Duty station:

Ruvuma – Tunduru

Background:

SWISSAID is a non-government organization headquartered in Switzerland with operations in nine countries. It operates in Tanzania since 1972 with a focus on small scale farming, gender equality and extractives. Swissaid Tanzania is implementing project in Ruvuma whereby the office will be based in Tunduru.  The project officer will also provide technical support to small scale farmers on ecological organic agriculture.

The following are activities:

• Establishment and co-creation of community agroecological demonstration plots, training on conservation-friendly techniques to reduce Human Wildlife conflict (HWC) and improve land-use efficiency e.g. land preparation, bio-fertilizers, soil/water management, pest/disease; control, pre-harvest/harvest/post-harvest practices;
• Training on agricultural techniques including crop diversification and promotion of HWC resilient crops e.g. sesame or sunflower crops are less palatable to elephant.
• Replication through trained facilitators; supporting, beekeeping initiatives etc.
• Strengthened value addition and market linkages
• Organize farmers into groups and enhance institutional capacities.

Areas of intervention on small scale farming: 

• Increasing smallholder farmers’ productivity and production through diversified agro-ecological farming.
• Improving smallholder farmers’ capacity to generate net income through productive agro-ecological value chains.
• Strengthening smallholder farmers’ organizations to enhance sustainability and accountability.

Regions of operation:

• Field operations are mainly taking place in the regions of Ruvuma (Tunduru and Namtumbo) and will provide technical support to farmers from Mozambique (Sanga).
• The intended project officer will be responsible for selected villages in the named districts.

Job purpose:

Some of the key duties and responsibilities:

• Take a leading role in the coordination and implementation of activities related to agro-ecological farming, in particular, but not limited to, the implementation of project
• As part of this project, coordinate the implementation of a training plan across selected EOA farming communities.
• Organize and conduct training sessions and contribute to the production of training material.
• Provide technical backstopping on agro-ecology and conduct regular field visits to farmer groups, including in remote areas.
• Promote and use new technologies, in particular dedicated smartphone applications.
• Foster good coordination and synergies with other elements of the EOA imitative in the country.

Qualifications and experience:

• Hold a first university degree in the area of agriculture, preferably in agronomy/horticulture, with a minimum of three  years working experience.
• Hold a certificate or diploma and/or a significant experience in the area of ecological agriculture / agro-ecology.
• Demonstrated experience with project management and leadership, with capacity to effectively manage multi-years projects and lead a team of up to 5 people.
• Interest and experience with grassroots communities in the agriculture sector.
• Practical experience and interest in working with multiple partners including the government, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector.
• A commitment to equal opportunities and promotion of gender equity.
• High level analytical and report writing skills in English.
• Fluent in English and Swahili.
• Must be computer literate.
• Ability to work independently, multitasking and under pressure.
• Be focused on results, with strong work ethic and self-motivation.
• Be a team player.

Project Officer Agroecology Vacancy at SWISSAID – Ruvuma Office

Mode of application:

Candidates should submit a letter of intent describing how they qualify for this position, a CV, two referees including contact phone numbers and email address at their earliest convenience.  

Deadline: 29th June 2023

Applicants MUST indicate expected gross salary in Tanzania shillings

Send application to: [email protected]

Qualified women candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.