Agribusiness Marketing, Distribution & Sales Expert Volunteer (B) Opportunity at IESC Tanzania | October, 2018

AJIRALEO

Agribusiness Marketing, Distribution & Sales Expert Volunteer (B)

Location of Assignment: Tanzania (various regions)
Proposed Level of Effort: 6 weeks
Anticipated Start Date: January 2019
The Tanzania Enabling Growth through Investment and Enterprise Program (ENGINE) is a four-year, USAID-funded Feed the Future activity awarded through the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), that aims to streamline and enhance many of the regulatory, informational and financial channels that encourage domestic and foreign investment in the southern mainland agricultural regions of Mbeya, Morogoro, and Iringa, and in Zanzibar.
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ENGINE works at the district level, using a broad-based approach to engage with district Local Government Authorities (LGAs), private sector associations, business development service providers, financial institutions and small and medium enterprises. The program’s activities are divided into three main components:

1. Implement policies for growth. Build the capacity of the private sector to effectively dialogue with the government to set the policy agenda and improve the capacity of the public sector to implement policies.
2. Equip businesses for growth. Strengthen SME capacity and foster the growth and capacity of a sustainable market for business development services (BDS) in Tanzania.
3. Access to finance for growth. Broaden access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially women and youth entrepreneurs and those working within agricultural value chains, to facilitate increased investment and growth.

Problem Statement: 
The ENGINE Program is currently working with 4 Lead Agribusiness Firms by providing Technical Assistance (TA) and Training to both the firms and key members of their supply and distribution chains.  The focus of this assignment is Silverlands Tanzania Limited (STL), one of Tanzania’s leading poultry companies.  STL has 2 primary businesses that complement each other – one is the raising and sale of day old chicks (DOCs) and the other is a chicken feed mill/manufacturing company.  Both end products are sold via distribution centers to primarily agro-dealers, although some larger farms purchase directly from the distribution center.  Silverland’s growth strategy, which includes increasing turnover and profit as well as making a positive difference to the lives of thousands of smallholder farmers, is to increase their parenting and hatching capacity as well as expand their distribution channel to better penetrate existing and new markets.  Whilst ENGINE has an array of planned interventions with STL, the focus on this assignment is on expanding STL’s distribution network of agro-dealers. 

Objectives of Assignment:
The main objective of this assignment is to develop and deliver a sales and marketing training program for STL’s field sales and extension workers.  While functioning, they do not currently have sufficient product knowledge or technical sales training to professionally represent STL or be fully responsive to customers’ needs and expectations.  The ENGINE advisor/consultant will work closely with STL in developing a SOW for a 2-3 day training (1/2 day each) that will be a blend of product knowledge provided by STL and customer-driven marketing and sales tools and techniques delivered by the volunteer expert and one or more BDSPs.  The SOW should also include 1 or 2 trainings as a pilot test and a TOT component for the expert to empower one or more local BDSPs to deliver the training going forward.  The objective will be for the BDSP to co-train with the expert during the pilots and then be fully capable of providing this type of customer service, technical sales training to the rest of STL and other clients on a fee for service basis.  Herein the BDSP would have access to ENGINE’s e-coupon scheme to subsidize the cost for client/recipients of the training.  The CEO of STL has assured us that the appropriate counterpart staff from his management team will be made available to work with the volunteer expert. 

Qualifications:
-Commitment to MEDA values of creating business solutions to poverty
-Flexible, independent, self-directed, and motivated
-5+ years of experience working with consultancy firms, especially those that provide services small and medium size agribusiness.
-Knowledge and experience in providing consultancy services to SMEs in developing countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa is strongly preferred.
-Experience in developing instructional manuals, training materials and other types of SME guidelines for SME agribusiness is highly preferred.
-A proven track record in training, coaching or mentoring BDSPs and SMEs.
-Experience in Training of Trainers (TOT) in certified consultant programs is highly desired;
-Experience in stakeholder engagement, consultation, and facilitation.
-Suitability/medical clearance for traveling and working in an international, developing cross-cultural environment
-Bachelor degree in business, related field or comparable senior level experience
-Previous international travel experience in a developing country is an asset
-Ability to speak the local language is an asset

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