Introduction
Rikolto is an international network organisation with over 40 years of experience in partnering with food chain stakeholders in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. We build bridges of trust and trade between the food industry, governments, research institutions, financial institutions, and farmers’ organisations around one central question: ‘What will we eat tomorrow?’
Rikolto in East Africa has secured funding from the European Union to implement part of a four-year project called AfriFOODlinks, implemented by 35 partners and led by ICLEI Africa which aims to improve food and nutrition security, while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building social and ecological resilience in 65+ cities, focusing on 5 African hub cities.
The project will:
- Apply an urban food systems lens to promote shifts to healthy, sustainable diets
- Transform urban food environments through real-world socio-technical experiments.
- Promote inclusive multi-actor governance to empower public officials, small businesses and communities with ownership and agency to shape their food systems; and
- Accelerate innovative, women- and youth-led agri-food businesses to support local value addition and inclusive economic participation.
AfriFOODlinks invests in direct food system change in 5 African Hub Cities which include Mbale city in Uganda and invites 10 African and 5 European Sharing Cities to join the Hub Cities on a mutual-learning journey and to codesign specific pilot projects for implementation in each sharing City.
Rikolto is both co-leading the project’s Work Package (WP) 3 with Shona and is responsible for coordinating partners and subcontractors in Mbale City. Key partners in Mbale include SHONA, Food Rights Alliance, and Mbale City Council. WP3 is one of 7 work packages implemented across the 5 hub cities and focuses on promoting inclusive and circular agribusiness & innovation.
The AfriFOODlinks Mbale and WP3 Coordinator is responsible for the delivery of a program of activities and partner engagement within Mbale city, as well as guiding partners in the five other hubs for the implementation of WP3. The coordinator will be responsible for the design and delivery of activities in Mbale, working with the WP leads and partners also drawing on best practices from other consortia members across Africa. The coordinator is part of the East Africa Good Food For Cities (GF4C) team and will work closely with Rikolto’s East Africa Good Food for Cities programme Director (based in Arusha) and Uganda’s programme coordinator (based in Mbale).
Work package 3 activities include:
- Assessing the barriers to the development of profitable and sustainable small scale and informal agri-food businesses in hub cities and identifying entry points to strengthen the small-scale circular entrepreneurial ecosystem in hub cities
- Incubating innovative women- and youth-led businesses that contribute to the transition to sustainable urban food systems in the 5 hub cities with a specific focus on businesses with a circular business model at their core
- Co-creating accessible financial models targeted at micro (informal), start-up, and scale-up food businesses
- Coaching food companies on circularity and inclusive business
- Documenting business and investment cases along key food value chains contributing to nutrition and circularity.
- Facilitating technical and knowledge exchanges between agri-food MSMEs.
This position requires interest and expertise in sustainable entrepreneurship, urban food systems, multi-stakeholder facilitation, inclusive & circular business, food governance, as well as other issues such as climate change, urban planning, and supply chain management. The coordinator will play an important role in creating suitable conditions for local governments to engage with the private sector, civil society and academia in planning and delivering sustainable and resilient food systems.
Responsibilities
- Networking: Establish and maintain good relationships with stakeholders in Uganda (civil society, government, private sector, development partners and media) and with members of the AfriFOODLinks consortium.
- Partner and subcontractor engagement and management: Identify, select and supervise partner(s) and consultants as required in close collaboration with the national AfriFOODLinks team; Ensure timely and high-quality deliverables and reporting of partners contracted by Rikolto.
- Coordination: co-lead the design and implementation of Work Package 3 activities (inclusive and circular food businesses), together with Shona, representing WP3 leadership in the project’s governance structure and follow-up on action points.
- Research and Learning: coordinate research(ers), facilitate the gathering and use of data, adequate monitoring and drawing lessons and continuously improve in-country program to highest possible level of impact; Actively engage in program-wide learning activities.
- Innovation: Ensure the program is constantly innovating, e.g. through building unusual partnerships and cooperation between urban youth and local communities; or supporting innovative business ideas to support the transition to sustainable food systems.
- Program & budget management and compliance: Regularly review & track the project progress against approved milestones and budget (in collaboration with relevant staff), and recommend corrective actions, flag issues and suggest mitigation measures as required; adhere to Rikolto and donors’s procedures
- Reporting: Gather technical and financial reports submitted by partners/consultants, assess them, and consolidate and write quality reports to donors, Rikolto and other stakeholders.
- Knowledge management and communication: Support the development of knowledge products and communication materials in relation to the project.
- Other: Support fundraising efforts for the East Africa region; Represent Rikolto – programmatically and operationally – vis-à-vis various stakeholders; serve as a key member of the East Africa GF4Cs team and provide support to the Mbale set-up and operations as required.
Education and experience
- Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field, such as entrepreneurship, business development, development studies, (urban) food systems, agriculture, urban planning, or another relevant field.
- Experience leading (youth-focused) business incubation activities.
- Minimum five years of relevant working experience preferably in (food related) advocacy and influencing strategies.
- Minimum five years of project management experience, including project design & implementation, donor compliance, budget management and increasing ownership of stakeholders
- Experience in managing EU funded programmes and projects is an asset.
- Good experience and understanding of the multi-stakeholder approach.
- Experience overseeing projects to ensure the effective design, implementation and increase ownership of ownership by beneficiaries.
- Experience overseeing and using monitoring and evaluation plans and indicators
- Experience working in or with East African cities, or similar contexts
Skills and knowledge
- Excellent networking, relationship building and negotiation skills.
- Good understanding of urban food and agriculture issues – including the food system approach and food governance issues, youth engagement in food system, gender issues etc.
- High level of verbal and written fluency in English.
Driver license for manual car is an asset
Attitude
Is able to work autonomously with minimum supervision
- Has a positive attitude and focuses on win-win situations
- Acts with integrity and respects others
- Constructively challenges self and others
- Can be relied on to deliver commitments (accountable) by the agreed deadline
- Is accurate and has an eye for detail
- Has a creative and inspiring personality
- Inspires people to act in accordance with the vision/plan of Rikolto East Africa
- Is willing to learn and share lessons learned
- Can be trusted with confidential information
- Is willing to cooperate with various actors and communicate clearly in a variety of settings and styles
- Uncompromisingly adheres to Rikolto's ethical values
What we offer
We offer a stimulating work environment in a professional international organization with a very dedicated staff. We offer a one-year national contract based on Rikolto’s local labor conditions, with remuneration commensurate with the experience and expertise. Contract renewable depending on performance.
Reports to: East Africa Programme Director - Good Food for Cities
Geographic scope: Country Regional Level
Duty Station: Mbale, Uganda
How to apply? Interested candidates can submit their CV and application letter to eastafrica.recruitment [at] rikolto.org by 10th October 2023, 23:59 pm. Rikolto is an equal opportunity employer “women are encouraged to apply”. The heading should be, Inclusive and Circular Entrepreneurship and Mable Coordinator - Uganda. Only Successful candidates will be informed about the interview which will take place in the last week of October 2023.