American NGO Recruiting in Ghana

A is a Washington, DC-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to stimulating sustainable growth in the agricultural sector of developing and emerging economies. The NGO has fostered international agricultural development since 1985, and currently has active programs in 23 countries.

Program Summary: The purpose of the Ghana Feed the Future Agricultural Technology Transfer (ATT) Project is to increase the availability of appropriate and affordable technologies to sustainably improve short and long-term agricultural productivity in maize, rice, and soya for women and men smallholders in northern Ghana. The project is composed of three components (seeds, soil fertility, and capacity for agricultural research) and will operate primarily by improving the capacity of both the public and private sector in their respective roles in technology development and dissemination. The Project is closely integrated with other Ghana Feed the Future (FtF), Government of Ghana’s (GOG) Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP), and development partner projects and is the main effort of the Ghana FTF strategy to address issues within the seed and soil fertility sectors.

Position Summaries: The NGO is currently recruiting personnel for four key positions on the ATT Project. The NGO seeks qualified candidates for a Chief Of Party (COP), Seed Expert, Soil Expert, and Agricultural Research Capacity Building Specialist:

Chief Of Party: The COP will lead staff in building capacity of relevant institutions in the seed and fertilizer sector. This will include working with government and seed companies to encourage linkages to established African seed companies and strengthening relevant associations (of seed companies, agro-dealers, and agro chemical dealers). The COP will also support research on soil fertility, soil nutrient management and conservation agriculture. The NGO seeks a potential COP with experience working on seed and fertility projects and a demonstrated ability to lead large projects. Potential candidates should have extensive experience working in Ghana or Western Africa. The COP should also be prepared to oversee budgets, fund disbursal and financial records to ensure that project expenditures are in compliance with all USAID policies and regulations.

Seed Expert: The Seed Expert will help strengthen the capacity to forecast future seed variety demand and improve the production and volumes of foundation seed to meet seed variety demand. In addition, the Seed Expert will support an information system that provides varieties, quantities, prices and locations of seeds. The Seed Expert will work closely with the newly created National Biosafety Authority and National Biosafety Committee to build the capacity of the Authority’s members in field trial evaluation, environmental risk and food safety assessment, biosafety communications and media engagement. Potential candidates should have a strong technical background of seed production in addition to capacity building and market linkages experience. The Seed Expert will need to be able to work closely with a variety of stakeholders including Ghanian seed companies, The Government of Ghana, agrodealers and agricultural researchers.

Soil Expert: The Soil Expert will support research on integrated soil fertility management and conservation agriculture techniques to enhance farmers’ ability to better use water resources, to address risks due to climate change, and improve soil fertility for more sustainable and cost effective yield increases. In addition, the soil expert will work with fertilizer sector associations to strengthen their business skills, and to work towards industry self-regulation for improved product quality control in the distribution system. The soil fertility component will also address finance as a constraint in the supply chain for chemical fertilizer by facilitating linkages to sources of finance for firms and agro dealers. The Soil Expert will need to apply their technical expertise to lead research efforts in addition to developing an information system that will provide quantities, method of application, types, prices and locations of fertilizer.

Agriculture Research Capacity Building Specialist: The Agriculture Research Capacity Building Specialist will build the capacity of the Savannah Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) and will support PhD and Masters Candidates to increase the number of Ghanaian seed breeders and soil scientists. A key component of this role will be providing direct funding to SARI for research equipment and facilities, in conjunction with a Grants Program to the University of Ghana, Legon for PhD and MSc candidates. This will be complemented by training in institutional management to improve SARI’s internal systems. Potential candidates for this position should have a strong research, capacity building, and grants administration background. The Agriculture Research Capacity Building Specialist will be working closely with SARI and should have experience in improving research institutions structural and management capacity.

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