Deputy Team Leader, (NOURISH Project)

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner working in more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Building on 60 years of experience and together with our team of over 1,600 people, we strengthen capacities and catalyze partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems, which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. Grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we work on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance.

Background: NOURISH Tanzania

‘Empowering Smallholder Farmers for Food Security and Climate Resilience’ (NOURISH Tanzania) aims to achieve resilient food security for smallholder farmer households in key regions of Tanzania.
Tanzanian SHF households heavily dependent on agriculture face significant food insecurity and nutrition challenges. SHFs have low productivity due to poor quality seed, limited and variable rainfall, poor extension services, and limited access to markets. Lack of knowledge of nutritional requirements and how to meet them, exacerbated by gender inequalities, affects household nutrition.

• The project focuses on two geographic areas, both of which experience food insecurity and malnutrition, but which are distinctly different: the central-northern zone (Singida, Dodoma, Manyara) which suffers from acute food insecurity, and the Southern Highlands (Songwe, Rukwa) which faces chronic malnutrition. The project targets 168,000 SHFs and 100 MSMEs and farm organizations, with special emphasis on vulnerable SHFs. With a focus on four high-potential value chains (sorghum, sunflower, common bean, and vegetables), the project will tackle barriers to SHF food security through three interconnected outcome pathways:

1. Increased productivity: strengthening SHF climate-smart agricultural knowledge, skills, and access to inputs and finance.
2. Increased and diversified food supply to local markets: fostering collaborations among market actors, promoting digital solutions, and empowering SHFs and MSMEs.
3. Improved utilization of household resources to provide nutritious and diverse food: promoting nutritious diets, household food budgeting, and enabling women to have greater influence in HH decisions.

SNV is leading a consortium together with Farm Africa, and partners with five local organizations including two local CSOs. The partners have significant experience in climate-resilient agriculture, nutrition, digital technology applications, and GESI. The project’s total budget is NOK 200 million over five years and is funded by Norad.

Purpose of the role
The NOURISH Project Deputy Team Leader plays a critical leadership role in the delivery of the five-year food security and nutrition project, strengthening the team at a political, technical, and management level. The role will provide strategic leadership and day-to-day technical oversight of all agriculture value chain work, with significant responsibilities in core planning, implementation, reporting, and learning processes in accordance with organization and donor requirements. Externally, the role will lead project interface with senior technical levels of Tanzania government, while internally line manages four value chain coordinators. The Deputy Team Leader therefore plays a central role in ensuring the NOURISH project achieves maximum possible impact and is delivered to high standards.
The successful candidate will have a track record in complex project/program management, team leadership, and inclusive agriculture/rural development, have skills in designing robust market-based interventions, knowledge of nutrition, climate and gender-sensitive approaches, and be a natural partnership broker – equally at home working with the private and public sector.

Key Responsibilities
Project management and technical quality assurance:

• Primary delivery responsibility for achieving outcomes 1 and 2, leading design and execution of value chain interventions and activities in response to the project objectives and adapting to the evolving needs.
• Coordinate and quality control the development and review of annual work plans, budgets, and progress reporting for all value chain work, ensuring synergies between different works steams across the project as well as coherence with the work plans of implementing partners.
• Provide strategic oversight to value chain interventions, ensuring the project’s knowledge base and strategy is appropriate and benchmarked against best practice.
• Ensure cost-effectiveness, proper control and management of financial resources for value chain activities.
• Ensure the quality of project deliverables and provide technical input to meet the required standards.
• Develop mitigation plans to reduce risks and take timely, corrective actions to remedy any deviation from the work plans.

Team management:

• Provide team leadership and line manage four value chain coordinators, including effective performance management and ensuring the provision of support as required to ensure a highly engaged team.
• Build and maintain effective ‘one team’ matrix ways of working (planning, delivery, learning, etc.) across value chains and geographies, and support the effective engagement of cross-cutting roles and advisors responsible for food security & nutrition, gender, FinTech, MEL and communications.
• Deputise for the Team Leader during absence.

Stakeholder relationship management:

• Lead project interface with senior technical levels of Tanzania government (at central and local government levels for agriculture, health, and community development sectors), and provide strategic advisory to the Team Leader on political economy and policy coherence.
• Manage the contractual partnership with two CSO partners leading on village and household-level activities across outcomes 1, 2 and 3.
• Develop and maintain an effective network and relationships with key public and private stakeholders for project delivery especially in relation to outcomes 1 and 2.
• Present results and represent the project as required in national, regional, and international forums.
• Monitoring, learning and knowledge management:
• Responsible for monitoring performance against outcomes 1 and 2, monitoring progress against activities, outputs, and outcomes for value chain work.
• Conduct routine physical monitoring visits to assess the quality of activity implementation and results.
• Oversee periodic (quarterly and annual) project reflection processes to ensure adaptation to delivery approaches in line with project outcomes and key learning questions are answered.
• Support team-wide efforts to make learning (including across geographies and value chains) a core part of the project management process so that key learning questions are answered.
• Contribute to internal and external knowledge sharing by documenting project insights, attending workshops/conferences, and applying lessons learned.

Qualifications and experience:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field, MBA, or other advanced degree.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant senior management experience with complex development programs.
• Extensive management and technical experience working in the field of agriculture, agribusiness, nutrition, sustainable livelihoods and/or rural development in Tanzania, and preferably in other countries.
• Experience with market-based approaches and working with the private sector to achieve outcomes.
• Strong reputation and network with government and private sector actors in agriculture and agribusiness, with extensive knowledge of political economy.
• Experience managing high high-performing-disciplinary teams, and annual budgets above EUR 3 million.
• Solid understanding of nutrition, climate, and gender-sensitive approaches for smallholder farmers.
• Fluency in both written and spoken English and Kiswahili.
• Experience in collaborative and adaptive monitoring, evaluation, and learning

Desired attributes:

• Able to strategically lead, inspire, and energize program teams in a collegiate manner.
• Self-awareness, possessing high levels of emotional intelligence and respect for staff, colleagues, and partners.
• Highly motivated self-starter, with strong organizational skills, who takes individual accountability seriously.
• Adaptive yet result-oriented with strong planning, analytic and decisive mindset.
• Excellent social and communication skills (written and oral), as well as reporting and presentation skills.
• Commitment to continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
• Strong sense of integrity and personal commitment to the goals and values of SNV and Farm Africa.
• Ability to undertake unaccompanied travel and operate in the field

• Location: Dodoma or Sumbawanga with regular field travel (40%)
• Reports to: Team Leader, NOURISH Project
• Staff reporting to post holder: Value Chain Coordinators (4)
• Contracted to: SNV
• Contract Duration: 2 years, with possibility of extension
• Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, including a competitive secondary benefits package.
• Desired Start Date: April 2024

How to Apply

Submit your application on or before 5 pm EAT on Friday, 20th February 2024, if you wish to be considered for this position. All information will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.  We will revert to you as soon as feasible when we have reviewed your application, though due to the expected high number of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please submit a CV (no more than 3 pages); a motivation letter detailing your interest, suitability, current/previous & 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 top three challenges facing food security and nutrition in Tanzania?”

Please only apply when you are convinced to meet the qualifications mentioned!

Working at SNV

SNV offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. We offer a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit from, and contribute to, an internal global network of experts across sectors. For more information, please visit our website: www.snv.org

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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