Coffee Quality and Operations Manager, Ethiopia Coffee Initiative

Job Description

TechnoServe’s Ethiopia Coffee Initiative is funded primarily by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and aims to help over 90,000 small-holder coffee farmers improve their incomes by increasing coffee quality and production. The project was launched in 2008 and has secured funding through the end of 2015.

Primary Purpose

• Serve on the management team of the Ethiopia Coffee Initiative
• Manage key business processes: quality and marketing, wet mill operations, sustainability, and special projects

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy and Leadership

• Regularly review and update TechnoServe’s plans for improving the quality and market access of Ethiopian coffee cooperatives.
• Pursue initiatives that will enable cooperative clients to achieve long-term sustainability and success (post-TechnoServe support)
• Lead annual operational planning activities, including identification of new cooperative clients and focus areas / regions

Quality and Marketing

• Manage TechnoServe’s quality and marketing team in Addis Ababa and in the field (Jimma, Wellega and the South)
• Develop market linkages between cooperatives / unions and coffee buyers (importers and roasters)
• Support coffee quality profiling activities, including differentiation of mainstream and specialty qualities through frequent cupping
• Provide mentoring and training to cooperative unions and coffee service providers so that they can provide efficient marketing and export services to cooperatives
• Review and analyze internal and external coffee market trends, and present relevant information to program staff and stakeholders

Wet Mill Operations

• Manage TechnoServe’s countrywide wet mill program, which provides business support to over 120 cooperative wet mills in Jimma, Wellega and the South
• Provide supervision and coaching to Program Managers and Senior Business Advisors (SBAs), who are based in the field and manage portfolios of cooperative clients
• Supervise the wet mill program work plan, including activities related to: client selection, business planning, wet mill construction and maintenance, business and operations training, harvest and processing, quality control and lot traceability, and end-of-season activities
• Support clients and staff to achieve key program targets, namely: coffee volumes and optimal capacity utilization, price premiums, low operational costs, and increased prices to farmer
• Assist clients to “graduate” from TechnoServe support by developing sufficient business capacity, repaying debts, and building long-term service relationships with partners (banks, unions, etc.)

Sustainability

• Manage TechnoServe’s sustainability program, which provides training and technical support to cooperatives to address a range of sustainability issues (environmental responsibility, operation health and safety, social responsibility and ethics, economic transparency, farm management practices)
• Supervise the sustainability program work plan, including activities related to: internal and external client audits, gap analysis and continuous improvement, provision of sustainability-related trainings, and installation and maintenance of coffee wastewater systems.
• Oversee any certification / verification -related activities with clients and partners
• Participate in industry initiatives to increase supply of sustainable coffees from Ethiopia
• Provide information to key partners about clients’ sustainability, including annual sustainability scores and audit results

Special Projects

• Manage special projects and communications with coffee industry partners (roasters and buyers). TechnoServe currently has three such projects focused in Southern Ethiopia.

• Solid coffee industry experience, ideally with a respected company in the private sector. Should be proficient in coffee quality (cupping) and marketing terminology. Should also be familiar with coffee wet-processing operations (i.e., wet mill management).
• Inspirational leader of professional staff
• Developing country experience with strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
• Experience managing projects and teams of people
• Strong organizational and planning skills; good attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English
• Willingness to travel and spend up to 50% of time in the field

About the Organization

TechnoServe is an international, non-profit economic development organization founded in 1968 out of a conviction that a vibrant private sector is an essential foundation for economic growth and poverty reduction. TechnoServe undertakes targeted, catalytic technical assistance and other programming to increase the competitiveness of entrepreneurs, businesses and industries that in-turn provide sustainable employment, inclusion of the poor and increased incomes. TechnoServe operates in 25 developing countries with over 1000 employees. A substantial portion of our work is in agriculture, enhancing farm productivity and commodity quality and addressing gaps in processing and other agribusiness capacities. Our programs increase smallholder access to new technologies, aggregation and storage mechanisms, markets, critical information and finance. TechnoServe also undertakes structured programs to identify and support high potential entrepreneurs in various sectors through leadership mentoring networks, formalization support, access to capital and development of sustainable business services such as accounting, finance, marketing and human resource management.