Agri-Development Specialist – Value Chain Technical Lead
Agri-Development Specialist – Value Chain Technical Lead
World Relief
About The Job
Agri-Development Specialist is responsible to serve as the lead for one or more strategic value chains—Maize, Beans, Chili, and Irish Potatoes. This role is central to driving innovation, mechanization, climate-smart practices, and youth engagement within assigned agricultural systems. The specialist will support capacity building across stakeholders and ensure that interventions are inclusive, scalable, and aligned with the project’s goal of empowering 500,000 rural youth over three years.
Project Context:
Rural youth in Rwanda face high unemployment and underemployment, despite agriculture being the dominant livelihood source. This project aims to transform low-productivity, informal agricultural systems into inclusive, high-value agribusiness pathways especially for young women through targeted value chain development and systemic support.
Specific Skills
Professional Experience
- Minimum 7 years of experience in rural agribusiness, mechanization, and youth-focused agricultural programs
- Demonstrated success in leading large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives with measurable impact in agriculture, youth development, or rural livelihoods.
- Proven expertise in:
- Youth agribusiness and inclusive market systems
- Climate-smart and climate-resilient agriculture
- Value chain development and agricultural innovation platforms
- Experience working with youth groups, cooperatives, and farmer organizations.
- Familiarity with donor-funded project frameworks and compliance requirements (e.g., USAID, EU, IFAD).
- Strong leadership, strategic planning, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to guide cross-functional teams and deliver results in complex, dynamic environments.
- Capacity to design, implement, and monitor high-impact programs aligned with donor expectations.
- Skilled in adaptive management and continuous learning to improve project outcomes.
- Excellent facilitation, training, and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Strong communication, negotiation, and partnership-building abilities.
- Proven ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders including government entities, donors, and community organizations.
- Meticulous approach to documentation, reporting, and compliance with donor regulations.
- Ability to synthesize technical and financial data for strategic decision-making.
- Operational Management
- Capacity to oversee periodic operations, ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and services.
- Stakeholder Management
- Build relationships and engaging stakeholders at their technical level
- Budgeting and Financial Planning
- Skills in creating and managing budgets, monitoring expenditures, and ensuring financial accountability
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Skills in establishing monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess program impact and effectiveness, utilizing data to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Reporting
- Ability to prepare and review reports ensuring accuracy and completeness
- Project Management
- The ability to translate strategic objectives into actionable operational plans aimed at achieving departmental goals
- Performance Management
- Ability to set performance metrics, evaluate staff performance, and provide constructive feedback.
- Training & Development
- Skills in identifying training needs and developing programs to enhance team skills and knowledge
- Risk Management
- Ability to assess risks associated with programs and implement strategies to mitigate those risks
Responsibilities & Duties
- Technical Leadership in Value Chains (30%)
- Serve as technical lead for one or more priority value chains, including Maize, Beans, Chili, and Irish Potatoes.
- Design and implement value chain strategies that enhance productivity, postharvest handling, and market access.
- Promote climate-smart agriculture, mechanization, and sustainable land and water management practices.
- Capacity Building and Youth Empowerment (25%)
- Facilitate training and capacity building for youth, cooperatives, and extension agents across targeted value chains.
- Support innovation and adoption of agri-tech solutions tailored to youth-led agribusinesses.
- Strengthen entrepreneurial skills and technical competencies among young agripreneurs.
- Stakeholder Collaboration and Problem Solving (20%)
- Collaborate with stakeholders—including government, private sector, and civil society—to identify bottlenecks and co-create solutions across the value chain.
- Foster inclusive dialogue and joint action to improve service delivery and market linkages.
- Monitoring, Learning, and Reporting (15%)
- Contribute to monitoring, learning, and reporting frameworks with field-level insights and evidence-based recommendations.
- Document best practices, lessons learned, and success stories to inform adaptive programming and donor reporting.
- Additional Responsibilities (10%)
- Perform other duties as required that align with the incumbent’s expertise and contribute to the overall success of the project.
- Participate in strategic planning sessions, technical reviews, and cross-functional coordination efforts.
Educational Requirements
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering, Agronomy, Soil & Water Management, Agriculture, Development Studies, Environmental Science, or a related field.
Job Location
Rwanda
Apply To
All interested applicants should submit their detailed Curriculum Vitae at recruitment@hcsolutions.rw, clearly indicating the job title they are applying for in the subject line of the email