Call for Proposals - Team Leader

About IFDC

IFDC is a public international organization active in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and America. IFDC uniquely approaches the global issues of food security and poverty by bridging the gap between research and impact, combining science-based innovations, holistic market systems development, an enabling policy environment, and strategic partnerships to assist farmers and countries to identify and scale sustainable agricultural solutions, including improved nutrient use efficiency. These approaches are needed to boost soil health and crop productivity while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use. IFDC translates research into action by using locally driven, environmentally sound, and impact-oriented solutions. With our partners, we seek to close the yield gap, eradicate global hunger, safeguard the soil on which our lives depend, and generate economic resilience for farming households and the countries in which they live.  

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day project activities, and the quality delivery of all work submitted to the donor (EKN);
• Coordinate closely with the consortium partners to develop, implement and adapt the project’s overall strategy to achieve desired results;
• Serve as the principal link between local stakeholders including the Government of Uganda, and the Donor;
• Provide expert technical oversight and guidance in all aspects of the program, including program monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Successful candidate will have demonstrated success developing and implementing annual workplans, monitoring and evaluating program implementation, producing high quality reports and communication materials, organizing successful meetings and workshops, identifying and resolving implementation challenges, coordinating with partners, leading successful teams, resolving disputes, identifying lessons learned and best practices, preventing and addressing fraud, and managing large budgets.

Requirements

• Minimum master’s degree in a relevant field is required. Relevant fields include, but are not limited to Soil Science, International Development, Agricultural Business, Project Management and Public Administration;
• Minimum 10 years’ INTERNATIONAL experience with development projects or programs management and be able to steer the different components;
• Minimum 10 years’ experience managing a program of similar size and scope;
• Demonstrated working relationship with seed sector institutions and agencies, agri-input dealers, Grain council, international and national seed companies, local seed businesses (LSBs), and smallholder farmers;
• Demonstrated understanding of the Ugandan agricultural context; specific seed sector experience preferred;
• Proven track record of achieving development results in a similar context and working relationship with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands or other European donors;
• Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including national and local government, donors, farmers associations, universities, and the private sector;
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, including the ability to build and manage cooperative high-level relationships and motivate team members;
• Spoken and written fluency in English.

Reporting and Work Relationships

The Team leader will report to the Vice President Global Programs and Project.

Location

This position is based at the IFDC office in Uganda.

Benefits

IFDC's benefits include annual and sick leave, health and group life insurance coverage, a 13th-month salary, social security and pension contribution in compliance with local laws and end-of-contract benefits. 

Salary Clause

The salary grade for this position is BG 11. 

The determination of new employee salaries takes into account various factors. These include the salary range linked to the assigned job grade, the candidate's qualifications in relation to the job's responsibilities and prerequisites, internal fairness, the competitive state of the job market, as well as potential organizational and budgetary considerations.

About Program/Project

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda (EKN-KAM) plans to invest in interventions that enhance access to quality seed by smallholder farmers (SHFs) thereby contributing to increased agricultural productivity, improved food security, strengthened business growth, increased incomes, creation of employment opportunities, and sustainable market-based growth in the seed sector. The intended project’s scope, goal and objectives, and principles of approach are aligned with the policy and results frameworks of the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, the Multi-Annual Country Strategy of EKN-KAM5, and relevant policies and programs of the Government of Uganda. 

The project will develop and implement strategies and interventions that enhance access to quality seed by smallholder farmers and commercial medium and large-scale farmers, thereby contributing to increased agricultural productivity, improved food security, strengthened business growth, increased incomes, creation of employment opportunities and sustainable market-based growth in the seed sector.

IFDC is intending to submit a proposal, and any positions are contingent on IFDC being awarded the project.

Goal of the Project

The goal of the project is to enhance resilience and increase of smallholder farmers agricultural productivity and income through the availability and use of quality seed.

Main Objectives of the Project

The overarching objective is that quality seed of new, improved, and adapted varieties are available and accessible to and utilized by SHFs in Uganda.

1. Increased quality, availability, affordability and use of QDS and other farmer managed seeds by SHF.
2. Increased quality, affordability, availability and use of commercialized seed.
3. Enhanced enabling environment leading to strengthened regulation, coordination, and investment in the seed sector through the development and strengthened capacity of institutions in the implementation of policy, regulation, and research and development in the seed sector that is vibrant, dynamic, pluralistic, and demand oriented.

Duration/ funding amount of the Project

• Five (5) Years with funding amount of 8 million Euros

Expected start date of the Team Leader

• 10^th of August 2025