Agricultural Risk Management Specialist, TogetHER project at SOCODEVI

SOCODEVI contributes to improving the living conditions of communities by supporting the creation and strengthening of sustainable and inclusive cooperative or mutual companies.

Job Description

• Project management/Full time
• Experience Level: Senior Level
• Experience Length: 5 years
• Location: Kumasi

Project Description
The TogetHER Project aims to empower women and young adults (18-30 years old) in rural cocoa-producing communities in the Ashanti and Western North regions of Ghana. Training and support will encourage collective savings, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion, while contributing to the sustainable resilience of the cocoa sector and the equal distribution of economic benefits and opportunities. This project aims to reduce gender gaps in the cocoa sector and encouraging resource flows at the community level, so that cocoa cooperatives can become more inclusive, foster women and youth equal and effective participation and truly sustain their empowerment. Through this project, SOCODEVI is leading the way in transforming existing cooperatives to be amore inclusive and resilient in collaboration with all levels of government of Ghana.

Job Summary
Reporting to the Project Director and working closely with the Principal Coordinator & Finance Specialist and the ARM team in SOCODEVI Head Office, the Agricultural Risk Management Specialist manages risk for producers by identifying, analyzing and advising regarding decisions on various risks to which cooperatives/organizations and individual farmers are exposed (production, financial, market, human and institutional risks).

The successful candidate will work in partnership with Ghana Cocoa Board, the Department of Cooperatives, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources/Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to provide technical assistance to cooperatives to achieving the project targets which include but are not limited to;

• Analyze agricultural data and government agency reports to conduct risk assessments for clients to improve the resilience of agricultural households in the cocoa communities;
• Look at the impact that climate, pests, disease, ecological conditions and other factors could have on crop production and develop risk management strategies to mitigate these risks;
• Find strategies to reduce financial and market risks within different value chains associated with cocoa agroforestry systems. Use software to create models to look at hedge effectiveness, trends and price sensitivities for different scenarios;
• Develop, monitor, and communicate risk management strategies for cooperatives, farmers and project partners;
• Develop weather forecasts and financial forecasts for farmers to aid in decision making;
• Provide hedging strategy recommendations with varying risk tolerances;
• Monitor commodity prices and potential threats to prices.

Required Skills or Experience

• A Master’s degree in agronomy, agricultural business, accounting, finance, or related field is a base requirement.  A master’s degree in business administration, risk management or related field may be preferred;
• A minimum of 4 to 5 years’ experience and/or familiarity with environmental management systems, agricultural data management, farmers’ training, agroforestry practices and GIS and other data management tools and systems would be an asset. Experience in the cocoa sector is an added advantage;
• Ability to communicate complex information in understandable and relevant terms adapted for different stakeholders, especially farmers, women, youth, small communities and cooperatives;
• Proven project coordination skills with ability to effectively manage and prioritize a diverse workload within a team;
• Demonstrated experience in adult training (andragogy) and participatory methodologies in rural contexts;
• Experience in gender mainstreaming and/or knowledge of gender equality would be an asset;
• An excellent command of English is essential. This position carries considerable responsibility and autonomy and requires good organizational capacity, good interpersonal and networking skills and a willingness to work as part of a team;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially email communications;
• Advanced computer skills (Windows, MS Office, SharePoint).