Project Manager in Agriculture Sector Development, focusing on Agricultural Value Chains (AVC)

MDF West Africa Limited (MDF West Africa) is a training and management consultancy firm that is registered in Ghana and commenced business on May 2009. MDF West Africa serves global and local clients in any of the West African countries and beyond. With a core staff of 28 professionals, supported by a network of 25 associated trainers/consultants, MDF WA is a multi-project organization implementing approximately 15 projects simultaneously.

MDF West Africa is a fully owned local subsidiary of MDF Training & Consultancy BV that has been building the capacity of individuals, organisations, and networks since 1984 with the mission of ‘empowering people, creating impact’. The Global MDF has offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Kenya, Ghana, D.R. Congo, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and project offices in Rwanda, Uganda and Benin. MDF offers open-subscription training courses, tailor-made training and workshops and consultancy services in multiple sectors. MDF also provides support to organisations in the design and implementation of project monitoring and evaluation and learning (MEL) processes.

Being part of the MDF Global network and being an independent Ghana-based regional management consulting and training firm, we bring the best of both worlds. We bring over 35 years of global experience in development intervention, project design and program management enriched with our locally gained expertise. We draw upon our extensive experience in implementation of both public and private sector initiatives in developing economies. MDF WA can draw upon expertise from other regions where MDF Global is operating.

Job Description

• Acquisition and implementation of projects in both private and public sector;
• Development of work plans, recruitment of experts and the management of project acquisition teams during the tender/proposal phase;
• Conduct research on upcoming opportunities and have an open eye for recent developments in the project regions;
• Development of qualified technical proposals and reports, which requires strong writing capabilities within given deadlines;
• Travelling to project destinations on demand, which might be on a short notice.

B. Execution of Assignments

• Follow upcoming opportunities from an early stage of tender development into execution. This includes the development of work plans, recruitment of experts and reporting.
• Management of our expert teams in Ghana and abroad;
• Monitoring and quality assurance and reporting of all project related activities during the implementation;
• Maintain client and partner relationships;
• Provide needed support on other assignments where other MDF colleagues are Project Managers.

Required Skills or Experience

A. Technical Competencies and Professional Experiences

• Relevant Master Degree in business administration, agricultural economics or similar;
• Min. 3 years of professional experience in (international) development;
• Technical skills, experience and passion in the areas of agriculture, agribusiness and/or economic growth are a must;
• Demonstrated experience responding to development partners procurement procedures (EU PRAG regulations, AfDB, World bank, IFAD) are an advantage;
• You are open to implement innovations, especially in ICT adaption and Green and/or Circular Economy;
• Fluent English is required and solid writing and communication skills in r French would be a strong asset;
• You are able to work independently and as part of a team.

Personal/Social

• Service- and client- oriented;
• Independent worker, pro-active/take initiative, business-driven, professional attitude;
• Team player, flexible, goes the extra mile, not a 9 to 5 mentality;
• Strong communication skills (both verbal and written) on regional and international level via email, phone and face-to-face i.e. respectful, business-oriented, broad vocabulary, understanding culture and customs;
• Practise transparency in dealing with colleagues and clients;
• Can deal with productivity and turnover targets;
• Committed to continuous learning and self-improvement;
• Interest in management for development.