AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million smallholder farming households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income.

Working in alignment with the development priorities of our focus countries, we enable farmers to access improved and high-yielding seeds, gain knowledge on sustainable farming, and linkages to profitable markets.

In our work, we aspire to build the alliances, partnerships, and networks required to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation. We work with our partners to create an equitable youth-friendly environment that harnesses the youth dividend on the continent to drive growth and facilitate open employment opportunities for young women and men. We achieve our key objectives through a focus on the following four areas of intervention:

• Policy and state capability – We support governments in creating an enabling environment for private sector involvement in agricultural transformation.
• Seed systems – We trigger higher productivity by increasing the availability and access to improved seeds by farmers allowing them to increase their harvests for food security and better incomes.
• Sustainable farming – We support farmers in building resilient farming systems for sustained high yields through interventions such as mechanization and irrigation.
• Inclusive markets and trade – We work to increase the linkages between farmers, and other market actors for a positive, sustained cycle of commercialization and reinvestment.

AGRA’s 2030 Strategy

The continent has, in recent years, taken steps towards inclusive agricultural transformation resulting in notable improvements in food security, with clear progress across all AGRA’s focus countries. However, with over 20% of Africans still suffering from hunger, we need to accelerate our progress and mitigate against the growing external pressures of conflict and climate on our food systems.

AGRA 2022-2030 Strategic Framework (SF2030) demonstrates our long-term vision for how we intend to contribute to, and align with, global and continental priorities, applying a food systems lens towards the goals of zero hunger, improved nutrition, an end to poverty, and climate adaptation. We have split our Strategic Framework 2030 into two 5-year strategies so that we have a clear mid-way point to evaluate progress and re-route our strategic focus if necessary. Our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan sets out to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where the private sector thrives, and smallholders are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food.

AGRA’s Vision

To contribute to a food system-inspired inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa, to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and adapt to climate.

AGRA’s Mission

To catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where private sector thrives, and smallholder farmers are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food.

AGRA’s Strategy

• Empowering and building the resilience of small holder farmers
• Supporting the development of inclusive markets and finance to strengthen agricultural systems.
• Strengthening state capability to sustain agricultural transformation.

Implementing Our New Strategy Through People

AGRA is at the threshold of a new chapter where we begin implementing our new strategy of catalyzing inclusive, resilient and sustainable agricultural transformation. At AGRA we believe Agriculture is the single greatest opportunity to deliver inclusive economic growth, jobs, and health to the African continent.

People are the heart of our organisation and remain the true drivers of our delivery and our impact.

We are excited about a new fit-for-purpose organizational structure that is largely driven by an ambition to enhance collaboration across teams and drive sustainable growth. We have therefore purposed more focus on delivery of country programs within the new strategy giving even greater attention to optimising existing talent in addition to upscaling technical and operational resources.

We work with incredible people and partners who have roots in farming communities across the continent combined with an inclusive and diverse workforce from over 24 nationalities. Our values of (I-RISE; Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship and Equity) espouse our commitment to a call to action to go beyond ourselves as we arise and transform Africa’s Agriculture.

We are looking for people who are passionate about Africa, curious and collaborative to join our innovative, growing, and multidisciplinary team. Together, we can grow Africa’s food systems improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Want to join us?

The Opportunity

The Vice President, Center of Technical Expertise

Role purpose

The Vice President – Center of Technical Expertise is a member of the Executive Management Committee, who will drive the design and oversight of all aspects of AGRA’s technical programming and strategic /thought leadership and analytical capability through AGRA’s center of technical expertise. The role will be responsible for developing and directing all AGRA’s business lines and ensure appropriate support to all the 15 AGRA country offices to ensure alignment, and coherent and coordinated delivery.

Role Summary

S/He is responsible for delivering technical capabilities for AGRA and implementing initiatives that catalyse widespread change across the ecosystem. S/He will lead a team that is composed of experts in the fields of seed systems; climate adaption, sustainable farming and resilience; inclusive markets and trade; policy and state capability; inclusive finance; and digital; youth, gender and nutrition who work in the central office and support the regional and country program officers to help catalyze food system transformation.

Key Measures of Performance

The performance of this role holder will be assessed on the basis of the achievements made as follows:

• Optimize AGRA’s range of technical interventions to meet AGRA’s strategic objectives across all the AGRA operational countries.
• Use all AGRA’s technical assets to design a strong and transformation service support to countries and other partners that is anchored in strong data and analytical capability in CoTE.
• Demonstrated impact on the continental agendas that impact food systems, agriculture, and related areas.
• Forster strategic partnerships with other institutions to fast track demonstratable delivery of tangible assets including technologies, traits, models, policies and other relevant areas.
• Build strategic partnerships that provide opportunities and solutions for new learning that allow AGRA to adopt best practices from other institutions and partners.
• Leadership engagement and stakeholder convening with donors, governments, and partners.
• Lead the design of AGRA business plans across all countries that result in tangible benefits to smallholder farmers, and successful formulation and implementation of a pan-African strategy.
• Strong people management and ability to build a strong team and institution as part of AGRA’s Executive Leadership team.
• In collaboration with Directors and Unit heads, develop and maintain up to date, cutting edge strategies on current business lines and critical AIT systems including but not limited to the development of seed systems, fertilizer systems, input supply systems, extension delivery, markets, innovative finance, and digital solutions.