Manager, TASC Country Engagement in Togo

JOB TITLE: Manager, TASC Country Engagement in Togo

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultancy; when actually employed

UNIT/DIVISION: PRORT

DURATION: 11 months

DUTY STATION: Remote, with significant time in Togo

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:

Agriculture and food systems are vital to food security, livelihoods, and development. The sector has proven to be more effective for poverty alleviation and job creation than others, and sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems can underpin economic development for many African countries. One innovative approach to spur transformational change is in the use of a Nodal Agency—successively leveraged by many Asian countries and beyond.

The nodal agency model was successfully leveraged by many Asian countries in the 1960s to 1990s to drive transformational growth and rapidly expand their economies. More recently, the nodal agency model was used successfully by the Government of Ethiopia when it established the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in 2010.

The nodal agency model leverages key characteristics to achieve impact:

• Operates from a “center of government” position with strong links to senior government officials including the Head of State.
• A high level of authority, independence, and responsibility that allow it to innovate, use evidence to inform decision making, work across public and private sectors, exert influence over actors, and ultimately manage and ensure effectiveness.
• High organizational performance that enables efficient systems to be implemented, focuses on results, and ensures learning takes place within and across institutions and programs to adapt to changing contexts and take advantage of opportunities.

TASC supports scoping, design, and development of nodal agencies when governments in Africa identify this model as an approach to transform their agriculture sector. The Government of Togo is actively engaged with TASC to support the development and operationalizing the Togo Agricultural Transformation Agency.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Manager, TASC Country Engagement in Togo will be responsible for the following:

• Ensure that TASC develops and/or maintains strong relationships with multiple institutions within Togo that are involved in the creation and operation of the ATA (Government, multi/bilateral, private sector).
• Support development of technical and operational competence of the ATA.
• Support capacity building of the ATA with a focus on analytics and program implementation and project management.
• Support the ATA’s engagement with the Ministry of Agriculture, other GoT institutions, and external stakeholders.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

With its growing body of work in Togo, TASC seeks a Manager to support its country engagement with Togo, support the development of the Togo ATA so that it acquires nodal agency characteristics, and support capacity building of analytics capabilities within the ATA. Key accountabilities are:

1. Work with the Togo ATA to establish robust operations and programs
   1. Support implementation of effective organizational systems for operating the institution
   2. Build the capacity of the Analytics Group
   3. Develop a learning agenda framework for the ATA as an institution
   4. Develop systems, documentation, and processes that support operations and project implementation including project management
   5. Advise senior leadership on issues related to operating a nodal agency with a focus on internal and external roles and responsibilities of the ATA related to its mandate
   6. Support the CEO of the ATA in engagement with the ATA Board
2. Work with the Ministry of Agriculture (MAEDR) and the Office of the President to support the operations of the Togo ATA
   1. Participate in technical and operational meetings
   2. Contribute to the development of programmatic documents for priority areas, e.g, Mechanization Pilot Program, Irrigation Pilot Program, Survey of farmers for Digital Extension and Farmer Cooperatives (ZAAPs), etc.
3. Develop and implement a learning agenda for TASC in Togo
4. Represent TASC with MAEDR, Office of the President, and others when Country Lead and TASC Managing Director are out of the country
5. Provide updates on assigned workstreams to and coordinate activities with TASC Managing Director and Country Lead through regular meetings and discussions
6. Other duties as needed

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

1. Strong relationships with key institutions are developed and maintained
2. Training materials developed for the Analytics Group of the ATA and capacity building program implemented
3. Tools developed for ATA project management
4. TASC learning in Togo documented

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education: Master’s Degree or higher in a relevant field.

Experience: 7 or more years of experience in international development with a preference for the agriculture sector; significant experience in managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. A strong understanding of the nodal agency model with experience working in the Ethiopian ATA or a similar organization. Extensive experience leading multicultural teams, developing and maintaining strong partnerships, and enabling teams to learn and improve performance. Experience working with agriculture sector partners in West Africa preferred.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Broad knowledge of agriculture and development practices with a particular focus on managing teams to develop and execute workplans
• Designing and managing agricultural projects
• Leading projects and teams in Sub-Saharan Africa where contextual sensitivity and a dynamic environment underlie success
• Ability to design and facilitate meetings with multiple stakeholders to achieve results
• Ability to understand and align diverse views
• Track record of creating successful concept notes and proposals for development partners
• Ability to identify key documents, synthesis and create summary documents
• Ability to design a learning program that can be applied to teams and departments
• Ability to create presentations of complex material for audiences that are not familiar with the subject
• Ability to converse in French on agricultural topics

Language: Fluency in English required (written and verbal); intermediate level of French (verbal and reading) required.

Closing date: 02 March 2023

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