Project Manager: Coconut Waste Project - Cerath Development Organization

CERATH Development Organization (CDO) is a non-profit entity catalyzing development in Africa. Operational in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Kenya, CDO has five main intervention areas. These are (1) Agriculture (II) Fisheries (III) Renewable Energy, (IV)Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (V) Inclusive Finance.

Job Description

About COWAP

The project seeks to achieve a green-circular economy and create livelihood opportunities through value addition to coconut husk waste in the La Nkwantanang - Madina Municipality. COWAP is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and is currently in its second year of implementation. COWAP is being implemented by a consortium consisting of CDO (lead), La Nkwantanang - Madina Municipal Assembly, and Tree Crops Center.

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COWAP has made significant progress in its two years of implementation. The project is currently in the execution phase of its business cases. The first business case, a coconut waste processing facility, is scheduled to commence operations in December 2022. The second business case is a coconut waste aggregation enterprise that will also start operations in December 2022. These business cases are independent entities with different management regimes. In view of these, CDO is seeking to hire a project manager to lead the project in its current “agribusiness phase”.

Opportunity

As a growing organization, CDO is seeking new talents to complement its existing team and contribute to achieving its mission of catalyzing development in Africa. Specifically, CDO is seeking to hire a self-motivated, visionary, dynamic, and energetic candidate for the role of Project Manager for its Coconut Waste Project (COWAP).

Roles and Responsibilities

• Overall management of the project.
• Lead the project team in the execution of the project.
• Lead the project team and the business case enterprises in fundraising activities.
• Lead the project team and the business case enterprises in forging strategic partnerships related to financing, markets, and supply chain development.
• Lead the project team in identifying and securing additional market opportunities (local, regional, and international) for the business case enterprises.
• Lead the project team to determine, design, and develop the project’s next phase to ensure continuity and scale-up.

Required Skills or Experience

Education

• A Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, or Business Administration (in Finance and with practical experience in agriculture/agribusiness).  
• The candidate must have at least 5 years of professional experience (excluding national service).
•  Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent will be accepted if they have an additional 5 years of general professional experience to the minimum 5 years required. 

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Skills and Abilities

• Experience in marketing, and value chain research development for agricultural commodities.
• Considerable experience with donor/private funded projects related to agribusinesses.
• Proven ability to develop and negotiate contractual arrangements between and among downstream value chain actors.
• Strong knowledge of financial analysis, and an understanding of the value chain and market arrangements. A high level of leadership, interpersonal, technical, and analytical skills as well as the ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of public and private sector counterparts and key stakeholders.
• Mastery in the use of Microsoft Office suite and other related software/applications.
• Must be fluent in the English language, with strong written and oral communication skills. 
• Candidate must have the ability to take initiative and work with limited supervision.