STEWARDSHIP MANAGER 348 views0 applications

About African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is an international not-for-profit organisation that facilitates and promotes public/private partnerships to promote food security and enhance livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The foundation is driven by the vision of prosperous and food secure Africa, where the livelihoods of smallholder farmers are transformed through innovative and practical agricultural technologies capable of addressing their farm productivity constraints and delivering results.

Founded in 2003, AATF works with African governments, private and public technology owners and developers, NGOs, seed companies and African farmers to identify and access technologies that address farmers’ key problems and empower them through availability of a choice of agricultural innovations that generate wealth and health for their families and communities. You can find further details on AATF from their website: https://www.aatf-africa.org/.

Stewardship Manager Role Profile

Under the direct supervision of the Director, Programme Development and Commercialisation, the Stewardship Manager is responsible for formulation and implementation of post permit biosafety compliance and advising management on the genetics, breeding, and seed systems components of projects and their impact on delivery of products emanating and general stewardships issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

· To develop and drive the implementation of Quality Management Systems for conventional and transgenic crops

· To design appropriate product stewardship strategies and plans to guide deployment of AATF products to farmers in target countries

· To ensure timely engagement of, foster transparency and best practices among, and provide stewardship support for partners’ institutions in target countries

· To conduct product stewardship visits and audits with project partners and compile reports for circulation among project teams

· To ensure that AATF projects meet the audit criteria and methods that conform to Excellence Through Stewardship’s (ETS) Objectives, Principles and Management Practices

· To track stewardship targets against work plans, manage information and data related to product stewardship and consistently seek to increase technical knowledge about stewardship through interaction with the AATF technical team

· To actively investigate new stewardship approaches, technologies and processes that will enhance the efficiency of product deployment

· To develop, revise, implement and maintain standard operating procedures for stewardship including product traceability, resistance management, incident-response, plant product integrity, product discontinuation and product withdrawal

· To develop product user-guidelines and other documentation, and build capacity of stakeholders for optimal utilisation of the products from AATF projects

· To provide information on all principles for the responsible handling of products, combined with specific instructions for use for partners and target beneficiaries of products

· To provide communication, training, and data analysis support for product stewardship

· To work in multi-functional teams to create robust product stewardship reviews according to product stewardship principles

· To facilitate, coordinate and implement process for product stewardship reviews for products

· To ensure that requirements associated with changes to products are accounted for in stewardship processes

· To collaborate with stakeholders to establish standardised procedures and respond to business product stewardship needs

· To create commercial product stewardship support materials

· To track action items to closure and report on those metrics periodically

· To advise on product stewardship issues including product misuse, potentially adverse effects, and potential environmental impacts.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential requirements:

· At least a Master’s degree or equivalent from a recognised University in Agricultural Sciences or related discipline

· At least 10 years of relevant experience and sound knowledge in product stewardship and management with a reputed private or public sector seed entity, preferably in Africa

· Experience in seed manufacturing and related Quality Management System

· Knowledge of Resistance Management for biotech traits

· Knowledge of ETS

· Quality Management Systems in seed production, knowledge of ISO is an advantage.

· Fluency in English, with working knowledge of French.

Other required competencies:

· Strong organisational skills and attention to detail

· Ability to work in a team environment and contribute to high priority and time-sensitive activities including proposal development and resource mobilisation

· Excellent writing skills, including the ability to translate regulatory policy information into stewardship requirements that must be followed by growers and sales professionals

· Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate and participate in diverse and cross-geographic teams and networks

· Demonstrated computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office, use of spreadsheets and databases, and the ability to source data and documents from the internet

· Demonstrated skills in networking and interpersonal relationships

· Ability to understand management systems and how these can be developed, standardised, and audited.

Terms of Appointment

This is an internationally recruited position and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. The position is on a 3-year full-time contract, renewable based on performance and availability of funds. This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya.