Job Description

Title: Sr. Specialist - Agriculture & Enterprise Development

Company Name: Practical Action - Bangladesh.

Vacancy: 1

Job Location: Dhaka

Employment Status: Full-time

Educational Requirements:
∎ Masters degree in any discipline, Bachelor of Science (BSc)
∎ Bachelor in Agricultural Science with Master in any related field.

Experience Requirements:
∎ 5 to 7 year(s)

Job Responsibilities:
∎ Accountable for overall project management, planning, implementation and driving actions towards organization's influencing agenda.
∎ Provide strategic and technical support to regional team for overall implementation of the project.
∎ Manage and support partner NGO, other private entities for overall implementation for achieving the targets as per contract agreement with the donors maintaining quality and timeframe.
∎ Responsible for ensuring compliance of donors and Practical Action, quality of deliverable, risk management and financial analysis.
∎ Ensure effective quality assurance and the overall integrity of the programme.
∎ Ensure goals are met in areas including donor requirements, safety, quality of programmes
∎ Facilitate in doing piloting interventions/ programmes. Staff training, action research etc and share best practice/disseminate learning
∎ Coordinate progress, process and output monitoring and ensure follow on actions based on the monitoring findings.
∎ Manage the programme budget on behalf of the organisation, monitoring expenditure and costs against delivered and realised benefits as the programme progresses.
∎ Facilitate the placement of individuals with required expertise to project teams.
∎ Ensuring the delivery of new products or services from projects maintaining appropriate level of quality, on time and within budget, in accordance with the programme plan and programme governance arrangements.
∎ Ensure allocation of common resources and skills within different projects under the programme.
∎ Manage third party contributions to the programme.
∎ Support identifying and mitigating risks in all new proposals, ensuring that budgets are meeting cost coverage standards
∎ Meet with stakeholders to make communication easy and transparent regarding project issues and decisions on services.
∎ Produce accurate and timely reporting of program status throughout its life cycle.
∎ Achieving Change Ambitions and Strengthening Organisational Profile - 20%
∎ Understand Practical Action's potentials and scope for delivering change ambitions; and develop strategy or plan for achieving dedicated change agenda. While doing so s/he needs to analyse as cultural, political and economic factors - using a systems thinking approach.
∎ Provide thematic thought leadership on smallholder's agricultural system (current solutions, challenges and future opportunities) and to acquire new agricultural projects
∎ Participate in and contribute to the national and global discourse on policy and practice in the thematic area
∎ Provide leadership for the development of our brand essence and positioning with a focus on how brand supports our identity and position with institutional donors
∎ Support the marketing of Practical Action in Bangladesh and effectively share compelling stories of impact that build organisational profile
∎ Represent Practical Action internally and externally on strategic matters as relevant
∎ Report on progress towards change ambition and our contribution / impact
∎ Leadership, Management and People - 25%
∎ Promote an organisational culture for learning and achieve change at scale, beyond our work
∎ Serve as a key member of the Team providing strategic input into organisational direction ensuring flows of information between management and relevant staff members
∎ Manage, support and lead subject matter specialists to achieve change ambitions, encouraging joined up ways of working with other Bangladesh units.
∎ Manage a team with a diverse array of talents and responsibilities and proactively support the professional growth of team members/others by offering quality feedback and opportunities to progress and grow
∎ Demonstrate and actively enable team Learning & Development including approaches such as coaching, mentoring, peer learning and reflection activities
∎ Implement and manage changes and interventions to ensure project goals are achieved.
∎ Take time to build team capacities related to systems thinking, gender and the Framework for Change
∎ Conduct quarterly People Management conversations with direct reports
∎ Delivering Performance as One Practical Action - 15%
∎ Proactively direct processes and programme initiatives to ensure quality standards of the organization are met during program/ project design
∎ Support Quality Assurance Policies, programs and initiatives for Practical Action, providing inputs on information systems for quality assurance, as well as best practices documentation and reporting
∎ Oversee and track awards and contracts to ensure reports and contractual commitments are submitted on time
∎ Provide inputs in M&E systems design and extend support for the overall management of Strategic Information
∎ Work closely with the Business Development & Quality Assurance (BDQA) unit to ensure compatibility and coordination within the M&E framework, Knowledge management aspects and consistency with organization's and donor requirements
∎ Foster a culture of collaboration and common ambition as One Practical
∎ Working on strategy with the marketing team

Additional Requirements:
∎ At least 5-7 years' total experience in backstopping technical and policy issues, strategies and programmes to support the development, competitiveness, inclusiveness and improved impacts of agribusiness, smallholder farming (agriculture, fisheries/aquaculture, livestock) in Bangladesh. Experience in coastal zone and drought, riverine area management will be appreciated.
∎ Participate in capturing learning and critical evidence, developing and reviewing technical briefs, papers and guidelines related to climate smart agriculture, agribusiness, value chain and food system development.
∎ At least 10 years of good understanding on agricultural sector/sub-sector development, food system and local economic development; sustainable intensification and commercialization of smallholder farming, digital solutions/technologies for value chain development.
∎ Capable in including programme management/ program planning and implementation and providing strategic guidance in the field of agriculture with national or international development organizations
∎ Demonstrated understanding and skills of reflecting organisation's goals and strategies in a proposal succinctly and convincingly as well as in implementation
∎ Proven stakeholder management skills.
∎ Proven experience managing a team with superlative team motivation skills
∎ A person well organized, attentive to details, and use concise, persuasive writing
∎ Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and to set priorities
∎ Excellent writing (English and Bengali), analytical and communication skills
∎ Excellent oral presentation skills and in-depth knowledge and experience in major donor priorities
∎ Familiar with the development sector in Bangladesh, contemporary issues and donor priorities
∎ Excellent ability to work with a virtual cross-functional team
∎ Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks and set priorities
∎ Fluency in Bangla and English required
∎ Ability to work collaboratively across teams and to contribute strategically

Salary: Tk. 125000 - 140000 (Monthly)

Compensation & Other Benefits:
∎ T/A, Mobile bill, Medical allowance, Provident fund, Weekly 2 holidays, Insurance, Gratuity
∎ Festival Bonus: 2

Application Deadline: November 30, 2019

Company Information:
∎ Practical Action - Bangladesh.
∎ Address : House # 28/A, Road # 5, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205
∎ Web : www.practicalaction.org
∎ Business : Practical Action is an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.
We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.
We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

Category: NGO/Development