Nigeria Country Representative

CNFA - Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture

Ilorin, Nigeria

Program Description:

CNFA is currently seeking applications from qualified candidates for a Country Representative position to support the USDA West Africa PRO-Cashew Project (PRO-Cashew) in Ilorin, Nigeria. CNFA has been implementing the PRO-Cashew project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the past five years. The PRO-Cashew project has been extended for a further 2.5 years until March 2027. The PRO-Cashew project will help boost the competitiveness of West African producers by improving the efficiency and quality of production and trade, and by developing more coherent regional trade and investment policies. In doing so, the project will build producer capacity and develop incentives to renovate and rehabilitate cashew farms, improve production and quality, and create a more competitive West African raw cashew for the international market.

General Responsibilities:

The Nigeria Country Representative will oversee the rollout and delivery of country interventions, lead technical activities as well as aspects of project procurement, finance and administration to ensure seamless and efficient project implementation. The Country Representative will be responsible for: leading all project activities in Nigeria; developing technical program materials and deliverables, leading the monitoring and evaluation of program activities; developing strategic relationships with implementing partners and other stakeholders; and other technical contributions, representing CNFA in an official capacity in Nigeria, and other tasks deemed necessary or essential for the project’s success.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Support the Chief of Party (COP) with the technical implementation of the project to enable effective delivery of activities towards meeting project deliverables.
Participate in the project leadership team and contribute to strategic planning and innovative solutions.
Provide technical advice on cashew production, cashew nursery development and multiplication and distribution strategies.
Compile, analyze, and report data on cashew production, nursery development and seedling production.
Design training manuals on cashew production and Good Agriculture Practices.
Assure donor-compliance in all areas of project implementation in Nigeria.
Work in cohesion with Project’s Chief of Party and Regional technical team in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire to achieve all Project objectives in Nigeria.
Coordinate with key stakeholders in the cashew sector and the government to improve cashew production and quality.
In collaboration with the COP and Accounting and Administrative Specialist, support budget tracking, contract modifications, and administrative follow-ups.
Plan, organize, and participate in project workshops and stakeholder events.
Perform a variety of other related duties as required.

Qualifications:

Masters’ Degree in a relevant field (statistics, social sciences, Business, agricultural economics, international Development) required; a master’s degree is strongly preferred.
A minimum of 5 years of experience backstopping complex international economic development programs is required.
Experience managing USAID/USDA contracts of sizeable value is a requirement.
Experience managing USAID/USDA compliance issues specific to contracts is required.
Demonstrated experience leading grants-under-contract programs and in working with programs to build local partner capacity required.
Demonstrated expertise in project budget development and management, including experience conducting operational and financial audits of sub-recipients.
Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills, and clear, concise written communication skills required.
Demonstrated knowledge of the Nigerian Cashew Sector.
Demonstrated Managerial skills leading teams and sub-departments; finance and accounting, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Proven track record in the evaluation and assessment of agricultural development projects and Ease of Doing Business indicators.
Complete technical familiarity with USDA evaluation methods and standards is required.
Outstanding organization skills with a high level of attention to detail.
Ability to maintain composure and flexibility under tight deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to prioritize effectively and manage multiple competing priorities.
Ability to engage with organizations and individuals from various cross-cultural contexts; and
Highly skilled in coordination and project management.
Proficiency with MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, etc.) required. Knowledge of electronic data collection systems (KoboCollect, ODK Collect, etc.)