As Co-operative Advisor you will provide expert advice, coordinate advisory trajectories with reputable cooperatives and farmer organizations, and have an advisory and broker role in the closing of business deals aimed at building well-organised and operational cooperatives and farmers’ organisations.

In order to achieve this, the successful candidate will initiate and maintain a network that will include cooperatives and farmers’ organisations, financial institutions, traders, service providers and other stakeholders in the value chain. He/she will initiate and guide change trajectories with clients, and will lobby, mediate and support negotiation processes, as well as prepare business deals. This is therefore a dream job for a real pioneer!

Duties

• Investigate opportunities to finance business plans of cooperatives, support the establishment of contacts and negotiate business agreements with banks, investors and other financiers (governments and the business sector).
• Help develop financially sustainable structures within cooperatives and farmers’ organisations to enhance their service provision and agricultural extension to their members.
• Provide cooperatives with guidance relating to change trajectories, to promote the interests of farmers, associations and cooperatives, with the authorities of the relevant developing countries.
•  Collect and systematise information about clients and advisory processes, such as financial reports and annual overviews.
• Build expertise in a specific area of interest (for example, governance, financial management, climate, youth) and/or on a specific subject or subject of current interest, with a focus on product development, in which he/she will act as the expert point of reference, both within and outside the organisation.

Profile

• A bachelor’s degree in business economics, agri-business or a similar field.
• Extensive experience of more than 7 years working with cooperatives and farmer organisations.
• Knowledge of one or more of the fields in which Agriterra achieves results, such as cooperative business development, market development, agricultural service provision, entrepreneurship, governance, and financial management.
• Extensive relevant practical knowledge and experience in a development country, preferably in the agricultural business and/or cooperative sector.
• High level of proficiency in English and Kiswahili.
• Enthusiastic, focused on results and service, and with adequate advisory or training skills.