Portfolio Manager - PROPCOM+ at Palladium Group

This Opportunity:

• Propcom+ is a new FCDO-funded eight-year (2023-2030), rural and agricultural market development programme supporting climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry that benefits people, climate, and nature.
• The programme is implemented by The Palladium Group, and it aims to transform Nigeria's rural economy by addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges in the country's food and land-use system. It will do this by (i) increasing productivity, improve nutrition and food security; (ii) enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions, and protect and restore nature, and (iii) help tackle some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity. It does this by working as a ‘market facilitator’, identifying constraints in markets systems and facilitating changes to enable rural markets to work better for the benefit of poor and climate-vulnerable smallholder farmers and rural small-scale entrepreneurs. 

Propcom+ has a target of increasing the incomes and climate resilience of 3.9 million poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria, 50% of whom will be women, through a “3Ps” approach of interlinked components:

• P1: Scaling-up a focused basket of Proven climate-smart interventions around agricultural and primary processing / storage practices and models to get these adopted by millions of poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs.
• P2: Building markets by developing and Piloting new business models that improve productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, reduce emissions, and improve nutrition outcomes.
• P3: Enabling Policies that support a strengthened enabling environment for sustainable food and land-use system.

Location and Compensation:

• The position is based in Palladium’s Abuja office. The Portfolio Manager will be required to travel frequently within Nigeria, particularly to the Northern part of Nigeria.
• Please be advised that a final salary offer will be based on various factors, including but not limited to your qualifications, education, experience, skills, seniority, performance, and Palladium’s business or organizational needs.
• If you have any questions or concerns regarding the compensation for this position, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We value your interest in our company and appreciate the opportunity to discuss this opportunity with you.

You and Your Career:

• If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in rural and agricultural market development, we are interested in hearing from you. 
• We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start.  We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

• The Portfolio Manager will supervise and lead a market section comprising several Interventions and officers (Market Facilitators). He/she will oversee interventions in targeted markets and identify further opportunities for the programme to pursue.

 This post will report to a Work Stream Lead. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

This post will be responsible for the: Market Facilitators/Intervention Officers

• Providing overall strategic direction for the market sector and all interventions within the sector; designing evidence-based business models, intervention plans and relevant intervention guides with measurement plans for managing performance and alignment with programme results
• Identifying new markets in order to contribute to the overall programme strategy and liaising with the senior management team on potential markets.
• Initiating and managing all market related value chain analysis ensuring study designs, contracting and implementation are done in accordance to set standards.
• Develop and pitch business cases to potential business partners.
• Driving the stakeholder analysis of the selected commodity chains as well as identifying potential agents of change
• Overseeing the implementation of all market interventions ensuring initiative is taken and setting work plans for the intervention.
• Identifying and establishing strategic partnerships within the market and playing a lead role in managing all established partnerships
• Integrate CSA, conflict-sensitivity, political economy, GESI, and nutrition sensitivity into the interventions both at a smallholder farmer level and across the value chain / wider market system.

Ensure

• Administrative guidance is followed for grants, MoUs, and general administration
• Budgets are managed for the markets being supervised
• Security guidelines are followed by all team members.

Team Management

• Improving the performance of the team through mentoring and coaching
• Ensuring good linkages with the Results Measurement team
• Contributing to the overall leadership of the programme as part of the management team
• Work with Communications and MERL team to ensure intervention results are documented and ploughed into learning.

Key Competencies Required:

• 5-7years cognate experience facilitating market systems development approach. Private sector sales and marketing experience will be an added advantage.
• Experience designing business models and bottom of the pyramid models that catalyse investments from agribusinesses.
• Experience and knowledge of the agricultural and food market in Northern Nigeria is a definite advantage.
• Evidence of the ability to form strong partnerships.
• Credibility within the business community
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to develop well written, cohesive reports.
• Strong skills in business software (Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint)
• Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English.
• Team management experience
• Willingness to travel domestically, especially to the north of Nigeria, is essential.
• Previous experience on M4P projects preferred.
• Risk identification and mitigation

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

• A first degree in Economics, Agric-economics, any field of Engineering, Project management, marketing, or Strategic management. Master’s degree in any business or social sciences will be an added advantage.