Technical Advisor for contract farming - IHEA & YEA Project

Brief introduction of the projects:

”Innovating horticulture in Eastern Africa” (IHEA) is a project funded by Gates Foundation and implemented in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. It is formally attached to the bilateral programme “Strengthening Rural Value Chains in Ethiopia” (SRVC)with service packages for Uganda and Kenya respectively.

IHEA aims at developing and implementing inclusive Contract Farming (iCF) schemes and strengthen key horticulture sector associations in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, to address
market-level bottlenecks, and to contribute to the implementation of the Ethiopia National Horticulture Strategy (ENHS) and the CEHA National Chapters in Kenya and Uganda.”

The approach to focus on inclusive contract farming (iCF) and support to industry associations (BMO) directly targets the most binding constraints hindering the growth and inclusiveness of the horticulture sector in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

IHEA tackles both micro-level barriers (access to inputs, markets, and finance) and meso-level systemic gaps (weak industry coordination and service delivery), positioning the project to deliver durable competitiveness and inclusion outcomes across the fruit and vegetable value chains.

The Youth Employment in the Agri-Food (YEA) project in Western Kenya has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD).

The objective of YEA is to support the creation of sustainable income and employment opportunities for young people, especially women in the agricultural and food sector in Western Kenya counties of Bungoma, Kakamega, Kisumu, Siaya and Vihiga.

General Responsibilities

The Technical Advisortakes over clearly defined technical and organizational tasks in both projects, IHEA and YEA. The main focus lies within IHEA (70% of working time), while supporting implementation in specific fields within YEA (30 %).

He/She is responsible for being the lead technical advisor in IHEA. He/She contributes to the implementation design of IHEA and supervises its technical implementation. Besides, the
Technical Advisor oversees implementing iCF schemes and introduce innovative (digital) technologies into the supported value chains. In YEA, he/she supports the anchoring of project approaches with various stakeholders including the County government. A specific focus is on the implementation of the scaling roadmap for iCF.

In coordination with the team colleagues and the Project Manager, he/she ensures that all issues within the area of work are dealt with promptly and competently. The Technical
Advisor works closely with the IHEA project team in Kenya and other technical team members in Ethiopia and Uganda.

The Technical Advisor performs other tasks assigned to by the project manager, where required.

Tasks and specific responsibilities of the Technical Advisor

Under IHEA:

• Lead the planning and implementation of Group A activities, focusing on promoting inclusive business models through iCF schemes.
  

• Coordinate the selection of high-potential agribusinesses for iCF schemes,
  

• Engage industry stakeholders across the three priority value chains (avocado, irish potato and onion) and related sectors to identify and drive catalytic interventions that enhance iCF adoption and support transformation in the horticulture industry.
  

• Coordinate the implementation of the support roadmaps for the selected enterprises
  and iCF schemes

• Lead the planning and implementation of the Group B activities regarding the promotion of relevant services and technologies to be provided to farmers under the iCF schemes
  

• Coordinate the support to improve and (re-) introduce the selected technologies.
  

• Foster collaboration and synergies with colleagues under Group C activities, focusing on strengthening industry associations, while engaging public sector partners to contribute to the overall development and competitiveness of the sector.
  

• Provide strategic perspective and technical expertise on emerging issues and trends in the horticulture sector, and support initiatives aimed at strengthening regional integration, addressing systemic constraints, and promoting cross-border market opportunities.
  

• Technical advisory to the IHEA Ethiopia team for the tendering of the support to selected enterprises and iCF schemes in the three countries
  

• Coordinate and facilitate technical exchange with country implementation teams in Ethiopia and Uganda to ensure alignment, learning, and consistency in delivery.
  

• Represent GIZ within the IHEA cooperation system and in relevant events (workshops, conferences, trainings, stakeholder meetings, etc.)
  

• Support data collection exercises, prepare and deliver high-quality technical reports, ensuring accurate documentation of progress, results, and key insights.
  

• Support the financial management of the Kenya service package
  

Under YEA:

• Support the implementation of the scaling roadmap for iCF
  

• Support work area 1 in organizing meetings with the County government leadership on matters of anchoring, scaling and handing over
  

• Advise and support all work areas and the Project Manager on matters related to market-oriented value chain development
  

• Support the project management in the preparation and implementation of the appraisal of the follow-on project of YEA
  

Working Arrangements and Reporting

The Technical Advisor will report directly to the Project Manager.

Required qualifications

The holder of this position requires strong self-organizational competencies as well as interpersonal and communication skills. The person has to be able to interact with a wide
diversity of stakeholders, mainly from the private sector.

Qualifications:

• Relevant Master’s degree (agribusiness, business administration or related fields)
  

• In-depth familiarity with the private sector eco-system in Kenya,
  

• Strong familiarity with GIZ approach “inclusive contract farming” and other GIZ products
  for agriculture and private sector development in the agri-food sector

Professional experience:

• 8 years of professional working experience in agricultural value chain development
  

• 6 years of professional working experience in private sector development
  

• 3 years of professional working experience with inclusive contract farming/inclusive
  business models

• 6 years of professional working experience in international development projects in relevant fields of work, preferably with GIZ
  

• 4 years of professional working experience in Western Kenya
  

Other competencies:

• Strong negotiation skills particularly in complex settings
  

• Strong oral and written coordination and communication skills to create and sustain linkages between different stakeholders
  

• Proven experience in working with multiple and cross sectoral stakeholders (public, private, civil society and organizations, development partners) at different levels
  

• Fluency in written and spoken English and spoken Swahili are required
  

• Commands good working knowledge of ICT and computer applications (e.g. MS Office, MS Teams
  

Submission of Application:

Duty Station: Kisumu with frequent field trips to the project areas, especially for IHEA to the iCF schemes, and to Nairobi.

Duration of Assignment: Until 31.12.2026

Vacancy Reference Number: GIZ/ARD/02/04/2026

Equal Employment Opportunity

At GIZ Kenya, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We actively seek individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to build a stronger, more impactful global team.

We provide an environment of respect and psychological safety, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all. Discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, disability, marital status, or any other protected status is not tolerated in any of our workplaces.

Ethics

GIZ is committed to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals we interact with, including staff, partners, community members, and program participants. We uphold the highest standards in preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. Child abuse or any form of misconduct by or toward team members is strictly prohibited.

All staff are expected to behave professionally, respect local laws and customs, and complete mandatory ethics e-learning courses upon hire.

Data Confidentiality

In accordance with GIZ’s data protection policy, all candidate applications are stored in our database for six (6) months and deleted thereafter.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.