International Employment Opportunities
| Position: |
Project Officer |
| Date Posted: |
05/14/2008
|
Location:
|
Dakar, Senegal |
Duration:
|
4 months with possible extension. Immediate Hire |
Under the West Africa Trade Hub phase 2 (www.watradehub.com), CARANA Corporation is supporting the implementation of the President's Africa Growth and Competitive Initiative (AGCI) under Result 4: Enterprise Development in order to increase the capacity of businesses to engage more effectively and efficiently in trade and investment activities. The Trade and Investment program area that includes the AGCI component activity of Enterprise Development will focus on attracting buyers and catalytic investors for target sectors of the West African economy and facilitate linkages between them and local suppliers and exporters. The Enterprise Development team will provide technical assistance and training and other supporting activities to West African clusters of firms in order to promote the success of these marketing relationships, business partnerships or strategic alliances in order to strengthen the value chains or supply chains for key exportable products in West Africa.
CARANA anticipates achieving the following results under the Trade and Investment program especially through the Enterprise Development component during the four-year live of project amounting to:
- US $50 million in annual exports
- US $50 million in increased investment
- Five clusters involving 50 firms and 250 upstream small suppliers effectively integrated into global and regional supply chains
- 15,000 new jobs directly attributable to project activities
- Five associations and cluster action groups delivering services to sector participants
The Enterprise Development team that is based in Dakar, Senegal plays a central role in achieving these Trade & Investment Capacity results, especially in the fish and seafood sector and in specialty foods. The Dakar-based team works closely with the Trade & Investment Capacity team based in the Trade Hub 2 office in Accra, Ghana and with the U.S.-based market linkages team in CARANA Corporations' office in Arlington, VA.
Responsibilities:
- Assist the Fish and Seafood Specialist based in Dakar in evaluating the impact of our technical assistance and training on exports
- Make and maintain contact with specialty food companies in the region, including but not limited to Senegal, and deliver technical assistance and training or program short-term technical assistance and raining to enable these companies to enter export markets successfully
- Assist with Dakar Trade Hub involvement with key associations in the fish and seafood and specialty food sectors, including but not limited to WASSDA
- Assist in the organization of producer and/or exporter participation in trade shows for the fish and sea food and specialty foods sectors, including training and technical assistance before the show in presentation of company marketing materials, support during the exhibition and follow-up training and technical assistance after trade shows to ensure successful marketing and enterprise development results
- Assist in the organization of buyer and investor tours of West African fish and seafood facilities and specialty foods facilities
- Coordinate technical assistance to West African producers and/or exporters so that they meet U.S. and other international quality standards and regulatory requirements, including but not limited to HACCP, GMP, marketing, packaging, marking, certification, and so forth
- Provide AGOA information services, in conjunction with the AGOA Resource Centers, to private and public sector partners in Senegal and in neighboring West African countries on an "as needed" basis
- Lead the preparation of a weekly report to USAID-West Africa and to the Chief of Party on project progress towards achieving the key target results mentioned above, especially for the fish and seafood and specialty foods activities under your direct supervision
- Lead Dakar office reporting that will go directly into the project Quarterly Reports for USAID-West Africa, including reporting on the direct results mentioned above
- Manage the Trade Hub finances for all Dakar-based operations
- Manage the Trade Hub administrative staff and any consultants based in Dakar or that travel through Dakar on short-term assignments
Minimum Qualifications:
- Be a fully proficient speaker in both the English and the French languages and able to write intelligently and clearly in both languages
- Have a minimum of 3 years experience working in West Africa, preferably in a private sector company or for a donor-funded project
- Have a minimum of 2 years experience in managing a small business type operation or office, including experience in managing budgets, travel, scheduling and implementing workshops and overseeing the technical and administrative work of professional staff to achieve results
- Have a minimum of a B.Sc. or B.A. degree in business, management, marketing, although an M.Sc. or M.A. degree in an appropriate and relevant field is preferred
- Experience with the specialty foods sector (e.g. jams, jellies, preserves, spices, etc.) is highly desired but not required
- Ability and willingness to travel throughout the West Africa region
- Able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines while maintaining sound team morale
- Experience working with or for USAID or similar donor-funded projects is also highly desired
Working Relationships: The Project Officer for Enterprise Development based in Dakar will report directly to the Chief of Party for the Trade Hub 2 project who is based in Accra, Ghana. He/she will provide managerial support to the local Fish & Seafood Technical Advisor who is based in Dakar, Senegal, as well as supervise the work of any part of full-time administrative staff and any short-term consultants working on the West Africa Trade Hub 2 project in or through an assignment based out of the Dakar office. The activities of the Dakar office will also be coordinated with the Trade and Investment Enterprise Development team that is based in Accra, Ghana.
Timeline: The initial term of this assignment is May 15, 2008 through September 30, 2008. Extension, contingent upon funding, is anticipated through September 30, 2011.
Application Instructions:
Qualified candidates should submit CV via email to consultant-wath@carana.com, please indicate "WATH Project Officer" in subject line. Only finalists will be contacted, no phone calls please.
CARANA is an EOE.
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