Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) invites applications for a Field Project Manager position for a large scale, long term agriculture development project in Ghana. MEDA is an association of compassionate women and men who invest in people living in poverty around the world so they can unleash their potential to earn a sustainable livelihood to provide for their families and enrich their communities. MEDA provides management, technical and consulting expertise to MEDA projects and to a wide range of clients, helping as many of the poor as possible by creating business solutions to poverty. To find out more about MEDA, please visit our website at www.meda.org.
Position Summary
Leading a team of field staff, the Field Project Manager (FPM) ensures effective implementation of project strategies, adjusting course as needed based on interim performance, to achieve life-of-project performance targets. This position involves frequent travel to project locations within Ghana. The FPM will report to and work closely with MEDA’s North America-based Sr. Project Manager tasked to supervise this Project. This is a full-time indefinite term contract for the duration of the project, subject to continued donor funding. Start date is ASAP.
Responsibilities
Project Implementation
- Acting as MEDA's representative in Ghana
- Ensuring daily management of the project and assuming full accountability of project results
- Ensuring project performance tracking
- Implementing security protocols
Project Financial Management
- Maintaining strict budgetary adherence and monitoring
- Ensuring review and timely submission of regular financial reports
Project Compliance
- Ensuring effective and efficient management of project's compliance with planning, monitoring, evaluation, performance and reporting
- Ensuring adherence to local legal requirements
Management of Field Staff
- Overseeing the management of all field staff, including recruitment, selection, supervision and ongoing performance evaluations
Relationship Management
- Managing successful relationships with the Government of Ghana, donor agencies, the business community and other stakeholders
- Managing successful relationships with Key Facilitating Partners; ensuring positive relationships are maintained and project targets are achieved.
New Business Development
- Supporting, as time allows, the Sr. Director's new business development efforts in-country and regionally
Job Requirements
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Follow all Organizational Policies and Procedures
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Demonstration of MEDA Core Performance Values: Respect, Collaboration, Entrepreneurship and Accountability
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Keep up to date on all required training
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Support effective Staff Management and supportive work environment
Qualifications
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A minimum of ten years of senior level experience leading and managing complex, large scale, multi-million dollar economic and enterprise development initiatives (or similar private sector experience)
- University degree (ideally Master's) in international development, business administration or related field
- Appreciation and support of MEDA’s faith, values and goals
- Fluency (written and verbal) in English is required
- Strong understanding of: business/financial decision making in competitive market environments; inclusive subsector development and value chain development facilitation methods
- Proven leadership abilities with a multiple field office environment and relationships with North American-based HQ specialists and management
- Functional experience in marketing, business planning, business growth advisory service or related areas
- Direct private sector experience is desirable
- Demonstrated ability to mobilize stakeholders into partnerships and alliances, lead and facilitate collaborative processes
- Experience in using commercial business development services (BDS) providers to upgrade farmer, entrepreneur and enterprise competencies
- Prior work experience in Ghana or comparable country context is preferred
- Understanding and appreciation of business principles, international development and MEDA’s approach of creating business solutions to poverty
MEDA is an equal opportunity employer and accommodations are available during all phases of the recruitment process. We ask that any applicants requiring accommodation make their needs known in advance.
Project Summary
Ghana’s tree crops subsector accounts for a substantial 16% of GDP (US$4 billion) and sustains over 1.6 million families. Cocoa alone contributes 11.5% to GDP and nearly one-third of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. (All 2013 data - latest available)
In recent years, tree crops production has declined, significantly due to decreasing yields of farmers’ aging trees. Inadequate supply of good quality planting materials is a major impediment. Access to quality seedlings – in terms of improved survival and growth rates and productivity – can double farmers’ current yields and result in substantial income gains for Ghana’s tree crop farmers and economy.
To help address this issue, MEDA is implementing the Farmers' Economic Advancement Through Seedlings (FEATS) Project ($22 million over 6 years), which aims to contribute to improving the yields, incomes and well-being of Ghanaian tree crop farmers by:
- Supplying ~20 million quality seedlings for Cocoa, Cashew, Rubber and Shea to 100,000 male and female smallholder farmers including youth
- Creating a sustainable seedling distribution network comprising 50 community distribution nurseries (CDNs) that are owned and operated by local small entrepreneurs, and generate local employment
- Helping smallholder farmers gain access to finance and offering price incentives
- Providing them training and capacity building in good agronomic practices to cultivate the seedlings profitably in an environmentally sustainable manner
- Fostering an enabling environment through favourable policy and strategy reform
To achieve this, MEDA has partnered with Tree Global, an international tree nursery company, to establish modern, large-scale production nurseries in Ghana to supply quality seedlings. The project appreciates the support of the Ghana Cocoa Board and is working in cooperation with them to help augment the supply of quality cocoa seedlings to farmers.
Project Quick Facts
Goal: Improved incomes and well-being of Ghanaian tree crop farmers by developing sustainable supply chains and markets for quality planting materials
Reach: 100,000 smallholder farmers including women and youth, supplied with 20 million quality seedlings, through 50 local small entrepreneurs
Duration: 2015-2021
Value: $22.26 million
Funding: Global Affairs Canada (GAC - $10.75M), Tree Global, MEDA