomist)

Job classification:

This is an exempt part-time position.

Job status:

This a temporary consultancy running for the duration of the project at hand.

Reports to:

The consultant will report directly to the supervising Bioenergy Lead.

Location:

Main office on 53 Leopards Hill Road, Lusaka, Zambia. Regular travel to project and client premises and sites across Zambia.

Responsible for:

Farmland waste investigation, analysis and conclusions and recommendations.

Start date:

17.02.2020

Contract Duration:

30 days (17.02. to 30.04.2020 at 3 days / week). Possibility to extend contract on a similar basis.

Budget responsibilities:

None

 

About Cities and Infrastructure for Growth Zambia (CIGZambia)

CIGZambia is a facility that provides high-quality independent technical advice and assistance to Zambian government bodies and private sector organisations engaged in projects /programmes that help harness the potential of Zambia’s cities and towns to act as drivers for economic growth and job creation. CIGZambia is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

The overall programme objectives are:

  • increasing urban productivity
  • improving inclusive access to urban economic infrastructure services
  • increasing investment into urban economic infrastructure services
  • enhancing national and regional integration between cities

Bioenergy definition: We define bioenergy as a source of energy derived from farmland, forest, manure and municipality waste or energy crops for electricity, heat or transport.

About you:

  • We are seeking an Energy Crops Expert for the bioenergy team.
  • The biggest benefits of this role are, having to contribute to shaping the potential bioenergy market in Zambia by defining the scope and potential for growth in this sector.
  • You have expertise in agriculture/forest dedicated energy crops and use for energy generation from farmland/forest land. You have knowledge of perennial crops (miscanthus, switch grass, reed, canary grass, cynara, cardunculus), Hemp, energy cane, biomass sorghum, herbaceous plants, jatropha, pongamia, oil bearing plants, short-rotation coppice (willow, poplar, eucalyptus, locust), bamboo and non-food energy crops. You have knowledge of soil, plants, seeds, agriculture products and effective and efficient energy crop farming practices. You can conduct research and field checks, take samples and make observations, perform tests, and identify energy crop challenges and problems, analyse impact of plant or soil nutrition, damage from insects or wildlife, weather or climate changes, or the use of specialized products, such as pesticides, fertilizers, crop quality and yield.
  • The biggest challenge of this role will be multitasking and completing documents to adhere to international “client-ready” levels.
  • The current team around this role is made up of a bioenergy feedstock experts, strategic planning & business development, project funding, household/medium/large bioenergy experts, demand expert, gender/social/climate change experts, government procedures expert, monitoring & evaluation and behavioural change communication expert. The team, in general, describes themselves as passionate, adaptable and ultimately, capable.

 

About the Role - Main purpose and scope of work:

  • The main role of the Energy Crops Expert will be qualitative and quantitative analysis and field trips to understand the potential of energy crops for energy generation from farmland/forest land across Zambia.

Duties and key responsibilities:

  • Studying energy crops, soil, farmers in order to develop assumptions on bioenergy potential and related impact on better planting, cultivation, and harvesting techniques, improve crop yield, and solve problems facing the agriculture industry.
  • Researching, developing, and promoting farming practices or products which enable to leverage bioenergy potential and that diminish the effects of changes in soil, climate, and weather or prevent damage from pests.
  • Visiting fields to collect seed, plant, and soil samples and testing samples for nutritional deficiencies, diseases, energy crop energy content or other changes.
  • Assisting with the energy crop residue selection process and the development of residue harvesting, storage and usage schedules, budgets, and timelines.
  • Keeping detailed records regarding fields, customers, crops, residues and samples.
  • Generating reports and presenting findings to management, clients, or other interested parties.
  • Promoting products and techniques through educational presentations to increase bioenergy uptake.
  • Managing teams of scientists or enumerator while conducting field visits or laboratory work.
  • Creating, maintaining and monitoring project plans, project schedules, work hours, budgets and expenditures.
  • Organizing, attending and participating in stakeholder meetings.
  • Documenting and following up on important actions and decisions from meetings.
  • Preparing necessary presentation materials for meetings.
  • Ensuring project deadlines are met.
  • Determining project changes.
  • Providing administrative support as needed.
  • Undertaking project tasks as required.
  • Ensuring projects adhere to frameworks and all documentation is maintained appropriately for each project.
  • Assess project risks and issues and provide solutions where applicable.
  • Ensure stakeholder views are managed towards the best solution.
  • Chair and facilitate meetings where appropriate and distribute minutes to all project team members.
  • Create a project management calendar for fulfilling each goal and objective.

General responsibilities:

  • Complying with company code of conduct and policies and procedures.

Required Qualifications / Minimum Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Agriculture, or related field.
  • > 5 years work experience.
  • >2 years work experience as an Agronomist
  • Worked for 2 organisations (> 2 years’ experience with each).
  • Working knowledge of MS Excel Formulas.
  • Working knowledge of MS Word Styles.
  • Working knowledge of MS PowerPoint Shape Formatting
  • Ability to work outside, stand, walk, kneel, and stoop for extended periods.
  • Awareness of industry trends, technology, and developments.

Key Qualifications (skills & experience):

  • International exposure: Prior experience working with donor (e.g. DFID) funded projects/programs.
  • Multitasking: Regularly handle more than one task at a time while keeping tabs on program team member schedules and keeping them on track. Ability to organize a daily workload by priorities. Must be able to meet deadlines in a fast-paced changing environment with multiple projects.
  • Trustworthiness: Energy Crops Experts have often access to sensitive information, and the team they work for need to trust them fully in order for them to be as efficient as possible at their jobs.
  • Time management: Able to manage time of others and be good at managing own time.
  • Organisational skills: Right organizational strategies to manage and monitor tasks, statistics, and information in a simplified manner. By staying up to date on all of the details necessary for each project. Apart from handling larger and more significant tasks in a project, you should also take organizational measures to address minor requirements and tasks that are often important.
  • Problem solving skills: A proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making skills. I t is important to exercise as much control over a project as possible. Possess the skills to resolve problems and ensure that the project is on track. Able to foresee potential effects and obstacles of a project and steps to be taken to prevent these drawbacks.
  • Negotiation skills: Able to network and build relationships with different professionals to complete the projects as intended. Able to work hand in hand with other professionals and negotiating with them to ensure favourable results for the program.
  • Writing skills: Demonstrable skills in written communication and proven report writing skills to international professional standards.
  • Communication skills: Professional level verbal communication skills and capabilities. Energy Crops Experts often serve as a gatekeeper, deciding which messages and which visitors or callers need to go directly to their team, and which need to redirect or handle in some other way. Have ability to quickly glean information from those demanding time from the team.
  • Computer skills: Should be computer literate with command in Microsoft office (MS Word, MS Excel (data entry, data analysis, analytical skills), MS PowerPoint and MS Outlook). Working experience using cloud solutions to share documents and files.
  • Teamwork: Capable of working in a group and with people (good listener, respectful, conflict management, reliable)
  • Work schedule: Hours often follow typical those of a typical business work week. However, given the international set-up of the bioenergy program sometimes work beyond normal working hours will be expected to e.g. have conference call with different time zones.
  • Work environment: Capable of sitting for hours behind a computer screen to put in the work and conduct field work in rural areas/environment. Able to put in the extra hours of work if required to. Able to commute to-and-from the workplace on time.
  • Added advantage:
    • MSc degree
    • Additional certifications
    • International experience in the field of bioenergy
    • A driver’s licence is a plus

Compensation:

  • To be negotiated based on degree and years of experience of potential candidate.

Applications:

Please send your CV to admin@cigzambia.onmicrosoft.com. For CV to be considered, subject line in email must be completed as follows:

Job Title – Candidate: Last Name First Name. Highest Degree, years of work experience in highest degree. In 3 words why you apply.

Example: Bioenergy Manager – Candidate: John Phiri. MSc Environmental Science, 10.0 years. I live bioenergy.

Deadline for Applications: 31st of January 2020