Job Vacancies at WARC Group (Ghana) – 2 Positions

Warc Group is recruiting to fill the following positions:

1.) SDU Manager
2.) Chief of Party

 

About Warc

We work to get farmers out of poverty. That’s our dream. We want to see Africa feeding the world in our lifetimes and its farmers to become the guardians of one of humanity’s most precious resources: the soils. We design and sell regenerative farming inputs as a service. With this, farmers are able to exponentially grow their incomes, improve their quality of life and develop a stronger tie to their lands. We worked with a thousand farmers and generated a very solid proof of concept. Now we aim high - we want one million farmers adopting our services within a decade.

Warc has humble beginnings. We did not learn how to run a business from a book; we have real, tangible experience. Warc’s revenue has grown 50x over the last 4 years and our goal is to triple it within the next 18 months. We began with a $30,000 investment from our founders and rapidly scaled up to raising over $5,000,000 in equity, debt and grants from angel, government and institutional investors.

Warc’s headquarters are in Sierra Leone, but we’ve rapidly established ourselves in Ghana. We are a dynamic team of 150 employees from 16 different countries, all dreamers, all doers. We’re now more than 30 in Ghana managing 2 farms in Bono East Region and in Savannah Region. We operate across West Africa, with established agricultural production and consulting operations in Sierra Leone and Ghana. In the next decade, we ambition to be present across West Africa. Help us do it!

 

See job details and how to apply below.

 

1.) SDU Manager

 

About the Job

Great candidates want to make an impact, and they don’t shy away from challenges! Our Service Delivery Unit (SDU) Program – the heart of the Warc business model – needs you to lead our expansion into the Upper West Region; build the program structure and farmer network and play a key role in shaping the future of the program in this high potential growth around the region. This role is specifically for an SDU Manager to be based in our project location in Wa, in the Upper West Region. You will work directly with our Chief of Party and have support from our Head of Projects and technical farm management team. You would lead a team of network coordinators and private extension officers. You’ll get to spend your days between the office, fields and its neighbouring communities.

The project will utilize a consortium of international and national private businesses and non-governmental organizations to engage 20,000 smallholder farmers in the Upper West region, with the goal of enhancing farming production through modern agricultural practices.

The main responsibilities of the SDU Manager include:

i) Leading the on-field activities of our Service Delivery Unit (SDU) Program in the Upper West Region of Ghana, which provides a service of regenerative agriculture to smallholder farmers in Akokua and its surroundings;

ii) Supporting the design and rolling out the customer acquisition strategy to grow our farmer network over the next years and expand to new areas;

iii) Work closely with the Chief of Party and Head of Projects to design scale mechanisms and replication models;

iv) Building and managing a growing network of SDU clients;

v) Leading our team of network coordinators and farmer connectors, including hiring new staff and preparing them to become the role leaders of the next years;

vi) Establish good relationships with community leaders and farmers; ensuring that the commitments between Warc and the SDU clients are upheld;

vii) Following Warc’s extension methodology and adapt it to farmers with different years of experience;

viii) Design and implement SDU client’s training plan, including planning weekly meetings with farmers, creating content and training farmer connectors to deliver the content to farmers;

ix) Support the design of services offered to SDU clients and loan repayment mechanisms;

x) Report Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other project targets/reporting on a weekly basis, and write technical and administrative reports about developed activities;

xi) Support data collection for monitoring and impact measurement activities;

xii) Proposing, creating and evaluating the yearly budget, adjusting it to political or economic fluctuations.

About you

Warc is excited to have a driven, talented, and hardworking person join our team. We can teach many of the technical skills, but it is very important for the person to have a strong interest in technology, agriculture, and rural development in order to succeed in this role. A suitable candidate will have the following characteristics:

• Willingness to work in a start-up environment – The ability to see what problem needs to be solved, and being the one to make it happen

• Belief in business approaches to development (essential!)

• Good interpersonal communication skills

• Demonstrated leadership skills

• Team player

• Speaks fluent English

• Flexibility and ability to work without constant supervision - The drive, confidence, and creativity to get the job done

• Experience or interest in working in a highly cross-cultural environment

• Ability to live in remote areas and drive a motorcycle (or happy to learn)

Applications are being accepted until 15th April or until a suitable candidate is found. Please send a cover letter and CV to:

hr.recruitment@warcgroup.com

Expected start date is immediate (April 2021).

 

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2.) Chief of Party

 

About the Job

Warc is currently recruiting a Chief of Party for an anticipated project, focused on modernizing agricultural systems in the Upper West region of Ghana. The project duration will be 3 years and the position will be located in Wa in the Upper West region of Ghana with frequent travel to Accra.

The project will utilize a consortium of international and national private businesses and non-governmental organizations to engage 20,000 smallholder farmers in the Upper West region, with the goal of enhancing farming production through modern agricultural practices. Based on Warc’s business model (Service Delivery Units) and previous success in the region, the foundation of the approach will be the adoption of a modern regenerative agricultural system based on a maize-soybean rotation, improving yields and profits through the introduction of improved farming inputs and practices. Additionally, the project will tap into its existing network of partners in Ghana to

improve farming systems in the Upper West region through modernization of markets

and technology.

Role and Responsibilities

Candidates for this position should be senior-level professionals with a proven track record of successfully implementing and managing agriculture value chain projects in developing countries, and have the desire to make an impact. The Chief of Party will be responsible for the overall direction, oversight, and technical and administrative leadership management of the entire project.

S/he will be working with various stakeholders from the private sector to government officials, ensuring an integrated and coherent approach between different program components and serve as the primary liaison between Warc and stakeholders. S/he will be responsible for the smooth implementation of the project, meeting the agreed objectives, overseeing the budget, recruiting and training the project team, responding to unexpected challenges and suggesting appropriate program adjustments if needed, and ensuring the submission of program and financial reporting, and the monitoring and evaluation requirements.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, business, economics, agriculture or related field of study or equivalent work experience
• At least 8 years of work experience with at least 5 years in the development sector
• Management experience, including recruitment and direct supervision of project staff in international development programs
• Demonstrated ability to lead successfully lead and manage complex projects
• Demonstrated relevant technical experience and political acumen in agriculture, value chain development or private sector development
• Knowledge of USAID programming and regulations
• High level of leadership, project management and oral/written communication skills
• Experience in similar development contexts as West Africa/Ghana or familiarity with the region is a plus
• Good understanding and commitment to addressing gender equality
• Fluency in English
• Passionate about market-led/business approaches to development (essential!)

Please send a cover letter and CV to:

hr.recruitment@warcgroup.com.

Expected start date to be in April 2021.

 

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